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Once the holidays had started, Ron and Harry were having too good a time to think much about Flamel.
放假以后，罗恩和哈利玩得太开心了，没有多少心思去想勒梅。
They had the dormitory to themselves and the common room was far emptier than usual, so they were able to get the good armchairs by the fire.
宿舍完全归他们支配，公共休息室里的人也比平常少了许多，他们能够占领炉火边几把更舒服的扶手椅了。
They sat by the hour eating anything they could spear on a toasting fork——bread, English muffins, marshmallows，
这会儿，他们就坐在那里，吃着所有能用烤叉戳起的食物——面包、面饼、蘑菇，
and plotting ways of getting Malfoy expelled, which were fun to talk about even if they wouldn't work.
一边设计着能使马尔福被开除的方案，尽管这些方案都不可能付诸实施，但是谈谈总是令人开心的。
Ron also started teaching Harry wizard chess.
罗恩还开始教哈利下巫师棋。
This was exactly like Muggle chess except that the figures were alive, which made it a lot like directing troops in battle.
巫师棋和麻瓜棋一模一样，但它的棋子都是活的，所以使人感觉更像是在指挥军队作战。
Ron's set was very old and battered.
罗恩的那副棋已经很旧了，破破烂烂的。
Like everything else he owned, it had once belonged to someone else in his family—in this case, his grandfather.
罗恩所有的东西原先都属于他家里的其他人，这副棋是他爷爷的。
However, old chessmen weren't a drawback at all. Ron knew them so well he never had trouble getting them to do what he wanted.
不过，棋子老一些丝毫没有妨碍。罗恩对它们非常熟悉，毫不费力就能让它们听从他的调遣。
Harry played with chessmen Seamus Finnigan had lent him, and they didn't trust him at all.
哈利用的是西莫斐尼甘留给他的那套棋子，它们根本不信任他。
He wasn't a very good player yet and they kept shouting different bits of advice at him, which was confusing.
他的水平还不很高，棋子们东一句西一句地对他指手画脚，把人的脑袋都吵昏了
Don't send me there, can't you see his knight? Send him, we can afford to lose him.
不要把我派到那里，你没看见他的马吗？派他去吧，他牺牲了没有关系。
重点讲解
一.be able to:会, 能
A good lawyer might be able to get you off.
请位好律师有可能使你免受追究。
You'll be able to come, won't you?
你能来的，对吗?
二.talk about:谈论, 谈到
His talk about apartheid created agitation.
他的关于种族隔离的谈话激起了骚动。
I never talk about gossip.
我从不传播流言蜚语。
三.afford:v.花费得起, 能够做, 承担得起(后果), 提供,给予
【语法用法】
afford指“给予”时，可接双宾语。
It affords me great satisfaction to be able to help him.
能帮助他给了我很大的满足感。
can afford to ...指“负担得起”，“做得到”，“忍得住”。
He can afford to keep a motorcar.
他负担得起备有一辆汽车。
She can hardly afford to wait for another hour.
她几乎做不到再多等一小时了。I did not think I could afford to lose my post.
我想我不能忍受得了失去这个职位。
【例句用法】
These trees afford a pleasant shade.
这些树提供了荫凉。
I can't afford a holiday this summer.
今年夏天我无法度假。

剧情百科:
巫师棋:巫师棋中的每个棋子都被施了魔法，不用人去用手操作，只要说便可操作它们。这是一种有点野蛮的游戏，当棋子被“吃”掉时，会被其他棋子用暴力击碎。罗恩是巫师棋的高手。