Starcap the 1)Elf

by Hans Christian Andersen翻译：抱朴子

All elves, as you know, are very strange; there is one, however, who is even stranger than the others, and his name is Starcap. He is no taller than your2)thumb, and always wears a silk jacket which changes color very often, now green, then red, now blue, then yellow. On his head he always wears a huge star top hat. He is always3)barefootand walks right up on his4)tiptoes,so thatno one ever hears him coming. In fact, there are very few people who can honestly5)boastthat, before theyfall asleep, they havecaught a glimpseof him.

Starcap does a very important job: he is the elf who makes children go to sleep at night. He steals up to each child quietly, puts a drop of honey on each eye to6)sealit, and then blows on each child’s head, making it heavier and heavier until the child falls asleep. Then Starcap opens out one of the two huge umbrellas he carries round with him, and he holds it over the sleeping child for a moment. If he opens up the black umbrella the child will have a dreamless sleep; the other umbrella is covered in7)fantasticpictures and if Starcap opens that one, then the child will have beautiful dreams.

词组加油站

★top hat大礼帽

★catch a glimpse瞥见

1) elf [elf] n. 小精灵（复数：elves）

2) thumb [θʌm] n. 拇指

3) barefoot ['beəfʊt] adj. 赤脚的

4) tiptoe ['tɪptəʊ] n. 脚尖

5) boast [bəʊst] v. 夸口

6) seal [siːl] v. 封上

7) fantastic [fæn'tæstɪk] adj. 极好的

参考译文

众所周知，所有小精灵的样子都非常古怪；其中一个叫星帽的小精灵却更古怪。他个头仅比你的拇指大点，总是穿着一件经常变色的丝质夹克，时而绿色，时而红，时而蓝色，时而黄；头上总戴着一顶巨大的布满星形图案的礼帽。他总是光着脚踮起脚尖走路，这样就没人会知道他的到来。其实，真会夸口说自己在睡着前见过他的人寥寥无几。

小精灵星帽做着一项非常重要的工作：他负责在晚上让孩子们进入梦乡。他随身携带两把巨伞。他会悄悄地来到每个孩子身旁，在他们的每只眼睛上各滴上一滴蜂蜜“粘住”他们的眼睛，然后再往他们头上吹口气，这样孩子就会觉得头越来越沉，直至睡着。接着，星帽会在孩子头顶撑开巨伞片刻。假如他撑开的是黑色的巨伞，孩子便会一夜无梦；如果是另一把图案漂亮的伞，孩子则会美梦不断。

名师考点小结

1.so that意为“以便，为了”，引导目的状语从句，相当于in order that结构。so that引导目的状语从句，通常和情态动词can、could、may、might等连用。例如：

My old father began to study computer at the age of sixty so that he might keep up with times.

我的老父亲六十岁开始学习电脑，以便跟上时代。

I spend more time learning English every day so that I can make greater progress this year.

为了今年取得更大进步，我每天花更多的时间学英语。

2.fall asleep为系表结构，意为“睡着”。be asleep表示入睡的状态，而fall asleep表示入睡的动作。例如：

The baby was sound asleep. 婴儿睡得很熟。

He soon fell asleep. 他很快就睡着了。