Harry does not
need to be prompted to explain how he bought his precious bottle of mud. One
day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for 'Myrolite'. The shop
assistant looked puzzled and Harry repeated the word, slowly stressing each
syllable. When the woman shook her head in bewilderment, Harry went on to
explain that 'myrolite' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used to
remove freckles. This explanation evidently conveyed something to the woman who
searched shelf after shelf. She produced all sorts of weird concoctions, but
none of them met Harry's requirements. When Harry put on his act of being
mildly annoyed, the assistant promised to order some for him. Intoxicated by
his success, Harry then asked for perfumed mud.
解析：
1. 第一句可以精简成“Harry does not need to be
prompted.”
（1）“to explain
how he bought his precious bottle of mud”做prompt的宾语
（2）prompt：to help a speaker who pauses,
by suggesting how to continue (提示)
例：
"I can’t decide."
said Tom. "Decide what?" prompted
Marlon.
（3）很明显，这句话在文中起了“承上启下”的作用，第二段写Harry的坏习惯是什么，第三段写怎么得到那瓶泥，所以中间来这么一句“他不用人提醒，马上就要解释了”。
2. 第二句比较短，“One
day, he went to an exclusive shop in London and asked for 'Myrolite'.”
exclusive：adj. exclusive places, organizations, clothes etc. are so
expensive that not many people can afford to use or buy them
例：
Bel Air is an exclusive suburb of Los Angeles. （Bel Air是洛杉矶一个地价昂贵的郊区。）
3. 第三句可以精简成“The shop assistant looked
puzzled and Harry repeated the word.”
（1）“slowly stressing
each syllable”做“repeated
the word”的状语。
（2）puzzle：v. to confuse someone or make them feel slightly anxious because they
do not understand sth (使……感到迷惑)
例：
He was puzzled by the reactions to
his remark. （他对大家对他的讲话作出的反应感到困惑。）
What puzzles me is why his books are so
popular. （我很纳闷为何他的书那么受欢迎。）
4. 第四句可以精简成“Harry
went on to explain...”
（1）“when the woman shook her head in
bewilderment”做状语。
“that 'myrolite' was a hard, amber-like substance which could be used
to remove freckles”做explain的宾语。“which could be used to remove freckles”是substance的定语从句。
（2）in bewilderment: =in confusion (困惑)
She looked at him in bewilderment. （她困惑地看着他。）
（3）remove: to get rid of sth so that it does not exist any longer (除掉)
例：
A cleaner that
will remove wine stains. 去除酒渍的清洁剂
5. 第五句可以精简成“This explanation conveyed
something to the woman .”
（1）“who searched
shelf after shelf”是woman的定语从句。
（2）convey：to communicate or express sth ,
using or not using words（convey sth to sb）(传达)
例：
Those advertisments convey the message that
thin is beautiful. （广告传达了“瘦即是美”的信息。）
I want to convey to the children that reading is one of life’s greatest treats. （我想告诉孩子们，阅读是人生最大的享受。）
6. 第六句较短，She produced all sorts of
weird concoctions, but none of them met Harry's requirements.
（1）concoction：n. sth, especially a drink or food, made by mixing different things, especially
things that are not usually combined (混合物)
例：
He sipped the concoction cautiously. （他小心翼翼地尝了一口那团糊糊）。
（2）meet sb 's requirements: have or do what
is necessary (满足某人的要求)
除了用meet，还可以用动词fulfill,
satisfy
例：
The new computer
system can meet/fulfill/satisfy all our requirements. （新的电脑系统将可满足我们的一切要求。）
7. 第七句可以精简成“the assistant promised to
order some for him.”
（1）“When Harry
put on his act of being mildly annoyed”做状语
（2）order：v.
(订货)
例：
I’ve ordered a new computer from the
supplier. （我跟供应商订了一台新电脑。）
order 还可以表示“在餐厅点餐”，
例：
She ordered another glass of wine. （她又点了一杯酒。）
Are you ready to order? （您可以点餐了吗？）
（3）put sth on：to pretend to have a particular feeling, opinion, way of
speaking etc. especially in order to get attention (装作)
例：
Leaving the court,
the family all tried to put on a brave face（一家人离开法院时都故作坚强。）
8. 第八句可以精简成“Harry then asked for
perfumed mud.”
（1）“Intoxicated
by his success”做状语。
（2）intoxicated：happy, excited, unable to think
clearly, especially as a result of love, success, power etc. (陶醉不已)（intoxicated by/with sth）
例：
He rapidly became intoxicated with his power. （他很快就醉心于自己的权力之中了。）