课文详注 Further notes on the text
1．…but things got so bad recently that he decided to go on a diet.……但是近来情况变得越发糟糕，以致他决定节食。
（1）things（要用复数形式）可以表示“情况”、“情形”、“状况”、“形势”等含义：
You've surely made things worse.
你确实使情况变得更糟了。
How are things going on with you?
你那里情况如何？
（2）get作不及物动词时可以表示“变得”：
I got interested in French.
我（变得）对法语感兴趣了。
I got angry with him.
我（变得）对他很生气。
（3）diet用于表示治疗某种疾病或调节体重的“特种饮食”、“规定饮食”时通常与on连用：
The doctor put him on a strict diet.
医生让他严格控制饮食。
She is on a diet.
她正在节食。
I once went on a diet for a week and then I gave up.
我曾经节食过一周，然后就放弃了。
2．First of all, he wrote out a long list of all the foods which were forbidden.首先，他开列了一张长长的单子，上面列了所有禁吃的食物。
（1）first of all为固定短语，表示“首先”、“第一”：
First of all I must see your passport.
首先我必须看一下你的护照。
（2）write out这个短语表示“（正式）写”、“写出”或“全部写出”：
You should write out a report.
你应该写一份报告。
3．The list included most of the things Hugh loves…这张单子上的大多数食物都是休喜欢吃的……
It contained five large bars of chocolate and three bags of sweets!
里面装了5大块巧克力和3袋糖果！
include和contain都有“包含”的意思，但contain可以用于表示所包含的全部事物，include则只表示其中的一部分：
It included three bags of sweets.
其中有3袋糖果。（另外还有其他东西）
contain的主语通常为某个容器，include则含义更广：
Does the bill include a tip?
账单包括小费吗？
We're including you in our team.
我们把你列为我们队中的一员了。
4．Yesterday I paid him a visit.昨天我去看望了他。
pay a visit to sb. 表示“拜访某人”：
I paid a visit to Jane the other day.
前几天我去看望了简。
5．…Hugh was still as fat as ever．……休仍和往常一样胖。
as ever是as he ever was的省略形式。as…as ever这个结构表示“照旧”、“依然”：
He is as strong as ever.
他依然那么强壮。
6．It was obvious that he was very embarrassed.显然他感到很尴尬。
it为先行主语，真正的句子主语是that引导的从句，它在句子中起名词的作用。从句作主语时通常前面用先行主语it，以免句子看上去头重脚轻：
It is certain now that he'll come on Monday.
现在可以肯定他星期一将会来。