【饥饿游戏】01

When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold. My fingers

stretch out, seeking Prim¹’s warmth but finding only the

rough canvas cover of the mattress². She must have had bad

dreams and climbed in with our mother. Of course, she did.

This is the day of the reaping.

I prop³ myself up on one elbow. There’s enough light in the

bedroom to see them. My little sister, Prim, curled up on her

side, cocooned⁴ in my mother’s body, their cheeks pressed together. 

In sleep, my mother looks younger, still worn but not

so beaten-down. Prim’s face is as fresh as a raindrop, as lovely

as the primrose⁵ for which she was named. My mother was

very beautiful once, too. Or so they tell me.

Sitting at Prim’s knees, guarding her, is the world’s ugliest

cat. Mashed-in nose, half of one ear missing, eyes the color of

rotting squash. Prim named him Buttercup, insisting that his

muddy yellow coat matched the bright flower. He hates me.

Or at least distrusts me. Even though it was years ago, I think

he still remembers how I tried to drown him in a bucket when

Prim brought him home. Scrawny kitten, belly⁶ swollen⁷ with

worms, crawling with fleas⁸. The last thing I needed was

another mouth to feed. But Prim begged so hard, cried even, I

had to let him stay. It turned out okay. My mother got rid of

the vermin and he’s a born mouser. Even catches the occasional

rat. Sometimes, when I clean a kill, I feed Buttercup the

entrails. He has stopped hissing⁹ at me.

Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to

love.

I swing my legs off the bed and slide into my hunting boots.

Supple¹⁰ leather that has molded to my feet. I pull on trousers, a

shirt, tuck my long dark braid up into a cap, and grab my forage¹¹

bag. On the table, under a wooden bowl to protect it from

hungry rats and cats alike, sits a perfect little goat cheese

wrapped in basil leaves. Prim’s gift to me on reaping day. I put

the cheese carefully in my pocket as I slip outside.

Our part of District 12, nicknamed the Seam, is usually

crawling with coal miners heading out to the morning shift at

this hour. Men and women with hunched¹² shoulders, swollen

knuckles¹³, many who have long since stopped trying to scrub

the coal dust out of their broken nails, the lines of their sunken

faces. But today the black cinder¹⁴ streets are empty. Shutters¹⁵

on the squat¹⁶ gray houses are closed. The reaping isn’t until

two. May as well sleep in. If you can.

Our house is almost at the edge of the Seam. I only have to

pass a few gates to reach the scruffy¹⁷ field called the Meadow.

Separating the Meadow from the woods, in fact enclosing all

of District 12, is a high chain-link fence topped with barbedwire

loops. In theory, it’s supposed to be electrified¹⁸ twentyfour

hours a day as a deterrent¹⁹ to the predators²⁰ that live in the

woods — packs of wild dogs, lone²¹ cougars²², bears — that used

to threaten our streets. But since we’re lucky to get two or

three hours of electricity in the evenings, it’s usually safe to

touch. Even so, I always take a moment to listen carefully for

the hum that means the fence is live. Right now, it’s silent as a

stone. Concealed²³ by a clump²⁴ of bushes, I flatten²⁵ out on my belly

and slide under a two-foot stretch that’s been loose for

years. There are several other weak spots in the fence, but this

one is so close to home I almost always enter the woods here.

As soon as I’m in the trees, I retrieve²⁶ a bow and sheath of

arrows from a hollow log. Electrified or not, the fence has

been successful at keeping the flesh-eaters out of District 12.

Inside the woods they roam freely, and there are added concerns

like venomous snakes, rabid animals, and no real paths

to follow. But there’s also food if you know how to find it. My

father knew and he taught me some before he was blown to

bits in a mine explosion. There was nothing even to bury. I

was eleven then. Five years later, I still wake up screaming for

him to run.

Even though trespassing²⁷ in the woods is illegal and poaching

carries the severest of penalties, more people would risk it

if they had weapons. But most are not bold enough to venture

out with just a knife. My bow is a rarity, crafted by my father

along with a few others that I keep well hidden in the woods,

carefully wrapped in waterproof²⁸ covers. My father could have

made good money selling them, but if the officials found out

he would have been publicly executed for inciting²⁹ a rebellion.

Most of the Peacekeepers turn a blind eye to the few of us who

hunt because they’re as hungry for fresh meat as anybody is.

In fact, they’re among our best customers. But the idea that

someone might be arming the Seam would never have been

allowed.

In the fall, a few brave souls sneak³⁰ into the woods to harvest

apples. But always in sight of the Meadow. Always close

enough to run back to the safety of District 12 if trouble arises.

“District Twelve. Where you can starve to death in safety,” I

mutter. Then I glance quickly over my shoulder. Even here,

even in the middle of nowhere, you worry someone might

overhear you.

When I was younger, I scared my mother to death, the

things I would blurt³¹ out about District 12, about the people

who rule our country, Panem, from the far-off city called the

Capitol. Eventually I understood this would only lead us to

more trouble. 

1 prim   

adj.拘泥形式的，一本正经的；n.循规蹈矩，整洁；adv.循规蹈矩地，整洁地

参考例句：

• She's too prim to enjoy rude jokes!她太古板，不喜欢听粗野的笑话！
• He is prim and precise in manner.他的态度一本正经而严谨

2 mattress   

n.床垫，床褥

参考例句：

• The straw mattress needs to be aired.草垫子该晾一晾了。
• The new mattress I bought sags in the middle.我买的新床垫中间陷了下去。

3 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

4 cocooned   

v.茧，蚕茧( cocoon的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The doctors cocooned the patient in blankets. 医生们将病人紧包在毯子里。 来自辞典例句
• I cocooned in my own kingdom. 我完全沉迷在我自己的王国中。 来自辞典例句

5 primrose   

n.樱草，最佳部分，

参考例句：

• She is in the primrose of her life.她正处在她一生的最盛期。
• The primrose is set off by its nest of green.一窝绿叶衬托着一朵樱草花。

6 belly   

n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛

参考例句：

• The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
• His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。

7 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

8 fleas   

n.跳蚤( flea的名词复数 )；爱财如命；没好气地（拒绝某人的要求）

参考例句：

• The dog has fleas. 这条狗有跳蚤。
• Nothing must be done hastily but killing of fleas. 除非要捉跳蚤，做事不可匆忙。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 hissing   

n. 发嘶嘶声, 蔑视 动词hiss的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The steam escaped with a loud hissing noise. 蒸汽大声地嘶嘶冒了出来。
• His ears were still hissing with the rustle of the leaves. 他耳朵里还听得萨萨萨的声音和屑索屑索的怪声。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

10 supple   

adj.柔软的，易弯的，逢迎的，顺从的，灵活的；vt.使柔软，使柔顺，使顺从；vi.变柔软，变柔顺

参考例句：

• She gets along well with people because of her supple nature.她与大家相处很好，因为她的天性柔和。
• He admired the graceful and supple movements of the dancers.他赞扬了舞蹈演员优雅灵巧的舞姿。

11 forage   

n.(牛马的)饲料，粮草；v.搜寻，翻寻

参考例句：

• They were forced to forage for clothing and fuel.他们不得不去寻找衣服和燃料。
• Now the nutritive value of the forage is reduced.此时牧草的营养价值也下降了。

12 hunched   

（常指因寒冷、生病或愁苦）耸肩弓身的，伏首前倾的

参考例句：

• He sat with his shoulders hunched up. 他耸起双肩坐着。
• Stephen hunched down to light a cigarette. 斯蒂芬弓着身子点燃一支烟。

13 knuckles   

n.（指人）指关节( knuckle的名词复数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝v.（指人）指关节( knuckle的第三人称单数 )；（指动物）膝关节，踝

参考例句：

• He gripped the wheel until his knuckles whitened. 他紧紧握住方向盘，握得指关节都变白了。
• Her thin hands were twisted by swollen knuckles. 她那双纤手因肿大的指关节而变了形。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 cinder   

n.余烬，矿渣

参考例句：

• The new technology for the preparation of superfine ferric oxide from pyrite cinder is studied.研究了用硫铁矿烧渣为原料，制取超细氧化铁红的新工艺。
• The cinder contains useful iron,down from producing sulphuric acid by contact process.接触法制硫酸的矿渣中含有铁矿。

15 shutters   

百叶窗( shutter的名词复数 )； （照相机的）快门

参考例句：

• The shop-front is fitted with rolling shutters. 那商店的店门装有卷门。
• The shutters thumped the wall in the wind. 在风中百叶窗砰砰地碰在墙上。

16 squat   

v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的

参考例句：

• For this exercise you need to get into a squat.在这次练习中你需要蹲下来。
• He is a squat man.他是一个矮胖的男人。

17 scruffy   

adj.肮脏的，不洁的

参考例句：

• Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛，但神态老练世故。
• His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。

18 electrified   

v.使电气化( electrify的过去式和过去分词 )；使兴奋

参考例句：

• The railway line was electrified in the 1950s. 这条铁路线在20世纪50年代就实现了电气化。
• The national railway system has nearly all been electrified. 全国的铁路系统几乎全部实现了电气化。 来自《简明英汉词典》

19 deterrent   

n.阻碍物，制止物；adj.威慑的，遏制的

参考例句：

• Large fines act as a deterrent to motorists.高额罚款是对开车的人的制约。
• I put a net over my strawberries as a deterrent to the birds.我在草莓上罩了网，免得鸟歇上去。

20 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

21 lone   

adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的

参考例句：

• A lone sea gull flew across the sky.一只孤独的海鸥在空中飞过。
• She could see a lone figure on the deserted beach.她在空旷的海滩上能看到一个孤独的身影。

22 cougars   

n.美洲狮( cougar的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Cougars can kill animals eight times their size. 美洲狮可以杀死八倍于自身体积的动物。 来自互联网

23 concealed   

a.隐藏的，隐蔽的

参考例句：

• The paintings were concealed beneath a thick layer of plaster. 那些画被隐藏在厚厚的灰泥层下面。
• I think he had a gun concealed about his person. 我认为他当时身上藏有一支枪。

24 clump   

n.树丛，草丛；vi.用沉重的脚步行走

参考例句：

• A stream meandered gently through a clump of trees.一条小溪从树丛中蜿蜒穿过。
• It was as if he had hacked with his thick boots at a clump of bluebells.仿佛他用自己的厚靴子无情地践踏了一丛野风信子。

25 flatten   

v.把．．．弄平，使倒伏；使(漆等)失去光泽

参考例句：

• We can flatten out a piece of metal by hammering it.我们可以用锤子把一块金属敲平。
• The wrinkled silk will flatten out if you iron it.发皱的丝绸可以用熨斗烫平。

26 retrieve   

vt.重新得到，收回；挽回，补救；检索

参考例句：

• He was determined to retrieve his honor.他决心恢复名誉。
• The men were trying to retrieve weapons left when the army abandoned the island.士兵们正试图找回军队从该岛撤退时留下的武器。

27 trespassing   

[法]非法入侵

参考例句：

• He told me I was trespassing on private land. 他说我在擅闯私人土地。
• Don't come trespassing on my land again. 别再闯入我的地界了。

28 waterproof   

n.防水材料；adj.防水的；v.使...能防水

参考例句：

• My mother bought me a waterproof watch.我妈妈给我买了一块防水手表。
• All the electronics are housed in a waterproof box.所有电子设备都储放在一个防水盒中。

29 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

30 sneak   

vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行

参考例句：

• He raised his spear and sneak forward.他提起长矛悄悄地前进。
• I saw him sneak away from us.我看见他悄悄地从我们身边走开。

31 blurt   

vt.突然说出，脱口说出

参考例句：

• If you can blurt out 300 sentences,you can make a living in America.如果你能脱口而出300句英语，你可以在美国工作。
• I will blurt out one passage every week.我每星期要脱口而出一篇短文！