【饥饿游戏】07

“Well, bravo!” gushes¹ Effie Trinket. “That’s the spirit of the

Games!” She’s pleased to finally have a district with a little action

going on in it. “What’s your name?”

I swallow hard. “Katniss Everdeen,” I say.

“I bet my buttons that was your sister. Don’t want her to

steal all the glory, do we? Come on, everybody! Let’s give a big

round of applause to our newest tribute!” trills Effie Trinket.

To the everlasting² credit of the people of District 12, not

one person claps. Not even the ones holding betting slips, the

ones who are usually beyond caring. Possibly because they

know me from the Hob, or knew my father, or have encountered

Prim³, who no one can help loving. So instead of acknowledging

applause, I stand there unmoving while they

take part in the boldest form of dissent⁴ they can manage. Silence.

Which says we do not agree. We do not condone⁵. All of

this is wrong.

Then something unexpected happens. At least, I don’t expect

it because I don’t think of District 12 as a place that cares

about me. But a shift has occurred since I stepped up to take

Prim’s place, and now it seems I have become someone precious.

At first one, then another, then almost every member of

the crowd touches the three middle fingers of their left hand

to their lips and holds it out to me. It is an old and rarely used

gesture of our district, occasionally seen at funerals. It means

thanks, it means admiration⁶, it means good-bye to someone

you love.

Now I am truly in danger of crying, but fortunately Haymitch

chooses this time to come staggering across the stage to

congratulate me. “Look at her. Look at this one!” he hollers,

throwing an arm around my shoulders. He’s surprisingly

strong for such a wreck⁷. “I like her!” His breath reeks⁸ of liquor

and it’s been a long time since he’s bathed. “Lots of . . . “ He

can’t think of the word for a while. “Spunk!” he says 

triumphantly⁹. “More than you!” he releases me and starts for the

front of the stage. “More than you!” he shouts, pointing directly

into a camera.

Is he addressing the audience or is he so drunk he might actually

be taunting¹⁰ the Capitol? I’ll never know because just as

he’s opening his mouth to continue, Haymitch plummets¹¹ off

the stage and knocks himself unconscious.

He’s disgusting, but I’m grateful. With every camera gleefully

trained on him, I have just enough time to release the small,

choked sound in my throat and compose myself. I put my

hands behind my back and stare into the distance.

I can see the hills I climbed this morning with Gale¹². For a

moment, I yearn¹³ for something . . . the idea of us leaving the

district . . . making our way in the woods . . . but I know I was

right about not running off. Because who else would have 

volunteered for Prim?

Haymitch is whisked away on a stretcher, and Effie Trinket

is trying to get the ball rolling again. “What an exciting day!”

she warbles as she attempts to straighten her wig¹⁴, which has

listed severely¹⁵ to the right. “But more excitement to come! It’s

time to choose our boy tribute!” Clearly hoping to contain her

tenuous¹⁶ hair situation, she plants one hand on her head as she

crosses to the ball that contains the boys’ names and grabs the

first slip she encounters. She zips back to the podium, and I

don’t even have time to wish for Gale’s safety when she’s reading

the name. 

1 gushes   

n.涌出，迸发( gush的名词复数 )v.喷，涌( gush的第三人称单数 )；滔滔不绝地说话

参考例句：

• The stream gushes forth from the rock. 一股小溪从岩石中涌出来。 来自辞典例句
• Fuel gushes into the combustion chamber. 燃料喷进燃烧室。 来自辞典例句

2 everlasting   

adj.永恒的，持久的，无止境的

参考例句：

• These tyres are advertised as being everlasting.广告上说轮胎持久耐用。
• He believes in everlasting life after death.他相信死后有不朽的生命。

3 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

4 dissent   

n./v.不同意，持异议

参考例句：

• It is too late now to make any dissent.现在提出异议太晚了。
• He felt her shoulders gave a wriggle of dissent.他感到她的肩膀因为不同意而动了一下。

5 condone   

v.宽恕；原谅

参考例句：

• I cannot condone the use of violence.我不能宽恕使用暴力的行为。
• I will not condone a course of action that will lead us to war.我绝不允许任何导致战争的行为。

6 admiration   

n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕

参考例句：

• He was lost in admiration of the beauty of the scene.他对风景之美赞不绝口。
• We have a great admiration for the gold medalists.我们对金牌获得者极为敬佩。

7 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

8 reeks   

n.恶臭( reek的名词复数 )v.发出浓烈的臭气( reek的第三人称单数 )；散发臭气；发出难闻的气味 (of sth)；明显带有（令人不快或生疑的跡象）

参考例句：

• His statement reeks of hypocrisy. 他的话显然很虛伪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• His manner reeks prosperity. 他的态度表现得好象有钱的样子。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 triumphantly   

ad.得意洋洋地；得胜地；成功地

参考例句：

• The lion was roaring triumphantly. 狮子正在发出胜利的吼叫。
• Robert was looking at me triumphantly. 罗伯特正得意扬扬地看着我。

10 taunting   

嘲讽( taunt的现在分词 )； 嘲弄； 辱骂； 奚落

参考例句：

• She wagged a finger under his nose in a taunting gesture. 她当着他的面嘲弄地摇晃着手指。
• His taunting inclination subdued for a moment by the old man's grief and wildness. 老人的悲伤和狂乱使他那嘲弄的意图暂时收敛起来。

11 plummets   

v.垂直落下，骤然跌落( plummet的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As a result, blood sugar plummets, sometimes even going below the baseline. 结果，血糖浓度迅速掉落，有时甚至落于基线之下。 来自互联网
• State and local governments could continue to back as tax revenue plummets. 由于税收的直线下降，州和地方政府可能继续削减支出。 来自互联网

12 gale   

n.大风，强风，一阵闹声（尤指笑声等）

参考例句：

• We got our roof blown off in the gale last night.昨夜的大风把我们的房顶给掀掉了。
• According to the weather forecast,there will be a gale tomorrow.据气象台预报，明天有大风。

13 yearn   

v.想念；怀念；渴望

参考例句：

• We yearn to surrender our entire being.我们渴望着放纵我们整个的生命。
• Many people living in big cities yearn for an idyllic country life.现在的很多都市人向往那种田园化的生活。

14 wig   

n.假发

参考例句：

• The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
• He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。

15 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

16 tenuous   

adj.细薄的，稀薄的，空洞的

参考例句：

• He has a rather tenuous grasp of reality.他对现实认识很肤浅。
• The air ten miles above the earth is very tenuous.距离地面十公里的空气十分稀薄。