【饥饿游戏】17

By morning, I’ll be able to wash the damage done by the tears 

from my face. But no tears come. I’m too tired or too numb¹ to 

cry. The only thing I feel is a desire to be somewhere else. So I 

let the train rock me into oblivion.

Gray light is leaking through the curtains when the rapping

rouses me. I hear Effie Trinket’s voice, calling me to rise. “Up,

up, up! It’s going to be a big, big, big day!” I try and imagine,

for a moment, what it must be like inside that woman’s head.

What thoughts fill her waking hours? What dreams come to

her at night? I have no idea.

I put the green outfit² back on since it’s not really dirty, just

slightly crumpled³ from spending the night on the floor. My

fingers trace the circle around the little gold mockingjay and I

think of the woods, and of my father, and of my mother and

Prim⁴ waking up, having to get on with things.

I slept in the elaborate braided hair my mother did for the

reaping and it doesn’t look too bad, so I just leave it up. It

doesn’t matter. We can’t be far from the Capitol now. And

once we reach the city, my stylist will dictate⁵ my look for the

opening ceremonies tonight anyway. I just hope I get one who

doesn’t think nudity is the last word in fashion.

As I enter the dining car, Effie Trinket brushes by me with a

cup of black coffee. She’s muttering obscenities under her

breath. Haymitch, his face puffy and red from the previous

day’s indulgences, is chuckling⁶. Peeta holds a roll and looks

somewhat embarrassed.

“Sit down! Sit down!” says Haymitch, waving me over. The

moment I slide into my chair I’m served an enormous platter

of food. Eggs, ham, piles of fried potatoes. A tureen of fruit sits

in ice to keep it chilled. The basket of rolls they set before me

would keep my family going for a week. There’s an elegant

glass of orange juice. At least, I think it’s orange juice. I’ve only

even tasted an orange once, at New Year’s when my father

bought one as a special treat. A cup of coffee. My mother

adores coffee, which we could almost never afford, but it only

tastes bitter and thin to me. A rich brown cup of something

I’ve never seen.

“They call it hot chocolate,” says Peeta. “It’s good.”

I take a sip⁷ of the hot, sweet, creamy liquid and a shudder⁸

runs through me. Even though the rest of the meal beckons⁹, I

ignore it until I’ve drained my cup. Then I stuff down every

mouthful I can hold, which is a substantial amount, being careful

to not overdo¹⁰ it on the richest stuff. One time, my mother

told me that I always eat like I’ll never see food again. And I

said, “I won’t unless I bring it home.” That shut her up.

When my stomach feels like it’s about to split open, I lean

back and take in my breakfast companions. Peeta is still eating,

breaking off bits of roll and dipping them in hot chocolate.

Haymitch hasn’t paid much attention to his platter, but he’s

knocking back a glass of red juice that he keeps thinning with

a clear liquid from a bottle. Judging by the fumes¹¹, it’s some

kind of spirit. I don’t know Haymitch, but I’ve seen him often

enough in the Hob, tossing handfuls of money on the counter

of the woman who sells white liquor. He’ll be incoherent by

the time we reach the Capitol.

I realize I detest¹² Haymitch. No wonder the District 12 tributes

never stand a chance. It isn’t just that we’ve been underfed

and lack training. Some of our tributes have still been

strong enough to make a go of it. But we rarely get sponsors

and he’s a big part of the reason why. The rich people who

back tributes — either because they’re betting on them or

simply for the bragging¹³ rights of picking a winner — expect

someone classier than Haymitch to deal with.

“So, you’re supposed to give us advice,” I say to Haymitch.

“Here’s some advice. Stay alive,” says Haymitch, and then

bursts out laughing. I exchange a look with Peeta before I remember

I’m having nothing more to do with him. I’m surprised

to see the hardness in his eyes. He generally seems so

mild.

“That’s very funny,” says Peeta. Suddenly he lashes¹⁴ out at

the glass in Haymitch’s hand. It shatters on the floor, sending

the bloodred liquid running toward the back of the train. “Only

not to us.”

Haymitch considers this a moment, then punches Peeta in

the jaw¹⁵, knocking him from his chair. When he turns back to

reach for the spirits, I drive my knife into the table between

his hand and the bottle, barely missing his fingers. I brace¹⁶ myself

to deflect¹⁷ his hit, but it doesn’t come. Instead he sits back

and squints¹⁸ at us.

“Well, what’s this?” says Haymitch. “Did I actually get a pair

of fighters this year?”

Peeta rises from the floor and scoops¹⁹ up a handful of ice

from under the fruit tureen. He starts to raise it to the red

mark on his jaw.

“No,” says Haymitch, stopping him. “Let the bruise²⁰ show.

The audience will think you’ve mixed it up with another tribute

before you’ve even made it to the arena²¹.”

“That’s against the rules,” says Peeta.

1 numb   

adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木

参考例句：

• His fingers were numb with cold.他的手冻得发麻。
• Numb with cold,we urged the weary horses forward.我们冻得发僵，催着疲惫的马继续往前走。

2 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

3 crumpled   

adj. 弯扭的, 变皱的 动词crumple的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• She crumpled the letter up into a ball and threw it on the fire. 她把那封信揉成一团扔进了火里。
• She flattened out the crumpled letter on the desk. 她在写字台上把皱巴巴的信展平。

4 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

5 dictate   

v.口授；(使)听写；指令，指示，命令

参考例句：

• It took him a long time to dictate this letter.口述这封信花了他很长时间。
• What right have you to dictate to others?你有什么资格向别人发号施令？

6 chuckling   

轻声地笑( chuckle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I could hear him chuckling to himself as he read his book. 他看书时，我能听见他的轻声发笑。
• He couldn't help chuckling aloud. 他忍不住的笑了出来。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

7 sip   

v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量

参考例句：

• She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
• Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。

8 shudder   

v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动

参考例句：

• The sight of the coffin sent a shudder through him.看到那副棺材，他浑身一阵战栗。
• We all shudder at the thought of the dreadful dirty place.我们一想到那可怕的肮脏地方就浑身战惊。

9 beckons   

v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• He sent his ships wherever profit beckons. 他将船队派往赢利的那些地方。 来自辞典例句
• I believe history beckons again. 我认为现在历史又在召唤了。 来自辞典例句

10 overdo   

vt.把...做得过头，演得过火

参考例句：

• Do not overdo your privilege of reproving me.不要过分使用责备我的特权。
• The taxi drivers' association is urging its members,who can work as many hours as they want,not to overdo it.出租车司机协会劝告那些工作时长不受限制的会员不要疲劳驾驶。

11 fumes   

n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Exhaust fumes are bad for your health. 废气对健康有害。

12 detest   

vt.痛恨，憎恶

参考例句：

• I detest people who tell lies.我恨说谎的人。
• The workers detest his overbearing manner.工人们很讨厌他那盛气凌人的态度。

13 bragging   

v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话

参考例句：

• He's always bragging about his prowess as a cricketer. 他总是吹嘘自己板球水平高超。 来自辞典例句
• Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口，亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句

14 lashes   

n.鞭挞( lash的名词复数 )；鞭子；突然猛烈的一击；急速挥动v.鞭打( lash的第三人称单数 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥

参考例句：

• Mother always lashes out food for the children's party. 孩子们聚会时，母亲总是给他们许多吃的。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Never walk behind a horse in case it lashes out. 绝对不要跟在马后面，以防它突然猛踢。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 jaw   

n.颚，颌，说教，流言蜚语；v.喋喋不休，教训

参考例句：

• He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
• A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。

16 brace   

n. 支柱,曲柄,大括号; v. 绷紧,顶住,(为困难或坏事)做准备

参考例句：

• My daughter has to wear a brace on her teeth. 我的女儿得戴牙套以矫正牙齿。
• You had better brace yourself for some bad news. 有些坏消息,你最好做好准备。

17 deflect   

v.(使)偏斜，(使)偏离，(使)转向

参考例句：

• Never let a little problem deflect you.决不要因一点小问题就半途而废。
• They decided to deflect from the original plan.他们决定改变原计划。

18 squints   

斜视症( squint的名词复数 )； 瞥

参考例句：

• The new cashier squints, has a crooked nose and very large ears. 新来的出纳斜眼、鹰钩鼻子，还有两只大耳朵。
• They both have squints. 他俩都是斜视。

19 scoops   

n.小铲( scoop的名词复数 )；小勺；一勺[铲]之量；（抢先刊载、播出的）独家新闻v.抢先报道( scoop的第三人称单数 )；（敏捷地）抱起；抢先获得；用铲[勺]等挖（洞等）

参考例句：

• two scoops of mashed potato 两勺土豆泥
• I used three scoops of flour and one(scoop)of sugar. 我用了三杓面粉和一杓糖。 来自辞典例句

20 bruise   

n.青肿，挫伤；伤痕；vt.打青；挫伤

参考例句：

• The bruise was caused by a kick.这伤痕是脚踢的。
• Jack fell down yesterday and got a big bruise on his face.杰克昨天摔了一跤，脸上摔出老大一块淤斑。

21 arena   

n.竞技场，运动场所；竞争场所，舞台

参考例句：

• She entered the political arena at the age of 25. 她25岁进入政界。
• He had not an adequate arena for the exercise of his talents.他没有充分发挥其才能的场所。