【饥饿游戏】29

I sit on the bed, hating Haymitch, hating Peeta, hating myself 

for mentioning that day long ago in the rain.

It’s such a joke! Peeta and I going along pretending to be

friends! Talking up each other’s strengths, insisting the other

take credit for their abilities. Because, in fact, at some point,

we’re going to have to knock it off and accept we’re bitter 

adversaries¹. Which I’d be prepared to do right now if it wasn’t

for Haymitch’s stupid instruction that we stick together in

training. It’s my own fault, I guess, for telling him he didn’t

have to coach us separately. But that didn’t mean I wanted to

do everything with Peeta. Who, by the way, clearly doesn’t

want to be partnering up with me, either.

I hear Peeta’s voice in my head. She has no idea. The effect

she can have. Obviously meant to demean me. Right? but a tiny

part of me wonders if this was a compliment. That he meant I

was appealing in some way. It’s weird², how much he’s noticed

me. Like the attention he’s paid to my hunting. And apparently³,

I have not been as oblivious⁴ to him as I imagined, either. The 

flour. The wrestling. I have kept track of the boy with the bread.

It’s almost ten. I clean my teeth and smooth back my hair

again. Anger temporarily blocked out my nervousness about

meeting the other tributes, but now I can feel my anxiety rising

again. By the time I meet Effie and Peeta at the elevator, I

catch myself biting my nails. I stop at once.

The actual training rooms are below ground level of our building. 

With these elevators, the ride is less than a minute.The doors open 

into an enormous gymnasium filled with various weapons and 

obstacle courses. Although it’s not yet ten, we’re the last ones to 

arrive. The other tributes are gathered in a tense circle. They each 

have a cloth square with their district number on it pinned to their 

shirts. While someone pins the number 12 on my back, I do a quick 

assessment⁵. Peeta and I are the only two dressed alike.

As soon as we join the circle, the head trainer, a tall, athletic⁶

woman named Atala steps up and begins to explain the training

schedule. Experts in each skill will remain at their stations.

We will be free to travel from area to area as we choose, per

our mentor’s instructions. Some of the stations teach survival

skills, others fighting techniques. We are forbidden to engage

in any combative⁷ exercise with another tribute. There are 

assistants on hand if we want to practice with a partner.

When Atala begins to read down the list of the skill stations,

my eyes can’t help flitting around to the other tributes.

It’s the first time we’ve been assembled, on level ground, in

simple clothes. My heart sinks. Almost all of the boys and at

least half of the girls are bigger than I am, even though many

of the tributes have never been fed properly. You can see it in

their bones, their skin, the hollow look in their eyes. I may be

smaller naturally, but overall my family’s resourcefulness has

given me an edge in that area. I stand straight, and while I’m

thin, I’m strong. The meat and plants from the woods combined

with the exertion⁸ it took to get them have given me a healthier 

body than most of those I see around me. The exceptions are 

the kids from the wealthier districts, the volunteers, the ones 

who have been fed and trained throughout their lives for this 

moment. The tributes from 1, 2, and 4 traditionally have this 

look about them. It’s technically⁹ against the rules to train 

tributes before they reach the Capitol but it happens every 

year. In District 12, we call them the Career Tributes, or just 

the Careers. And like as not, the winner will be one of them.

The slight advantage I held coming into the Training Center,

my fiery¹⁰ entrance last night, seems to vanish in the presence

of my competition. The other tributes were jealous of us,

but not because we were amazing, because our stylists were.

Now I see nothing but contempt in the glances of the Career

Tributes. Each must have fifty to a hundred pounds on me.

They project arrogance¹¹ and brutality¹². When Atala releases us,

they head straight for the deadliest-looking weapons in the

gym and handle them with ease.

I’m thinking that it’s lucky I’m a fast runner when Peeta

nudges my arm and I jump. He is still beside me, per 

Haymitch’s instructions. His expression is sober. “Where 

would you like to start?”

I look around at the Career Tributes who are showing off,

clearly trying to intimidate¹³ the field. Then at the others, the

underfed, the incompetent¹⁴, shakily having their first lessons

with a knife or an ax.

“Suppose we tie some knots,” I say.

“Right you are,” says Peeta. We cross to an empty station 

where the trainer seems pleased to have students. You get 

the feeling that the knot-tying class is not the Hunger games 

hot spot. 

1 adversaries   

n.对手，敌手( adversary的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• That would cause potential adversaries to recoil from a challenge. 这会迫使潜在的敌人在挑战面前退缩。 来自辞典例句
• Every adversaries are more comfortable with a predictable, coherent America. 就连敌人也会因有可以预料的，始终一致的美国而感到舒服得多。 来自辞典例句

2 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

3 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

4 oblivious   

adj.易忘的，遗忘的，忘却的，健忘的

参考例句：

• Mother has become quite oblivious after the illness.这次病后，妈妈变得特别健忘。
• He was quite oblivious of the danger.他完全没有察觉到危险。

5 assessment   

n.评价；评估；对财产的估价，被估定的金额

参考例句：

• This is a very perceptive assessment of the situation.这是一个对该情况的极富洞察力的评价。
• What is your assessment of the situation?你对时局的看法如何？

6 athletic   

adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的

参考例句：

• This area has been marked off for athletic practice.这块地方被划出来供体育训练之用。
• He is an athletic star.他是一个运动明星。

7 combative   

adj.好战的；好斗的

参考例句：

• Mr. Obama has recently adopted a more combative tone.奥巴马总统近来采取了一种更有战斗性的语调。
• She believes that women are at least as combative as are.她相信女性至少和男性一样好斗。

8 exertion   

n.尽力，努力

参考例句：

• We were sweating profusely from the exertion of moving the furniture.我们搬动家具大费气力，累得大汗淋漓。
• She was hot and breathless from the exertion of cycling uphill.由于用力骑车爬坡，她浑身发热。

9 technically   

adv.专门地，技术上地

参考例句：

• Technically it is the most advanced equipment ever.从技术上说，这是最先进的设备。
• The tomato is technically a fruit,although it is eaten as a vegetable.严格地说，西红柿是一种水果，尽管它是当作蔬菜吃的。

10 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

11 arrogance   

n.傲慢，自大

参考例句：

• His arrogance comes out in every speech he makes.他每次讲话都表现得骄傲自大。
• Arrogance arrested his progress.骄傲阻碍了他的进步。

12 brutality   

n.野蛮的行为，残忍，野蛮

参考例句：

• The brutality of the crime has appalled the public. 罪行之残暴使公众大为震惊。
• a general who was infamous for his brutality 因残忍而恶名昭彰的将军

13 intimidate   

vt.恐吓，威胁

参考例句：

• You think you can intimidate people into doing what you want?你以为你可以威胁别人做任何事？
• The first strike capacity is intended mainly to intimidate adversary.第一次攻击的武力主要是用来吓阻敌方的。

14 incompetent   

adj.无能力的，不能胜任的

参考例句：

• He is utterly incompetent at his job.他完全不能胜任他的工作。
• He is incompetent at working with his hands.他动手能力不行。