【饥饿游戏】19

R-i-i-i-p! I grit¹ my teeth as Venia, a woman with aqua hair

and gold tattoos² above her eyebrows³, yanks a strip of Fabric⁴

from my leg tearing out the hair beneath it.(用一个胶条从我的腿上拔汗毛)

“Sorry!” she pipes in her silly Capitol accent. “You’re just so hairy!”

Why do these people speak in such a high pitch? Why do

their jaws⁵ barely open when they talk? Why do the ends of

their sentences go up as if they’re asking a question? Odd vowels⁶,

clipped words, and always a hiss⁷ on the letter s . . . no

wonder it’s impossible not to mimic⁸ them.

Venia makes what’s supposed to be a sympathetic face.

“Good news, though. This is the last one. Ready?” I get a grip

on the edges of the table I’m seated on and nod. The final

swathe of my leg hair is uprooted⁹ in a painful jerk.

I’ve been in the Remake Center for more than three hours

and I still haven’t met my stylist. Apparently¹⁰ he has no interest

in seeing me until Venia and the other members of my prep

team have addressed some obvious problems. This has included

scrubbing down my body with a gritty loam¹¹ that has

removed not only dirt but at least three layers of skin, turning

my nails into uniform shapes, and primarily, ridding my body

of hair. My legs, arms, torso, underarms, and parts of my eyebrows

have been stripped of the Muff, leaving me like a

plucked bird, ready for roasting. I don’t like it. My skin feels

sore and tingling¹² and intensely vulnerable. But I have kept my

side of the bargain with Haymitch, and no objection has

crossed my lips.

“You’re doing very well,” says some guy named Flavius. He

gives his orange corkscrew locks a shake and applies a fresh

coat of purple lipstick¹³ to his mouth.(他边摇着桔红色拔毛夹子，

边在嘴上抹着紫色的唇膏) “If there’s one thing we

can’t stand, it’s a whiner¹⁴. Grease her down!”

Venia and Octavia, a plump woman whose entire body has

been dyed a pale shade of pea green, rub me down with a lotion¹⁵

that first stings but then soothes¹⁶ my raw skin. Then they

pull me from the table, removing the thin robe I’ve been allowed

to wear off and on. I stand there, completely naked, as

the three circle me, wielding¹⁷ tweezers¹⁸ to remove any last bits

of hair. I know I should be embarrassed, but they’re so unlike

people that I’m no more self-conscious than if a trio of oddly

colored birds were pecking around my feet.

(他们三个围着我，用镊子除掉我身上的最后一点汗毛。

我知道自己应该感到害臊，可我却没有。在我看来，

他们根本不像人类，不比三只颜色古怪、在我脚边啄食

的鸟更让我害臊。)

The three step back and admire their work. “Excellent! You

almost look like a human being now!” says Flavius, and they

all laugh.

I force my lips up into a smile to show how grateful I am.

“Thank you,” I say sweetly. “We don’t have much cause to look

nice in District Twelve.”

This wins them over completely. “Of course, you don’t, you

poor darling!” says Octavia clasping her hands together in 

distress¹⁹ for me.

“But don’t worry,” says Venia. “By the time Cinna is through

with you, you’re going to be absolutely gorgeous!”

“We promise! You know, now that we’ve gotten rid of all the hair 

and filth²⁰, you’re not horrible at all!” says Flavius encouragingly.

“Let’s call Cinna!”

They dart²¹ out of the room. It’s hard to hate my prep team.

They’re such total idiots. And yet, in an odd way, I know

they’re sincerely trying to help me.

I look at the cold white walls and floor and resist the impulse

to retrieve²² my robe. But this Cinna, my stylist, will surely

make me remove it at once. Instead my hands go to my

hairdo, the one area of my body my prep team had been told

to leave alone. My fingers stroke the silky braids my mother

so carefully arranged. My mother. I left her blue dress and

shoes on the floor of my train car, never thinking about 

retrieving²³ them, of trying to hold on to a piece of her, of home. 

Now I wish I had.

The door opens and a young man who must be Cinna enters.

I’m taken aback by how normal he looks. Most of the stylists

they interview on television are so dyed, stenciled²⁴, and

surgically²⁵ altered they’re grotesque²⁶. But Cinna’s closecropped

hair appears to be its natural shade of brown. He’s in a simple 

black shirt and pants. The only concession²⁷ to self alteration²⁸

seems to be metallic²⁹ gold eyeliner that has been applied³⁰

with a light hand. It brings out the flecks³¹ of gold in his

green eyes. And, despite my disgust with the Capitol and their

hideous³² fashions, I can’t help thinking how attractive it looks.

“Hello, Katniss. I’m Cinna, your stylist,” he says in a quiet

voice somewhat lacking in the Capitol’s affectations.

“Hello,” I venture cautiously.

“Just give me a moment, all right?” he asks. He walks

around my naked body, not touching³³ me, but taking in every

inch of it with his eyes. I resist the impulse to cross my arms

over my chest. “Who did your hair?”

1 grit   

n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关

参考例句：

• The soldiers showed that they had plenty of grit. 士兵们表现得很有勇气。
• I've got some grit in my shoe.我的鞋子里弄进了一些砂子。

2 tattoos   

n.文身( tattoo的名词复数 )；归营鼓；军队夜间表演操；连续有节奏的敲击声v.刺青，文身( tattoo的第三人称单数 )；连续有节奏地敲击；作连续有节奏的敲击

参考例句：

• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的胳膊上刺满了花纹。
• His arms were covered in tattoos. 他的双臂刺满了纹身。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 eyebrows   

眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
• His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。

4 fabric   

n.织物，织品，布；构造，结构，组织

参考例句：

• The fabric will spot easily.这种织品很容易玷污。
• I don't like the pattern on the fabric.我不喜欢那块布料上的图案。

5 jaws   

n.口部；嘴

参考例句：

• The antelope could not escape the crocodile's gaping jaws. 那只羚羊无法从鱷鱼张开的大口中逃脱。
• The scored jaws of a vise help it bite the work. 台钳上有刻痕的虎钳牙帮助它紧咬住工件。

6 vowels   

n.元音，元音字母( vowel的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Vowels possess greater sonority than consonants. 元音比辅音响亮。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Note the various sounds of vowels followed by r. 注意r跟随的各种元音的发音。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

7 hiss   

v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满

参考例句：

• We can hear the hiss of air escaping from a tire.我们能听到一只轮胎的嘶嘶漏气声。
• Don't hiss at the speaker.不要嘘演讲人。

8 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

9 uprooted   

v.把（某物）连根拔起( uproot的过去式和过去分词 )；根除；赶走；把…赶出家园

参考例句：

• Many people were uprooted from their homes by the flood. 水灾令许多人背井离乡。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hurricane blew with such force that trees were uprooted. 飓风强烈地刮着，树都被连根拔起了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 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。

11 loam   

n.沃土

参考例句：

• Plant the seeds in good loam.把种子种在好的壤土里。
• One occupies relatively dry sandy loam soils.一个则占据较干旱的沙壤土。

12 tingling   

v.有刺痛感( tingle的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• My ears are tingling [humming; ringing; singing]. 我耳鸣。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• My tongue is tingling. 舌头发麻。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 lipstick   

n.口红，唇膏

参考例句：

• Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
• Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。

14 whiner   

n.哀鸣者，啜泣者，悲嗥者，哀诉者

参考例句：

• He was a whiner, always complaining of the costs in his Family business. 他整天嘀嘀咕咕，老是埋怨自己的家族企业开销太大了。 来自教父部分
• And finally, make sure your boss sees you as a winner and not a whiner. 最后，确定你的老板认为你是一个成功者，而不是一名哀诉者。 来自互联网

15 lotion   

n.洗剂

参考例句：

• The lotion should be applied sparingly to the skin.这种洗液应均匀地涂在皮肤上。
• She lubricates her hands with a lotion.她用一种洗剂来滑润她的手。

16 soothes   

v.安慰( soothe的第三人称单数 )；抚慰；使舒服；减轻痛苦

参考例句：

• Fear grasps, love lets go. Fear rankles, love soothes. 恐惧使人痛心，爱使痛苦减轻。 来自互联网
• His loe celebrates her victories and soothes her wounds. 他的爱庆祝她的胜利，也抚平她的创伤。 来自互联网

17 wielding   

手持着使用（武器、工具等）( wield的现在分词 )； 具有； 运用（权力）； 施加（影响）

参考例句：

• The rebels were wielding sticks of dynamite. 叛乱分子舞动着棒状炸药。
• He is wielding a knife. 他在挥舞着一把刀。

18 tweezers   

n.镊子

参考例句：

• We simply removed from the cracked endocarp with sterile tweezers.我们简单地用消过毒的镊子从裂开的内果皮中取出种子。
• Bee stings should be removed with tweezers.蜜蜂的螫刺应该用小镊子拔出来。

19 distress   

n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛

参考例句：

• Nothing could alleviate his distress.什么都不能减轻他的痛苦。
• Please don't distress yourself.请你不要忧愁了。

20 filth   

n.肮脏，污物，污秽；淫猥

参考例句：

• I don't know how you can read such filth.我不明白你怎么会去读这种淫秽下流的东西。
• The dialogue was all filth and innuendo.这段对话全是下流的言辞和影射。

21 dart   

v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲

参考例句：

• The child made a sudden dart across the road.那小孩突然冲过马路。
• Markov died after being struck by a poison dart.马尔科夫身中毒镖而亡。

22 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。

23 retrieving   

n.检索（过程），取还v.取回( retrieve的现在分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息）

参考例句：

• Ignoring all, he searches the ground carefully for any cigarette-end worth retrieving. 没管打锣的说了什么，他留神的在地上找，看有没有值得拾起来的烟头儿。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子
• Retrieving the nodules from these great depths is no easy task. 从这样的海底深渊中取回结核可不是容易的事情。 来自辞典例句

24 stenciled   

v.用模板印（文字或图案）( stencil的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• To transfer(a stenciled design) with pounce. 以印花粉印用印花粉末转印（镂空模板花样） 来自互联网
• L: Cardboard cartons, with stenciled shipping marks. 李：刷有抬头的硬纸板箱。 来自互联网

25 surgically   

adv. 外科手术上, 外科手术一般地

参考例句：

• Unsightly moles can be removed surgically. 不雅观的痣可以手术去除。
• To bypass this impediment an almost mature egg cell is removed surgically. 为了克服这一障碍，通过手术，取出一个差不多成熟的卵细胞。

26 grotesque   

adj.怪诞的，丑陋的；n.怪诞的图案，怪人（物）

参考例句：

• His face has a grotesque appearance.他的面部表情十分怪。
• Her account of the incident was a grotesque distortion of the truth.她对这件事的陈述是荒诞地歪曲了事实。

27 concession   

n.让步，妥协；特许(权)

参考例句：

• We can not make heavy concession to the matter.我们在这个问题上不能过于让步。
• That is a great concession.这是很大的让步。

28 alteration   

n.变更，改变；蚀变

参考例句：

• The shirt needs alteration.这件衬衣需要改一改。
• He easily perceived there was an alteration in my countenance.他立刻看出我的脸色和往常有些不同。

29 metallic   

adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的

参考例句：

• A sharp metallic note coming from the outside frightened me.外面传来尖锐铿锵的声音吓了我一跳。
• He picked up a metallic ring last night.昨夜他捡了一个金属戒指。

30 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

31 flecks   

n.斑点，小点( fleck的名词复数 )；癍

参考例句：

• His hair was dark, with flecks of grey. 他的黑发间有缕缕银丝。
• I got a few flecks of paint on the window when I was painting the frames. 我在漆窗框时，在窗户上洒了几点油漆。 来自《简明英汉词典》

32 hideous   

adj.丑陋的，可憎的，可怕的，恐怖的

参考例句：

• The whole experience had been like some hideous nightmare.整个经历就像一场可怕的噩梦。
• They're not like dogs,they're hideous brutes.它们不像狗，是丑陋的畜牲。

33 touching   

adj.动人的，使人感伤的

参考例句：

• It was a touching sight.这是一幅动人的景象。
• His letter was touching.他的信很感人。