【饥饿游戏】24

Haymitch shows up just as dinner is being served. It looks

as if he’s had his own stylist because he’s clean and groomed¹

and about as sober as I’ve ever seen him. He doesn’t refuse the

offer of wine, but when he starts in on his soup, I realize it’s

the first time I’ve ever seen him eat. Maybe he really will pull

himself together long enough to help us.

Cinna and Portia seem to have a civilizing² effect on Haymitch

and Effie. At least they’re addressing each other decently.

And they both have nothing but praise for our stylists’

opening act. While they make small talk, I concentrate on the

meal. Mushroom soup, bitter greens with tomatoes the size of

peas, rare roast beef sliced as thin as paper, noodles in a green

sauce, cheese that melts on your tongue served with sweet

blue grapes. The servers, all young people dressed in white

tunics³ like the one who gave us wine, move wordlessly to and

from the table, keeping the platters and glasses full.

About halfway⁴ through my glass of wine, my head starts

feeling foggy, so I change to water instead. I don’t like the feeling

and hope it wears off soon. How Haymitch can stand walking

around like this full-time⁵ is a mystery.

I try to focus on the talk, which has turned to our interview

costumes, when a girl sets a gorgeous-looking cake on the table

and deftly⁶ lights it. It blazes up and then the flames flicker⁷

around the edges awhile until it finally goes out. I have a moment

of doubt. “What makes it burn? Is it alcohol?” I say, looking

up at the girl. “That’s the last thing I wa — oh! I know

you!”

I can’t place a name or time to the girl’s face. But I’m certain

of it. The dark red hair, the striking features, the porcelain⁸

white skin. But even as I utter the words, I feel my insides 

contracting with anxiety and guilt⁹ at the sight of her, and while I

can’t pull it up, I know some bad memory is associated with

her. The expression of terror that crosses her face only adds

to my confusion and unease. She shakes her head in denial

quickly and hurries away from the table.

When I look back, the four adults are watching me like hawks¹⁰.

“Don’t be ridiculous, Katniss. How could you possibly know

an Avox?” snaps Effie. “The very thought.”

“What’s an Avox?” I ask stupidly.

“Someone who committed a crime. They cut her tongue so

she can’t speak,” says Haymitch. “She’s probably a traitor¹¹ of

some sort. Not likely you’d know her.”

“And even if you did, you’re not to speak to one of them unless

it’s to give an order,” says Effie. “Of course, you don’t really

know her.”

But I do know her. And now that Haymitch has mentioned

the word traitor I remember from where. The disapproval¹² is

so high I could never admit it. “No, I guess not, I just —” I

stammer¹³, and the wine is not helping¹⁴.

Peeta snaps his fingers. “Delly Cartwright. That’s who it is. I

kept thinking she looked familiar as well. Then I realized she’s

a dead ringer for Delly.”

Delly Cartwright is a pasty-faced, lumpy girl with yellowish

hair who looks about as much like our server as a beetle¹⁵ does

a butterfly. She may also be the friendliest person on the planet

— she smiles constantly at everybody in school, even me. I

have never seen the girl with the red hair smile. But I jump on

Peeta’s suggestion gratefully. “Of course, that’s who I was

thinking of. It must be the hair,” I say.

“Something about the eyes, too,” says Peeta.

The energy at the table relaxes. “Oh, well. If that’s all it is,”

says Cinna. “And yes, the cake has spirits, but all the alcohol

has burned off. I ordered it specially¹⁶ in honor of your fiery¹⁷ debut¹⁸.”

We eat the cake and move into a sitting room to watch the

replay of the opening ceremonies that’s being broadcast. A

few of the other couples make a nice impression, but none of

them can hold a candle to us. Even our own party lets out an

“Ahh!” as they show us coming out of the Remake Center.

“Whose idea was the hand holding?” asks Haymitch.

“Cinna’s,” says Portia.

“Just the perfect touch of rebellion,” says Haymitch. “Very

nice.”

Rebellion? I have to think about that one a moment. But

when I remember the other couples, standing¹⁹ stiffly apart,

never touching²⁰ or acknowledging each other, as if their fellow

tribute did not exist, as if the Games had already begun, I

know what Haymitch means. Presenting ourselves not as 

adversaries²¹ but as friends has distinguished²² us as much as the

fiery costumes.

“Tomorrow morning is the first training session. Meet me

for breakfast and I’ll tell you exactly how I want you to play

it,” says Haymitch to Peeta and I. “Now go get some sleep

while the grown-ups talk.”

Peeta and I walk together down the corridor to our rooms.

When we get to my door, he leans against the frame, not

blocking my entrance exactly but insisting I pay attention to

him. 

1 groomed   

v.照料或梳洗（马等）( groom的过去式和过去分词 )；使做好准备；训练；（给动物）擦洗

参考例句：

• She is always perfectly groomed. 她总是打扮得干净利落。
• Duff is being groomed for the job of manager. 达夫正接受训练，准备当经理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 civilizing   

v.使文明，使开化( civilize的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls in a class tend to have a civilizing influence on the boys. 班上的女生往往能让男生文雅起来。
• It exerts a civilizing influence on mankind. 这产生了教化人类的影响。 来自辞典例句

3 tunics   

n.（动植物的）膜皮( tunic的名词复数 )；束腰宽松外衣；一套制服的短上衣；（天主教主教等穿的）短祭袍

参考例句：

• After work colourful clothes replace the blue tunics. 下班后，蓝制服都换成了色彩鲜艳的衣服。 来自辞典例句
• The ancient Greeks fastened their tunics with Buttons and loops. 古希腊人在肩部用钮扣与环圈将束腰外衣扣紧。 来自互联网

4 halfway   

adj.中途的，不彻底的，部分的；adv.半路地，在中途，在半途

参考例句：

• We had got only halfway when it began to get dark.走到半路，天就黑了。
• In study the worst danger is give up halfway.在学习上，最忌讳的是有始无终。

5 full-time   

adj.满工作日的或工作周的，全时间的

参考例句：

• A full-time job may be too much for her.全天工作她恐怕吃不消。
• I don't know how she copes with looking after her family and doing a full-time job.既要照顾家庭又要全天工作，我不知道她是如何对付的。

6 deftly   

adv.灵巧地，熟练地，敏捷地

参考例句：

• He deftly folded the typed sheets and replaced them in the envelope. 他灵巧地将打有字的纸折好重新放回信封。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• At last he had a clew to her interest, and followed it deftly. 这一下终于让他发现了她的兴趣所在，于是他熟练地继续谈这个话题。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

7 flicker   

vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现

参考例句：

• There was a flicker of lights coming from the abandoned house.这所废弃的房屋中有灯光闪烁。
• At first,the flame may be a small flicker,barely shining.开始时，光辉可能是微弱地忽隐忽现，几乎并不灿烂。

8 porcelain   

n.瓷；adj.瓷的，瓷制的

参考例句：

• These porcelain plates have rather original designs on them.这些瓷盘的花纹很别致。
• The porcelain vase is enveloped in cotton.瓷花瓶用棉花裹着。

9 guilt   

n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责

参考例句：

• She tried to cover up her guilt by lying.她企图用谎言掩饰自己的罪行。
• Don't lay a guilt trip on your child about schoolwork.别因为功课责备孩子而使他觉得很内疚。

10 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

11 traitor   

n.叛徒，卖国贼

参考例句：

• The traitor was finally found out and put in prison.那个卖国贼终于被人发现并被监禁了起来。
• He was sold out by a traitor and arrested.他被叛徒出卖而被捕了。

12 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。

13 stammer   

n.结巴，口吃；v.结结巴巴地说

参考例句：

• He's got a bad stammer.他口吃非常严重。
• We must not try to play off the boy troubled with a stammer.我们不可以取笑这个有口吃病的男孩。

14 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

15 beetle   

n.甲虫，近视眼的人

参考例句：

• A firefly is a type of beetle.萤火虫是一种甲虫。
• He saw a shiny green beetle on a leaf.我看见树叶上有一只闪闪发光的绿色甲虫。

16 specially   

adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地

参考例句：

• They are specially packaged so that they stack easily.它们经过特别包装以便于堆放。
• The machine was designed specially for demolishing old buildings.这种机器是专为拆毁旧楼房而设计的。

17 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。

18 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

19 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

20 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。

21 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

22 distinguished   

adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的

参考例句：

• Elephants are distinguished from other animals by their long noses.大象以其长长的鼻子显示出与其他动物的不同。
• A banquet was given in honor of the distinguished guests.宴会是为了向贵宾们致敬而举行的。