chapter 12

He liked sugar and caffeine, which was probably part of the reason why his hands shook. Dan wasn't into being healthy. He liked to live on the edge. While he ate, Dan was studying Vanessa Abrams's script for her short film, the film he was supposed to star in. He kept reading the same line, over and over, like a mantra: Life is fragile and absurd.“Tell me you don't care about Serena van der Woodsen being back,” Jenny challenged Dan. She put a piece of grapefruit in her mouth and sucked on it. Then she stuck her fingers in her mouth, pulled out the white pulpy¹ skin stuff, and put it on her plate. “You should see her,” she went on. “She looks so completely cool. It's like she has this whole new look. I don't mean her clothes; it's her face. She looks older, but it's not like wrinkles or anything. It's like she's Kate Moss² or some model who's like, been everywhere and seen everything and come out on the other side. She looks like she's totally, like, experienced.” Jenny waited for her brother to respond, but he was just staring into his coffee cup. Life is fragile and absurd. “Don't you even want to see her?” Jenny asked. Dan thought about what he'd heard Chuck Bass³ say about Serena. He hadn't wanted to believe any of it, but if Serena looked as experienced as Jenny said, maybe what Chuck said was true. Maybe Serena really was the sluttiest, druggiest, most venereally diseased girl in New York. Dan shrugged⁴ his shoulders and pointed⁵ at the pile of grapefruit carcasses on Jenny's plate. “That is so foul,” he said. “Can't you just eat a Pop-Tart or something, like a normal person?” “What's wrong with grapefruit?” Jenny said. “It's refreshing⁶.” “Watching you eat it like that isn't. It's disgusting,” Dan said. He stuffed the rest of his donut in his mouth and licked the chocolate off his fingers, being careful not to smudge any on his script. “Don't look, then,” said Jenny. “Anyway, you didn't answer my question.” Dan looked up. “What question?” Jenny put her elbows on the table and leaned forward. “About Serena,” she said. “I know you want to see her.” Dan looked back down at his script and shrugged. “Whatever,” he said. “Yeah, whatever,” said Jenny, rolling her eyes. “Look, there's this party the Friday after next. It's some big fancy benefit thing to save the peregrine falcons⁷ that live in Central Park. Did you know there were falcons in Central Park? I didn't. Anyway, Blair Waldorf is organizing it, and you know she and Serena are best friends, so of course Serena will be there.” Dan kept reading his script, completely ignoring his sister. And Jenny went on, ignoring the fact that Dan was ignoring her. “Anyway, all we have to do is find a way to get into that party,” Jenny said. She grabbed a paper napkin off the table, scrunched⁸ it into a ball, and threw it at her brother's head. “Dan, please,” she said pleadingly. “We have to go!” Dan tossed the script aside and looked at his sister, his brown eyes serious and sad. “Jenny,” he said. “I don't want to go to that party. Next Friday night I'm probably going over to Deke's house to use his PlayStation, and then I'll probably head over to Brooklyn to hang out with Vanessa and her sister and their friends. Just like I do every Friday night.” Jenny kicked at the legs of her chair like a little girl. “But why, Dan? Why won't you go to the party?” Dan shook his head, smiling bitterly. “Because we weren't invited? Because we're not going to be invited? Give it up, Jen. I'm sorry, but that's just the way it is. We're different from them, you know that. We don't live in the same world as Serena van der Woodsen or Blair Waldorf or any of those people.” “Oh, you're such a wimp⁹! You drive me crazy,” Jen said, rolling her eyes. She stood up and dumped her dishes in the sink, scrubbing at them furiously with a Brillo pad. Then she whirled around and put her hands on her hips¹⁰. She was wearing a pink flannel¹¹ nightshirt and her curly brown hair was sticking out all over because she had gone to sleep with it wet. She looked like a mini disgruntled housewife with boobs that were ten times too big for her body. “I don't care what you say. I'm going to that party!” she insisted. “What party?” their father asked, appearing in the doorway¹² to the kitchen. If there were an award for the most embarrassing dad in the universe, Rufus Humphrey would have won it. He was wearing a sweat-stained white wife-beater and red checked boxer¹³ shorts, and was scratching at his crotch. He hadn't shaved in a few days, and his gray beard seemed to be growing at different intervals¹⁴. Some of it was thick and long, but in between were bald patches and patches of five o'clock shadow. His curly gray hair was matted and his brown eyes bleary. There was a cigarette tucked behind each of his ears. Jenny and Dan looked at their father for a moment in silence. Then Jenny sighed and turned back to the dishes. “Never mind,” she said. Dan smirked¹⁶ and leaned back in his chair. Their father hated the Upper East Side and all its pretensions¹⁷. He only sent Jenny to Constance because it was a very good school and because he used to date one of the English teachers there. But he hated the idea that Jenny might be influenced by her classmates, or “those debutantes,” as he called them. Dan knew their dad was going to love this. “Jenny wants to go to some fancy benefit next week,” he said. Mr. Humphrey pulled one of the cigarettes from behind his ear and stuck it in his mouth, playing with it between his lips. “A benefit for what?” he demanded. Dan rocked his chair back and forth¹⁹, a smug look on his face. Jenny turned off the faucet²⁰ and glared at him, daring him to go on. “Get this,” Dan said. “It's a party to raise money for those peregrine falcons that live in Central Park. They're probably going to build like, birdhouse mansions²¹ for them or something. Like there aren't thousands of homeless people that could use the money.” “Oh, shut up,” Jenny said, furious. “You think you know everything. It's just a stupid party. I never said it was a great cause.” “You call that a cause?” her father bellowed²². “Shame on you. Those people only want those birds around because they're pretty. Because it makes them feel like they're in the pretty countryside, like they're at their houses in Connecticut or Maine. They're decorative²³. Leave it to the leisure class to come up with some charity that does absolutely no one any good at all!” Jenny leaned back against the kitchen counter, stared up at the ceiling, and tuned²⁴ her father out. She'd heard this same tirade²⁵ before. It didn't change anything. She still wanted to go to that party. “I just want to have some fun,” she said stubbornly. “Why does it have to be such a big deal?” “It's a big deal because you're going to get used to this silly debutante¹⁸ nonsense, and you're going to wind up a big fake like your mother, who hangs around rich people all the time because she's too scared to think for herself,” her father shouted, his unshaven face turning dark red. “Dammit, Jenny. You remind me more and more of your mother every day.” Dan suddenly felt bad. Their mother had run off to Prague with some count or prince or something, and she was basically a kept woman, letting the count or prince or whatever he was dress her and put her up in hotels all over Europe. All she did all day was shop, eat, drink, and paint pictures of flowers. She wrote them letters a few times a year, and sent them the odd present. Last Christmas she'd sent Jenny a peasant dress from Germany. It was about ten sizes too small. It wasn't a nice thing for their father to say that Jenny reminded him of their mother. It wasn't nice at all. Jenny looked like she was about to cry. “Lay off, Dad,” Dan said. “We weren't invited to the party anyway. So neither of us could go even if we wanted to.” “See what I mean!” Mr. Humphrey said triumphantly²⁶. “Why would you want to hang out with those snobs²⁷ anyway?” Jenny stared glassy-eyed at the dirty kitchen floor. Dan stood up. “Hurry up and get dressed, Jen,” he said gently. “I'll walk you to your bus stop.” n gets an e-vitation In the six-minute interval¹⁵ between the bell signaling the end of Latin and the bell signaling the beginning of Gym, Nate slipped into the computer lab at the St. Jude's School for Boys. Every Wednesday, he and Blair had grown accustomed to e-mailing each other a quick love note (okay, it was Blair's idea), to help them get over the hump of the boring school week. Only two more days until the weekend, when they could spend as much time together as they wanted. But today Nate wasn't even thinking of Blair. He wanted to see how Serena was doing.

1 pulpy   

果肉状的，多汁的，柔软的； 烂糊； 稀烂

参考例句：

• The bean like seeds of this plant, enclosed within a pulpy fruit. 被包在肉质果实内的这种植物的豆样种子。
• Her body felt bruised, her lips pulpy and tender. 她的身体感觉碰伤了，她的嘴唇柔软娇嫩。

2 moss   

n.苔，藓，地衣

参考例句：

• Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
• He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。

3 bass   

n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴

参考例句：

• He answered my question in a surprisingly deep bass.他用一种低得出奇的声音回答我的问题。
• The bass was to give a concert in the park.那位男低音歌唱家将在公园中举行音乐会。

4 shrugged   

vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Sam shrugged and said nothing. 萨姆耸耸肩膀，什么也没说。
• She shrugged, feigning nonchalance. 她耸耸肩，装出一副无所谓的样子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

6 refreshing   

adj.使精神振作的，使人清爽的，使人喜欢的

参考例句：

• I find it'so refreshing to work with young people in this department.我发现和这一部门的青年一起工作令人精神振奋。
• The water was cold and wonderfully refreshing.水很涼，特别解乏提神。

7 falcons   

n.猎鹰( falcon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Peregrine falcons usually pluck the feathers and strip the flesh off their bird prey. 游隼捕到鸟类猎物时，通常是先拔掉它们的羽毛，再把肉撕下来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Though he doubted the wisdom of using falcons, Dr. de la Fuente undertook the project. 虽然德·拉·富恩特博士怀疑使用游隼是否明智，但他还是执行了这项计划。 来自辞典例句

8 scrunched   

v.发出喀嚓声( scrunch的过去式和过去分词 )；蜷缩；压；挤压

参考例句：

• The snow scrunched underfoot. 雪在脚下发出嘎吱嘎吱的声音。
• He scrunched up the piece of paper and threw it at me. 他把那张纸揉成一个小团，朝我扔过来。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 wimp   

n.无用的人

参考例句：

• The more she called her husband a wimp,the more timid he became.她越叫她先生懦夫，他就越胆小怯懦。
• I hate those who get on their high horses in front of wimps.我最恨那些在弱者面前盛气凌人的人。

10 hips   

abbr.high impact polystyrene 高冲击强度聚苯乙烯，耐冲性聚苯乙烯n.臀部( hip的名词复数 )；[建筑学]屋脊；臀围（尺寸）；臀部…的

参考例句：

• She stood with her hands on her hips. 她双手叉腰站着。
• They wiggled their hips to the sound of pop music. 他们随着流行音乐的声音摇晃着臀部。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 flannel   

n.法兰绒；法兰绒衣服

参考例句：

• She always wears a grey flannel trousers.她总是穿一条灰色法兰绒长裤。
• She was looking luscious in a flannel shirt.她穿着法兰绒裙子，看上去楚楚动人。

12 doorway   

n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径

参考例句：

• They huddled in the shop doorway to shelter from the rain.他们挤在商店门口躲雨。
• Mary suddenly appeared in the doorway.玛丽突然出现在门口。

13 boxer   

n.制箱者，拳击手

参考例句：

• The boxer gave his opponent a punch on the nose.这个拳击手朝他对手的鼻子上猛击一拳。
• He moved lightly on his toes like a boxer.他像拳击手一样踮着脚轻盈移动。

14 intervals   

n.[军事]间隔( interval的名词复数 )；间隔时间；[数学]区间；（戏剧、电影或音乐会的）幕间休息

参考例句：

• The forecast said there would be sunny intervals and showers. 预报间晴，有阵雨。
• Meetings take place at fortnightly intervals. 每两周开一次会。

15 interval   

n.间隔，间距；幕间休息，中场休息

参考例句：

• The interval between the two trees measures 40 feet.这两棵树的间隔是40英尺。
• There was a long interval before he anwsered the telephone.隔了好久他才回了电话。

16 smirked   

v.傻笑( smirk的过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He smirked at Tu Wei-yueh. 他对屠维岳狞笑。 来自子夜部分
• He smirked in acknowledgement of their uncouth greetings, and sat down. 他皮笑肉不笑地接受了他的粗鲁的招呼，坐了下来。 来自辞典例句

17 pretensions   

自称( pretension的名词复数 )； 自命不凡； 要求； 权力

参考例句：

• The play mocks the pretensions of the new middle class. 这出戏讽刺了新中产阶级的装模作样。
• The city has unrealistic pretensions to world-class status. 这个城市不切实际地标榜自己为国际都市。

18 debutante   

n.初入社交界的少女

参考例句：

• The debutante's photograph was at the head of the society page.那位初进社交界少女的照片登在社会版的最上头。
• She dazzled London society as the most beautiful debutante of her generation.她首次出现在伦敦社交界便艳惊四座，被视为同龄人里最美丽的年轻女子。

19 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

20 faucet   

n.水龙头

参考例句：

• The faucet has developed a drip.那个水龙头已经开始滴水了。
• She turned off the faucet and dried her hands.她关掉水龙头，把手擦干。

21 mansions   

n.宅第，公馆，大厦( mansion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Fifth Avenue was boarded up where the rich had deserted their mansions. 第五大道上的富翁们已经出去避暑，空出的宅第都已锁好了门窗，钉上了木板。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
• Oh, the mansions, the lights, the perfume, the loaded boudoirs and tables! 啊，那些高楼大厦、华灯、香水、藏金收银的闺房还有摆满山珍海味的餐桌！ 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹

22 bellowed   

v.发出吼叫声，咆哮（尤指因痛苦）( bellow的过去式和过去分词 )；（愤怒地）说出（某事），大叫

参考例句：

• They bellowed at her to stop. 他们吼叫着让她停下。
• He bellowed with pain when the tooth was pulled out. 当牙齿被拔掉时，他痛得大叫。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

23 decorative   

adj.装饰的，可作装饰的

参考例句：

• This ware is suitable for decorative purpose but unsuitable for utility.这种器皿中看不中用。
• The style is ornate and highly decorative.这种风格很华丽，而且装饰效果很好。

24 tuned   

adj.调谐的，已调谐的v.调音( tune的过去式和过去分词 )；调整；（给收音机、电视等）调谐；使协调

参考例句：

• The resort is tuned in to the tastes of young and old alike. 这个度假胜地适合各种口味，老少皆宜。
• The instruments should be tuned up before each performance. 每次演出开始前都应将乐器调好音。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 tirade   

n.冗长的攻击性演说

参考例句：

• Her tirade provoked a counterblast from her husband.她的长篇大论激起了她丈夫的强烈反对。
• He delivered a long tirade against the government.他发表了反政府的长篇演说。

26 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。

27 snobs   

（谄上傲下的）势利小人( snob的名词复数 )； 自高自大者，自命不凡者

参考例句：

• She dislikes snobs intensely. 她极其厌恶势利小人。
• Most of the people who worshipped her, who read every tidbit about her in the gossip press and hung up pictures of her in their rooms, were not social snobs. 崇敬她大多数的人不会放过每一篇报导她的八卦新闻，甚至在他们的房间中悬挂黛妃的画像，这些人并非都是傲慢成性。