chapter 16

She reached for a French fry, dunked it in ketchup¹, and popped it into her mouth. “They've barely done anything.” Blair rolled her eyes, and blew into her hot chocolate. “That's the whole point. We're raising money for them. It's a cause.” Kati wound a lock of her frizzy blond hair around her finger. “What is a peregrine falcon² anyway?” she said. “Is it like a woodpecker?” “No, I think they're bigger,” Tina said. “And they eat other animals, you know, like rabbits and mice and stuff.” “Gross,” Kati said. “I just read a definition of what one was the other day,” Isabel mused³. “I can't remember where I saw it.” GossipGirl.net, perhaps? “They're almost extinct,” Blair added. She thumbed through the list of people they were inviting⁴ to the party. There were three hundred and sixteen all together. All young people–no parents, thank God. Blair's eyes were automatically drawn⁵ to a name toward the bottom of the list: Serena van der Woodsen. The address given was her dorm room at Hanover Academy, in New Hampshire. Blair put the list back down on the table without correcting Serena's address. “We're going to have to spend the extra money on the printer and cut corners where we can,” she said quickly. “I can tell Takashimaya to use lilies instead of orchids⁶ and forget about the peacock feathers around the rims⁷ of the vases.” “I can do the invitations,” a small, clear voice said from behind them. “For free.” The four girls turned around to see who it was.Oh look, it's that little Ginny girl, Blair thought. The ninth grader who did the calligraphy⁸ in our school hymnals. “I can do them all by hand tonight and put them in the mail. The materials are the only cost, but I know where to get good quality paper cheap,” Jenny Humphrey said. “She did all our hymnals at school,” Kati whispered to Tina. “They look really good.” “Yeah,” Isabel agreed. “They're pretty cool.” Jenny blushed and stared at the shiny linoleum⁹ floor of the coffee shop, waiting for Blair to make up her mind. She knew Blair was the one who mattered. “And you'll do it all for free?” Blair said, suspiciously. Jenny raised her eyes. “I was kind of hoping that if I did the invites, maybe I could come to the party?” she said. Blair weighed the pros¹⁰ and cons¹¹ in her mind. Pros: The invitations would be unique and best of all, free, so they wouldn't have to skimp¹² on the flowers. Cons: There really weren't any. Blair looked the Ginny girl up and down. Their cute little ninth-grade helper with the huge chest. She was a total glutton¹³ for punishment, and she'd be totally out of place at the party . . . but who cared? “Sure, you can make yourself an invitation. Make one for one of your friends, too,” Blair said, handing the guest list over to Jenny. How generous. Blair gave Jenny all the necessary information, and Jenny dashed out of the coffee shop breathlessly. The stores would be closing soon, and she didn't have much time. The guest list was longer than she'd anticipated, and she'd have to stay up all night working on the invitations, but she was going to the party; that was all that mattered. Just wait until she told Dan. He was going to freak. And she was going to make him come with her to the party, whether he liked it or not. gone with the wind gone awry¹⁴ Two martinis and three rolls of Remi brothers' film later, Serena jumped out of a cab in front of Constance and ran up the stairs to the auditorium¹⁵, where the interschool play rehearsal¹⁶ had already begun. As always, she was half an hour late. The sound of a Talking Heads song being played jauntily¹⁷ on the piano drifted down the hallway. Serena pushed open the auditorium door to find her old friend, Ralph Bottoms III, singing Burning Down the South, to the tune¹⁸ of Burning Down the House, with a completely straight face. He was dressed as Rhett Butler, complete with fake mustache and brass¹⁹ buttons. Ralph had gained weight in the last two years, and his face was ruddy, as if he'd been eating too much rare steak. He was holding hands with a stocky girl with curly brown hair and a heart-shaped face–Scarlett O'Hara. She was singing too, belting out the words in a thick Brooklyn accent. Serena leaned against the wall to watch, with a mixture of horror and fascination²⁰. The scene at the art gallery hadn't fazed her, but this–this was scary. When the song ended, the rest of the Interschool Drama Club clapped and cheered, and then the drama teacher, an aged²¹ English woman, began to direct the next scene. “Put your hands on your hips²², Scarlett,” she instructed. “Show me, show me. That's it. Imagine you're the teen sensation of the Civil War South. You're breaking all the rules!” Serena turned to gaze out the window and saw three girls get out of a cab together on the corner of Ninety-third and Madison. She squinted²³, recognizing Blair, Kati, and Isabel. Serena hugged herself, warding²⁴ off the strange feeling that had been stalking her since she'd come back to the city. For the first time in her entire life, she felt left out. Without a word to anyone in the drama club–Hello? Goodbye!–Serena slipped out of the auditorium and into the hallway outside. The wall was littered with flyers and notices and she stopped to read them. One of the flyers was for Vanessa Abrams's film tryout. Knowing Vanessa, the film was going to be very serious and obscure, but it was better than shouting goofy songs and doing the Hokey-Pokey with fat, red-faced Ralph Bottoms III. Vanessa's tryout had started an hour ago, on a bench in Madison Square Park, but maybe it was still going on. Once again, Serena found herself running for a cab, headed downtown. “This is how I want you to do it,” Vanessa told Marjorie Jaffe, a sophomore²⁵ at Constance and the only girl who had shown up to try out for the role of Natasha in Vanessa's film. Marjorie had curly red hair and freckles²⁶, a little pug nose, and no neck. She chewed gum incessantly²⁷, and she was completely, nightmarishly, wrong for the part. The sun was setting, and Madison Square Park was basked²⁸ in a pretty pink glow. The air had the distinct smell of New York in autumn, a mixture of smoking fireplaces, dried leaves, steaming hot dogs, dog pee, and bus exhaust. Daniel was lying on his back on the park bench the way Vanessa had told him to, a wounded soldier, with his limbs sprawled²⁹ out pathetically. Wounded in war and in love, he was tragically³⁰ pale and thin and rumpled-looking. A little glass crack pipe lay on his chest. Lucky Vanessa had found it on the street in Williamsburg that weekend. It was the perfect prop³¹ for her sexily damaged prince. “I'm going to read Natasha's lines. Watch carefully,” she told Marjorie. “Okay Dan, let's go.” “Haven't you been asleep?” Vanessa-as-Natasha said, peering at Dan-as-Prince Andrei. “No, I have been looking at you for a long time. I knew by instinct that you were here. No one except you gives me such a sense of gentle restfulness . . . such light! I feel like weeping from very joy,” Dan-as-Prince Andrei said quietly. Vanessa knelt at his head, her face radiant with solemn delight. “Natasha, I love you too dearly! More than all the world!” Dan gasped³², trying to sit up and then sinking back on the bench as if in pain. He said he loved her! Vanessa grabbed his hand, her face flushed red at the thrill of it. She was completely caught up in the moment. Then she remembered herself, let go of Dan's hand, and stood up. “Now your turn,” she told Marjorie. “ 'Kay,” Marjorie said, chewing her gum with her mouth open. She pulled the scrunchy out of her wiry red hair and fluffed it up with her hand. Then she knelt down by Dan's bench and held up the script. “Ready?” she asked him. Dan nodded. “Haven't you been asleep?” Marjorie said, batting her eyes flirtatiously and cracking her gum. Dan closed his eyes and said his line. He could get through this without laughing if he kept his eyes closed. Halfway³³ through the scene, Marjorie put on a fake Russian accent. It was unbelievably bad. Vanessa suffered in silence, wondering what she was going to do without a Natasha. For a moment she imagined buying a wig³⁴ and playing the part herself, getting someone else to shoot it for her. But it was her project; she had to film it. Just then, someone nudged her arm and whispered, “Do you mind if I try when she's done?” Vanessa turned to find Serena van der Woodsen standing³⁵ beside her, a little breathless from running across the park. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were as dark as the twilit sky. Serena was her Natasha, if ever there was one. Daniel bolted upright, forgetting his injuries and his line. The crack pipe rolled to the ground. “Wait, we're not done,” Marjorie said. She prodded³⁶ Dan in the arm. “You're supposed to kiss my hand.” Dan stared at her blankly. “Sure,” Vanessa told Serena. “Marjorie, do you mind giving Serena your script?” Serena and Marjorie traded places. Dan had his eyes open now. He didn't dare blink. They began to read. “I have been looking at you for a long time,” Dan said, meaning every word. Serena knelt down beside him and took his hand. Dan felt faint, and he was grateful he was lying down. Whoa. Easy boy. He had been in lots of plays, but he had never felt that thing called “chemistry” before with anyone. And to be feeling it with Serena van der Woodsen was like dying an exquisite³⁷ death. It felt like he and Serena were sharing the same breath. He was inhale³⁸ and she was exhale³⁹. He was quiet and still, while she exploded around him like fireworks. Serena was enjoying herself too. The script was beautiful and passionate⁴⁰, and this scruffy⁴¹ Dan guy was a really good actor. I could get into this, she thought with a little thrill. She had never really thought about what she wanted to do with her life, but maybe acting⁴² was her thing. They kept reading beyond the given stopping point. It was as though they'd forgotten they were acting. Vanessa frowned. Serena was great–they were great together–but Dan was swooning. It was totally nauseating⁴³. Boys are so predictable, Vanessa thought and cleared her throat noisily. “Thanks, Serena. Thanks, Dan.” She pretended to scribble⁴⁴ comments in her notebook. “I'll let you know tomorrow, okay?” she told Serena. In your dreams, she wrote. “That was fun!” Serena said, smiling at Dan. Dan gazed up at her dreamily from the bench, still hungover from the moment. “Marjorie, I'll let you know tomorrow, too. Okay?” Vanessa told the redhead. “ 'Kay,” Marjorie said. “Thanks.” Dan sat up, blinking. “Thanks so much for letting me try out,” Serena said sweetly, turning to go. “See you later,” Dan said, sounding drugged. “Bye,” Marjorie said, waving at him, and then rushing after Serena. “Let's practice your monologue⁴⁵, Dan,” Vanessa said sharply. “I want to shoot that first.” “Which subway are you taking?” Marjorie asked Serena, as they walked out of the park. “Um,” Serena said. She never took the subway, but it wouldn't kill her to ride with Marjorie. “The 6, I guess,” she said. “Hey, me too,” Marjorie said happily.

1 ketchup   

n.蕃茄酱，蕃茄沙司

参考例句：

• There's a spot of ketchup on the tablecloth.桌布上有一点番茄酱的渍斑。
• Could I have some ketchup and napkins,please?请给我一些番茄酱和纸手巾？

2 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

3 mused   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• \"I wonder if I shall ever see them again, \"he mused. “我不知道是否还可以再见到他们，”他沉思自问。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• \"Where are we going from here?\" mused one of Rutherford's guests. 卢瑟福的一位客人忍不住说道：‘我们这是在干什么？” 来自英汉非文学 - 科学史

4 inviting   

adj.诱人的，引人注目的

参考例句：

• An inviting smell of coffee wafted into the room.一股诱人的咖啡香味飘进了房间。
• The kitchen smelled warm and inviting and blessedly familiar.这间厨房的味道温暖诱人，使人感到亲切温馨。

5 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

6 orchids   

n.兰花( orchid的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Wild flowers such as orchids and primroses are becoming rare. 兰花和报春花这类野花越来越稀少了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She breeds orchids in her greenhouse. 她在温室里培育兰花。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 rims   

n.（圆形物体的）边( rim的名词复数 )；缘；轮辋；轮圈

参考例句：

• As she spoke, the rims of her eyes reddened a little. 说时，眼圈微红。 来自汉英文学 - 围城
• Her eyes were a little hollow, and reddish about the rims. 她的眼睛微微凹陷，眼眶有些发红。 来自辞典例句

8 calligraphy   

n.书法

参考例句：

• At the calligraphy competition,people asked him to write a few characters.书法比赛会上，人们请他留字。
• His calligraphy is vigorous and forceful.他的书法苍劲有力。

9 linoleum   

n.油布，油毯

参考例句：

• They mislaid the linoleum.他们把油毡放错了地方。
• Who will lay the linoleum?谁将铺设地板油毡？

10 pros   

abbr.prosecuting 起诉；prosecutor 起诉人；professionals 自由职业者；proscenium （舞台）前部n.赞成的意见( pro的名词复数 )；赞成的理由；抵偿物；交换物

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 cons   

n.欺骗，骗局( con的名词复数 )v.诈骗，哄骗( con的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The pros and cons cancel out. 正反两种意见抵消。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• We should hear all the pros and cons of the matter before we make a decision. 我们在对这事做出决定之前，应该先听取正反两方面的意见。 来自《简明英汉词典》

12 skimp   

v.节省花费，吝啬

参考例句：

• She had to skimp to send her son to college.她必须节俭来供她儿子上大学。
• Older people shouldn't skimp on food or heating.老年人不应过分吝惜食物或取暖方面的开销。

13 glutton   

n.贪食者，好食者

参考例句：

• She's a glutton for work.She stays late every evening.她是个工作狂，每天都很晚才下班。
• He is just a glutton.He is addicted to excessive eating.他就是个老饕，贪吃成性。

14 awry   

adj.扭曲的，错的

参考例句：

• She was in a fury over a plan that had gone awry. 计划出了问题，她很愤怒。
• Something has gone awry in our plans.我们的计划出差错了。

15 auditorium   

n.观众席，听众席；会堂，礼堂

参考例句：

• The teacher gathered all the pupils in the auditorium.老师把全体同学集合在礼堂内。
• The stage is thrust forward into the auditorium.舞台向前突出，伸入观众席。

16 rehearsal   

n.排练，排演；练习

参考例句：

• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。
• You can sharpen your skills with rehearsal.排练可以让技巧更加纯熟。

17 jauntily   

adv.心满意足地；洋洋得意地；高兴地；活泼地

参考例句：

• His straw hat stuck jauntily on the side of his head. 他那顶草帽时髦地斜扣在头上。 来自辞典例句
• He returned frowning, his face obstinate but whistling jauntily. 他回来时皱眉蹙额，板着脸，嘴上却快活地吹着口哨。 来自辞典例句

18 tune   

n.调子；和谐，协调；v.调音，调节，调整

参考例句：

• He'd written a tune,and played it to us on the piano.他写了一段曲子，并在钢琴上弹给我们听。
• The boy beat out a tune on a tin can.那男孩在易拉罐上敲出一首曲子。

19 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

20 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

21 aged   

adj.年老的，陈年的

参考例句：

• He had put on weight and aged a little.他胖了，也老点了。
• He is aged,but his memory is still good.他已年老，然而记忆力还好。

22 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》

23 squinted   

斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看

参考例句：

• Pulling his rifle to his shoulder he squinted along the barrel. 他把枪顶肩，眯起眼睛瞄准。
• I squinted through the keyhole. 我从锁眼窥看。

24 warding   

监护，守护（ward的现在分词形式）

参考例句：

• Magina channels a powerful warding magic damping the negative effects of spells. 敌法师用守护魔法来抵御负面法术的攻击。
• Indeed, warding off disruption is the principal property of complex systems. 的确，避免破损解体是复杂系统主要的属性。

25 sophomore   

n.大学二年级生；adj.第二年的

参考例句：

• He is in his sophomore year.他在读二年级。
• I'm a college sophomore majoring in English.我是一名英语专业的大二学生。

26 freckles   

n.雀斑，斑点( freckle的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• She had a wonderful clear skin with an attractive sprinkling of freckles. 她光滑的皮肤上有几处可爱的小雀斑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• When she lies in the sun, her face gets covered in freckles. 她躺在阳光下时，脸上布满了斑点。 来自《简明英汉词典》

27 incessantly   

ad.不停地

参考例句：

• The machines roar incessantly during the hours of daylight. 机器在白天隆隆地响个不停。
• It rained incessantly for the whole two weeks. 雨不间断地下了整整两个星期。

28 basked   

v.晒太阳，取暖( bask的过去式和过去分词 )；对…感到乐趣；因他人的功绩而出名；仰仗…的余泽

参考例句：

• She basked in the reflected glory of her daughter's success. 她尽情地享受她女儿的成功带给她的荣耀。
• She basked in the reflected glory of her daughter's success. 她享受着女儿的成功所带给她的荣耀。 来自《简明英汉词典》

29 sprawled   

v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的过去式和过去分词)；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着）

参考例句：

• He was sprawled full-length across the bed. 他手脚摊开横躺在床上。
• He was lying sprawled in an armchair, watching TV. 他四肢伸开正懒散地靠在扶手椅上看电视。

30 tragically   

adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地

参考例句：

• Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident. 他们的女儿不幸死于车祸。
• Her father died tragically in a car crash. 她父亲在一场车祸中惨死。

31 prop   

vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山

参考例句：

• A worker put a prop against the wall of the tunnel to keep it from falling.一名工人用东西支撑住隧道壁好使它不会倒塌。
• The government does not intend to prop up declining industries.政府无意扶持不景气的企业。

32 gasped   

v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要

参考例句：

• She gasped at the wonderful view. 如此美景使她惊讶得屏住了呼吸。
• People gasped with admiration at the superb skill of the gymnasts. 体操运动员的高超技艺令人赞叹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

33 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。

34 wig   

n.假发

参考例句：

• The actress wore a black wig over her blond hair.那个女演员戴一顶黑色假发罩住自己的金黄色头发。
• He disguised himself with a wig and false beard.他用假发和假胡须来乔装。

35 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。

36 prodded   

v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳

参考例句：

• She prodded him in the ribs to wake him up. 她用手指杵他的肋部把他叫醒。
• He prodded at the plate of fish with his fork. 他拿叉子戳弄着那盘鱼。 来自《简明英汉词典》

37 exquisite   

adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的

参考例句：

• I was admiring the exquisite workmanship in the mosaic.我当时正在欣赏镶嵌画的精致做工。
• I still remember the exquisite pleasure I experienced in Bali.我依然记得在巴厘岛所经历的那种剧烈的快感。

38 inhale   

v.吸入(气体等)，吸(烟)

参考例句：

• Don't inhale dust into your lung.别把灰尘吸进肺里。
• They are pleased to not inhale second hand smoke.他们很高兴他们再也不会吸到二手烟了。

39 exhale   

v.呼气，散出，吐出，蒸发

参考例句：

• Sweet odours exhale from flowers.花儿散发出花香。
• Wade exhaled a cloud of smoke and coughed.韦德吐出一口烟，然后咳嗽起来。

40 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

41 scruffy   

adj.肮脏的，不洁的

参考例句：

• Despite her scruffy clothes,there was an air of sophistication about her.尽管她衣衫褴褛，但神态老练世故。
• His scruffy appearance does not reflect his character.他邋遢的外表并不反映他的性格。

42 acting   

n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的

参考例句：

• Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她，她只是假装的。
• During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代，她的表演生涯黯然失色。

43 nauseating   

adj.令人恶心的，使人厌恶的v.使恶心，作呕( nauseate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• I had to listen to the whole nauseating story. 我不得不从头到尾听那令人作呕的故事。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• There is a nauseating smell of rotten food. 有一股令人恶心的腐烂食物的气味。 来自《简明英汉词典》

44 scribble   

v.潦草地书写，乱写，滥写；n.潦草的写法，潦草写成的东西，杂文

参考例句：

• She can't write yet,but she loves to scribble with a pencil.她现在还不会写字，但她喜欢用铅笔乱涂。
• I can't read this scribble.我看不懂这种潦草的字。

45 monologue   

n.长篇大论，（戏剧等中的）独白

参考例句：

• The comedian gave a long monologue of jokes.喜剧演员讲了一长段由笑话组成的独白。
• He went into a long monologue.他一个人滔滔不绝地讲话。