introducing the new d

Tuesday afternoon, Vanessa stood outside Riverside Prep, filming the frozen remains¹ of a dead pigeon carcass and thinking about sex while she waited for Dan to appear. Dan had left a message for her at the reception desk at Constance Billard to come and meet him after school.Urgent. Meet me here at four, it said.What a freak, Vanessa thought lovingly. What could possibly be so urgent? He was probably just having an attack of paranoia⁴ because his poem had come out inThe New Yorker today. Either that or he was feeling extremely stimulated⁵ and couldn?twait to do it again. Before even taking a shower that morning Vanessa had run downstairs and bought sixNew Yorker s from the newsstand on the corner. That way there would always be a spare copy to wave in Dan?s face when he was feeling especially inadequate⁶. When she really thought about it,she was the one who should have been freaking out. The poem was all about a guy feeling insecure around women, particularly his dominating girlfriend. People who knew them were going to think Vanessa was a real ball-breaker. But the last line was so sweet and sexy, she couldn?t really complain. Take care of me. Take me. Take care. Take me. Reading it made her want to rip off all her clothes and jump him.Gently , of course. Just then Dan burst through the black doors of Riverside Prep practically in midsentence. He waved his rumpled⁷ copy ofThe New Yorker at Vanessa and galloped⁸ up to her in his worn-out white Pumas¹⁰ and navy blue cords, planting a sloppy¹¹, wet kiss on her mouth. ?This has been the best day of my life!? he trumpeted¹². ?I love you!? ?You don?t have to be romantic to get in my pants again,? Vanessa giggled¹³ and kissed him again. ?I?m always available. And by the way, I love you, too.? ?Cool.? Dan smiled goofily back at her. Vanessa couldn?t believe this was the same old Dan she?d seen only yesterday. He was still pale, thin, and overcaffeinated, but his brown eyes were shining and there were traces of smiley-face dimples in his usually sallow cheeks. Wait a minute. Since when could she actually see his eyes? ?Whoa, you got a haircut,? she observed, standing¹⁴ back to check it out. Dan had asked the barber to cut his hair short with long sideburns, figuring the sideburns would keep him from looking like all the preppy assholes in his class. He swept his hand over his head self-consciously. It felt odd, but somehow cleaner than before, more . . .homogenous¹⁵ . And that was exactly what he wanted?to be judged by his work, not his hair. Whatever you say, Sideburn Man. Vanessa put her hands on the hips¹⁶ of her black parka coat. Something about Dan?s haircut was so deliberate, like he was actually going for a certain artsy, bohemian look instead of just stumbling upon one by mistake. ?It?s different,? she mused¹⁷, already feeling a little nostalgic for the old scruffy-haired Dan. ?I guess I?ll get used to it.? Behind them a group of eighth-grade boys spilled out the school doors singing ?Hello Dolly? at the top of their lungs. They?d just been released from music class and were still too young and innocent to realize how gay they sounded. Hello, Dolly! Well hel-loo, Dolly! It?s so nice to have you back where you belong! Dan pulled a pack of unfiltered Camels out of his black messenger bag, tipped one out, and stuck it between his lips. His fingers trembled wildly as he lit it. Well, at leastthat hadn?t changed. He offered the pack to Vanessa. ?Want one?? Vanessa stared at him and chuckled¹⁸ in disbelief. ?Since when do I smoke?? Dan exhaled¹⁹ into the air above her head and rolled his eyes. ?Sorry. I don?t know why I just did that.? He shoved the pack back into his bag and grabbed Vanessa?s frozen fingers. ?Come on. Let?s walk somewhere. I have something major to tell you.? As they were taking off, Zeke Freedman walked out of school bouncing a neon blue basketball. Zeke was big and lumbering²⁰, but he was Riverside Prep?s star basketball player. He?d grown out his curly black hair so it hung down to his shoulders, and he was sporting a new slate²¹ gray snowboarding jacket. Zeke and Dan had been best friends since second grade, but they hadn?t really hung out in the last few months because Dan had been preoccupied²² with other things. Namely, women and poetry. Dan realized he didn?t even know where Zeke had applied²³ to college. The distance between them was mostly his fault, and he felt bad about it. ?Hey Zeke,? he called over. Zeke stopped walking, his heavy body looking even more massive than usual inside his new parka. ?Hey Dan,? he replied with a careful smile, bouncing the blue ball in place on the frozen sidewalk. ?Hey Vanessa.? ?What do you think of Dan?s new haircut?? Vanessa asked with a wry²⁴ smile. ?It?s part of his new Mr. Published Poet image.? ?Oh yeah?? Zeke didn?t seem to know what Vanessa was talking about. He glanced down the street, giving the basketball a good hard bounce before holding up his hand. ?See you guys.? ?See ya,? Dan called, watching his old friend dribble²⁵ the ball down to the end of the street. ?So, what?s the big news?? Vanessa asked as they started to walk west on Seventy-eighth Street. Cold air blasted the clouds across the pale gray sky. Down the block, through the leafless branches of the trees in Riverside Park, Dan caught a silvery glimpse of the Hudson. ?Well,? he began suspensefully. ?This morning this big-deal literary agent named Rusty²⁶ Klein called my cell phone and left me this crazy message. She thinks I?m the next Keats and she said we have to keep the momentum²⁷ going now that we have the public?s attention.? ?Wow. EvenI?ve heard of her!? Vanessa responded, impressed. ?What does that mean, though?? Dan blew a puff²⁸ of smoke into the air. ?I guess it means she wants to represent me.? Vanessa stopped walking. She wasn?t sure where they were going anyway. ?But you only wrote one poem. What?s she going to do? I don?t mean to be a downer Dan, but you have to be careful of people like that, you know? She could be trying to take advantage of you.? Dan stopped walking, too. He flipped²⁹ up the collar of his black wool army-navy coat and then flipped it down again. Why was Vanessa being so negative? All of this was totally unexpected, but it was also extremely fucking cool. And it wasn?t like he was going to sell out and start writing clich?d Gap ads just because he had an agent, if that was what she was worried about. ?I don?t know. I think she can help me with my career. Maybe I can put a book together and she can try to get it published or something.? Vanessa blew on her hands and then rubbed her cold, bare ears. ?Can we go over to your house? I?m freezing my ass² off. We?d better work on the film, too.? Dan threw his cigarette on the ground. ?Um, actually, I was thinking I might go back and read through all my note-books. You know, see if there?s a thematic link to some of the poems. Something I could work into a book.? Vanessa had been about to offer her services as a reader, but it didn?t sound like Dan wanted any help. ?Okay,? she said coolly. ?Call me if you need anything or whatever.? Dan flipped his collar up again and lit another cigarette, experimenting with his new look. ?Oh, wait. I wanted to ask you something. Rusty Klein invited me to this thing called Better Than Naked. ?The Better Than Naked show.? That?s what she said. Do you know if that?s a band or something?? Better Than Naked was the antifashion fashion label that Vanessa?s older sister, Ruby³⁰, blew all her gig money on. Most of their clothes looked like old thrift-store rags that had been run over by a fleet of street-cleaning machines, which was completely intentional³¹. Very downtown ?fuck the trends? fashion. ?It?s Fashion Week starting on Friday,? Vanessa explained. ?It sounds like she?s inviting³² you to the Better Than Naked runway show, which I only know about because Ruby is totally crazy about their clothes and always watches the shows on the Metro³³ Channel. I don?t know why Rusty Klein thinksyou would want to go, though. What do you care about clothes? And it?ll be full of posers and wanna-bes?you know, that whole vapid³⁴ fashion scene.? Dan looked thoughtful as he puffed³⁵ on his cigarette. ?I think I?m gonna check it out.? He wouldn?t have cared if Rusty Klein had asked to meet him at a pro³ wrestling match. This was about building his writing career. Filming Dan at the Better Than Naked show would have been perfect material for her film, but Vanessa didn?t want to butt³⁶ in if Dan was meeting someone as important as Rusty Klein at the show. ?Okay, Mr. Hot Shit Poet. Don?t forget your old friends when you?re driving around in a limo drinking champagne³⁷ with naked models and whatnot.? She reached up and mussed his neat little haircut. ?Congratulations.? Dan grinned widely back at her. ?It?s pretty amazing,? he agreed happily. Then, with one last sweet kiss, he turned and walked up Riverside Drive toward home, the iridescent³⁸ silver Puma⁹ logos flashing on his heels as he went. Vanessa smiled fondly at the spring in his step. ?See you later, alligator³⁹.?

1 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

2 ass   

n.驴；傻瓜，蠢笨的人

参考例句：

• He is not an ass as they make him.他不象大家猜想的那样笨。
• An ass endures his burden but not more than his burden.驴能负重但不能超过它能力所负担的。

3 pro   

n.赞成，赞成的意见，赞成者

参考例句：

• The two debating teams argued the question pro and con.辩论的两组从赞成与反对两方面辩这一问题。
• Are you pro or con nuclear disarmament?你是赞成还是反对核裁军？

4 paranoia   

n.妄想狂，偏执狂；多疑症

参考例句：

• Her passion for cleanliness borders on paranoia.她的洁癖近乎偏执。
• The push for reform is also motivated by political paranoia.竞选的改革运动也受到政治偏执狂症的推动。

5 stimulated   

a.刺激的

参考例句：

• The exhibition has stimulated interest in her work. 展览增进了人们对她作品的兴趣。
• The award has stimulated her into working still harder. 奖金促使她更加努力地工作。

6 inadequate   

adj.(for,to)不充足的，不适当的

参考例句：

• The supply is inadequate to meet the demand.供不应求。
• She was inadequate to the demands that were made on her.她还无力满足对她提出的各项要求。

7 rumpled   

v.弄皱，使凌乱( rumple的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She rumpled his hair playfully. 她顽皮地弄乱他的头发。
• The bed was rumpled and strewn with phonograph records. 那张床上凌乱不堪，散放着一些唱片。 来自辞典例句

8 galloped   

（使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事

参考例句：

• Jo galloped across the field towards him. 乔骑马穿过田野向他奔去。
• The children galloped home as soon as the class was over. 孩子们一下课便飞奔回家了。

9 puma   

美洲豹

参考例句：

• The police and the volunteers combed the forest for the lost puma from the zoo.警察和志愿者们在森林里到处寻找动物园迷失的美洲狮。
• A businessman on a fishing trip saw the puma up a tree.一位商人去钓鱼，看见那只美洲狮在树上。

10 pumas   

n.美洲狮( puma的名词复数 )；彪马；于1948年成立于德国荷索金劳勒(Herzogenaurach)的国际运动品牌；创始人：鲁道夫及达斯勒。

参考例句：

• Pumas are large, cat-like animals which are found in America. 美洲狮是一种体形似猫的大动物，产于美洲。 来自新概念英语第三册
• But forget that for the pumas and lynx at the Queens Zoo. 而皇后动物园的美洲狮和猞猁却完全不吃这一套。 来自互联网

11 sloppy   

adj.邋遢的，不整洁的

参考例句：

• If you do such sloppy work again,I promise I'll fail you.要是下次作业你再马马虎虎，我话说在头里，可要给你打不及格了。
• Mother constantly picked at him for being sloppy.母亲不断地批评他懒散。

12 trumpeted   

大声说出或宣告（trumpet的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• Soldiers trumpeted and bugled. 士兵们吹喇叭鸣号角。
• The radio trumpeted the presidential campaign across the country. 电台在全国范围大力宣传总统竞选运动。

13 giggled   

v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The girls giggled at the joke. 女孩子们让这笑话逗得咯咯笑。
• The children giggled hysterically. 孩子们歇斯底里地傻笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

14 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。

15 homogenous   

adj.同类的，同质的，纯系的

参考例句：

• Japan is a wealthy,homogenous,developed nation with a stable political system.日本是一个富裕的同质型发达国家，政治体制稳定。
• My family is very homogenous and happy.我们这个家庭很和睦很幸福。

16 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》

17 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

18 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

19 exhaled   

v.呼出，发散出( exhale的过去式和过去分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气

参考例句：

• He sat back and exhaled deeply. 他仰坐着深深地呼气。
• He stamped his feet and exhaled a long, white breath. 跺了跺脚，他吐了口长气，很长很白。 来自汉英文学 - 骆驼祥子

20 lumbering   

n.采伐林木

参考例句：

• Lumbering and, later, paper-making were carried out in smaller cities. 木材业和后来的造纸都由较小的城市经营。
• Lumbering is very important in some underdeveloped countries. 在一些不发达的国家，伐木业十分重要。

21 slate   

n.板岩，石板，石片，石板色，候选人名单；adj.暗蓝灰色的，含板岩的；vt.用石板覆盖，痛打，提名，预订

参考例句：

• The nominating committee laid its slate before the board.提名委员会把候选人名单提交全体委员会讨论。
• What kind of job uses stained wood and slate? 什么工作会接触木头污浊和石板呢？

22 preoccupied   

adj.全神贯注的，入神的；被抢先占有的；心事重重的v.占据（某人）思想，使对…全神贯注，使专心于( preoccupy的过去式)

参考例句：

• He was too preoccupied with his own thoughts to notice anything wrong. 他只顾想着心事，没注意到有什么不对。
• The question of going to the Mount Tai preoccupied his mind. 去游泰山的问题盘踞在他心头。 来自《简明英汉词典》

23 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。

24 wry   

adj.讽刺的；扭曲的

参考例句：

• He made a wry face and attempted to wash the taste away with coffee.他做了个鬼脸，打算用咖啡把那怪味地冲下去。
• Bethune released Tung's horse and made a wry mouth.白求恩放开了董的马，噘了噘嘴。

25 dribble   

v.点滴留下，流口水；n.口水

参考例句：

• Melted wax dribbled down the side of the candle.熔化了的蜡一滴滴从蜡烛边上流下。
• He wiped a dribble of saliva from his chin.他擦掉了下巴上的几滴口水。

26 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。

27 momentum   

n.动力，冲力，势头；动量

参考例句：

• We exploit the energy and momentum conservation laws in this way.我们就是这样利用能量和动量守恒定律的。
• The law of momentum conservation could supplant Newton's third law.动量守恒定律可以取代牛顿第三定律。

28 puff   

n.一口(气)；一阵(风)；v.喷气，喘气

参考例句：

• He took a puff at his cigarette.他吸了一口香烟。
• They tried their best to puff the book they published.他们尽力吹捧他们出版的书。

29 flipped   

轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥

参考例句：

• The plane flipped and crashed. 飞机猛地翻转，撞毁了。
• The carter flipped at the horse with his whip. 赶大车的人扬鞭朝着马轻轻地抽打。

30 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

31 intentional   

adj.故意的，有意（识）的

参考例句：

• Let me assure you that it was not intentional.我向你保证那不是故意的。
• His insult was intentional.他的侮辱是有意的。

32 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。

33 metro   

n.地铁；adj.大都市的；(METRO)麦德隆(财富500强公司之一总部所在地德国，主要经营零售)

参考例句：

• Can you reach the park by metro?你可以乘地铁到达那个公园吗？
• The metro flood gate system is a disaster prevention equipment.地铁防淹门系统是一种防灾设备。

34 vapid   

adj.无味的；无生气的

参考例句：

• She made a vapid comment about the weather.她对天气作了一番平淡无奇的评论。
• He did the same thing year by year and found life vapid.他每年做着同样的事，觉得生活索然无味。

35 puffed   

adj.疏松的v.使喷出( puff的过去式和过去分词 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧

参考例句：

• He lit a cigarette and puffed at it furiously. 他点燃了一支香烟，狂吸了几口。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He felt grown-up, puffed up with self-importance. 他觉得长大了，便自以为了不起。 来自《简明英汉词典》

36 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

37 champagne   

n.香槟酒；微黄色

参考例句：

• There were two glasses of champagne on the tray.托盘里有两杯香槟酒。
• They sat there swilling champagne.他们坐在那里大喝香槟酒。

38 iridescent   

adj.彩虹色的，闪色的

参考例句：

• The iridescent bubbles were beautiful.这些闪着彩虹般颜色的大气泡很美。
• Male peacocks display their iridescent feathers for prospective female mates.雄性孔雀为了吸引雌性伴侣而展现了他们彩虹色的羽毛。

39 alligator   

n.短吻鳄(一种鳄鱼)

参考例句：

• She wandered off to play with her toy alligator.她开始玩鳄鱼玩具。
• Alligator skin is five times more costlier than leather.鳄鱼皮比通常的皮革要贵5倍。