Happy Valentine?s Day, loverboy,? Zeke Freedman greeted Dan as fourth-period U.S. history was about to begin. He handed Dan a pink paper shopping bag. ?
Aggie1 asked me to give this to you. A messenger just brought it to the front desk.? The handles of the bag were tied with red satin ribbon. Dan
tugged2 on the bow and emptied the contents of the bag out onto his desk: a small white box and a slim red leather book. Inside the white box was a stubby silver pen on a silver chain. A card inside the box described it as an antigravity pen, the kind used by astronauts in space. Dan put the chain around his neck and opened the leather book up to the first page where someone had
scrawled3 a note:Kick gravity?s
ass4, you charmer. Dig? Dan reread the note, completely dumbfounded. It was too bizarre for Vanessa, which meant it was definitely from Mystery. The final bell rang and Mr. Dube strode into the room and started
erasing5 the blackboard. Dan tucked the bag of presents under his seat and opened his notebook, pretending to listen to what Mr. Dube was saying about Vietnam and
apathy6. School seemed so
lame7 and inconsequential when a big-time agent like
Rusty8 Klein wanted to represent him, and an obviously brilliant,
intriguingly9 sexy poet had sent him those
exquisitely10 astute11 Valentine?s Day gifts. Then Dan remembered Vanessa and his hands began to tremble. He hadn?t sent her anything for Valentine?s Day? not that Vanessa was at all into such a ?commercial bullshit holiday,? as she called it, but he hadn?t even called her. Actually, his biggest problem was . . . he?d cheated on her. And not just kissing cheating either.Cheating cheating.
Whoops12. It was all Mystery?s fault. With her see-through slip and
crooked13 yellow teeth she?d made him feel like he was living inside of one of his poems, kissing a
beguilingly14 odd girl he?d created at a
raucous15, screwball party he?d invented. He hadn?t been able to help but let his imagination run amok, sending him stumbling across the snowy landscape to her ramshackle Chinatown studio apartment and making love to her in all sorts of odd yogalike positions on her uncomfortable futon bed as the sun was rising over the
bleak16, snow-covered city. It was almost as if none of it had actuallyhappened . It wasfiction . Except it wasn?t fiction. He?d cheated. Dan had been dreadfully hungover for the remainder of the weekend and too deeply
mired17 in existential
guilt18 and self-loathing to answer Vanessa?s
countless19 messages on his cell phone. He
flipped20 to the back of his history notebook. What if he wrote Vanessa a poem and e-mailed it to her during lunch next period? That would be more meaningful than flowers or chocolate or a cheesy Valentine?s Day card. The best thing about it was that he wouldn?t have to talk to her and possibly admit that he?d cheated on her, because he?d never been any good at telling lies. Mr. Dube was writing on the board now. Dan pretended to makes notes in his notebook. Chalk angels,he wrote.Making meaning. Then he thought about something Mystery had said when they were drinking their fourth or fifth Red Bull
cocktails21. Something about how she was tired of writing obscure poems that skirted around what she was really trying to say. Subtle was out. Direct was in. Kiss me. Be mine.Dan wrote, imitating the little slogans on those candy hearts girls were always passing around on Valentine?s Day.Hot stuff! He reread the words without really seeing them. His mind was still too full of his night with Mystery to process anything else. Her stringy dirty blond hair had smelled like toast and when she?d touched his bare stomach with her cold, clammy hands, his whole body had
rippled22. He?d never even asked her what she meant by
premature23 death or how his poem ?Sluts? had saved her life, but he?d been so
intoxicated24 by the taurine in the Red Bull and by her
appallingly25 yellow teeth, he probably wouldn?t have remembered anyway. Lost my virginity again,Dan wrote, which was the truth. Doing it with Mystery was like losing it again. Was it possible that every time he made love to a new woman it would feel that way? Before he could imagine who the next lucky girl would be, the bell rang and Dan snapped out of his reverie, slapping the notebook closed and tucking it under his arm. ?Hey,? he called to Zeke. ?I?ll buy you some sushi for lunch if you wait for me to whip off an e-mail in the lab.? ?Okay.? Zeke
shrugged26, trying not to look too excited that his old friend was actually
deigning27 to pay attention to him again. Since when did Dan Humphrey, king of cheap egg rolls and bad coffee, eatsushi ? ?Heard you got lucky Friday night!? Chuck
Bass28 shouted Dan?s way as they passed each other on the stairwell. Chuck was wearing his Riverside Prep uniform navy blue V-neck sweater with nothing on
underneath29 it. ?Nice work.? ?Thanks,? Dan muttered, hurrying upstairs to the computer lab. He was kidding himself if he thought Vanessa wasn?t going to find out about him and Mystery, but as soon as she received his latest poem he was convinced she?d forgive him. Just as Mystery had written in her note?he was a charmer.
点击
收听单词发音
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1
aggie
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| n.农校，农科大学生 |
参考例句： |
- Maybe I will buy a Aggie ring next year when I have money.也许明年等我有了钱，我也会订一枚毕业生戒指吧。
- The Aggie replied,"sir,I believe that would be giddy-up."这个大学生慢条斯理的说，“先生，我相信是昏死过去。”
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2
tugged
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| v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- She tugged at his sleeve to get his attention. 她拽了拽他的袖子引起他的注意。
- A wry smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. 他的嘴角带一丝苦笑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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3
scrawled
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| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- I tried to read his directions, scrawled on a piece of paper. 我尽量弄明白他草草写在一片纸上的指示。
- Tom scrawled on his slate, "Please take it -- I got more." 汤姆在他的写字板上写了几个字：“请你收下吧，我多得是哩。”
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4
ass
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| 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。
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5
erasing
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| v.擦掉( erase的现在分词 )；抹去；清除 |
参考例句： |
- He was like a sponge, erasing the past, soaking up the future. 他象一块海绵，挤出过去，吸进未来。 来自辞典例句
- Suddenly, fear overtook longing, erasing memories. 突然，恐惧淹没了渴望，泯灭了回忆。 来自辞典例句
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6
apathy
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| n.漠不关心，无动于衷；冷淡 |
参考例句： |
- He was sunk in apathy after his failure.他失败后心恢意冷。
- She heard the story with apathy.她听了这个故事无动于衷。
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7
lame
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| adj.跛的，(辩解、论据等)无说服力的 |
参考例句： |
- The lame man needs a stick when he walks.那跛脚男子走路时需借助拐棍。
- I don't believe his story.It'sounds a bit lame.我不信他讲的那一套。他的话听起来有些靠不住。
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8
rusty
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| 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。
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9
intriguingly
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参考例句： |
- Intriguingly, she gave to the music a developed although oddly malleable personality. 最神奇的是，她的音乐具有成熟却又很奇怪地极富可塑性。 来自互联网
- Intriguingly, the patients brains were riddled with tangles, but not amyloid plaques. 有趣的是，患者的大脑中充满了各缠结，但并没有粉斑。 来自互联网
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10
exquisitely
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| adv.精致地；强烈地；剧烈地；异常地 |
参考例句： |
- He found her exquisitely beautiful. 他觉得她异常美丽。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He wore an exquisitely tailored gray silk and accessories to match. 他穿的是做工非常考究的灰色绸缎衣服，还有各种配得很协调的装饰。 来自教父部分
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11
astute
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| adj.机敏的，精明的 |
参考例句： |
- A good leader must be an astute judge of ability.一个优秀的领导人必须善于识别人的能力。
- The criminal was very astute and well matched the detective in intelligence.这个罪犯非常狡猾，足以对付侦探的机智。
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12
whoops
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| int.呼喊声 |
参考例句： |
- Whoops! Careful, you almost spilt coffee everywhere. 哎哟！小心点，你差点把咖啡洒得到处都是。
- We were awakened by the whoops of the sick baby. 生病婴儿的喘息声把我们弄醒了。
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13
crooked
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| adj.弯曲的；不诚实的，狡猾的，不正当的 |
参考例句： |
- He crooked a finger to tell us to go over to him.他弯了弯手指，示意我们到他那儿去。
- You have to drive slowly on these crooked country roads.在这些弯弯曲曲的乡间小路上你得慢慢开车。
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14
beguilingly
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参考例句： |
- In effect, he presents us with a beguilingly simple outline of the social evolution. 从效果而言，他给我们描述了关于社会发展进程的一个有趣而简单的大纲。 来自互联网
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15
raucous
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| adj.(声音)沙哑的，粗糙的 |
参考例句： |
- I heard sounds of raucous laughter upstairs.我听见楼上传来沙哑的笑声。
- They heard a bottle being smashed,then more raucous laughter.他们听见酒瓶摔碎的声音，然后是一阵更喧闹的笑声。
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16
bleak
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| adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的 |
参考例句： |
- They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
- The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。
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mired
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| abbr.microreciprocal degree 迈尔德（色温单位）v.深陷( mire的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- The country was mired in recession. 这个国家陷入了经济衰退的困境。
- The most brilliant leadership can be mired in detail. 最有才干的领导也会陷于拘泥琐事的困境中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
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18
guilt
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| 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。
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19
countless
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| adj.无数的，多得不计其数的 |
参考例句： |
- In the war countless innocent people lost their lives.在这场战争中无数无辜的人丧失了性命。
- I've told you countless times.我已经告诉你无数遍了。
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20
flipped
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| 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。
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21
cocktails
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| n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物 |
参考例句： |
- Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
- Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句
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22
rippled
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| 使泛起涟漪（ripple的过去式与过去分词形式） |
参考例句： |
- The lake rippled gently. 湖面轻轻地泛起涟漪。
- The wind rippled the surface of the cornfield. 微风吹过麦田，泛起一片麦浪。
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23
premature
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| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 |
参考例句： |
- It is yet premature to predict the possible outcome of the dialogue.预言这次对话可能有什么结果为时尚早。
- The premature baby is doing well.那个早产的婴儿很健康。
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24
intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 |
参考例句： |
- She was intoxicated with success. 她为成功所陶醉。
- They became deeply intoxicated and totally disoriented. 他们酩酊大醉，东南西北全然不辨。
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25
appallingly
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| 毛骨悚然地 |
参考例句： |
- His tradecraft was appallingly reckless. 他的经营轻率得令人吃惊。
- Another damning statistic for South Africa is its appallingly high murder rate. 南非还有一项糟糕的统计，表明它还有着令人毛骨悚然的高谋杀率。
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26
shrugged
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| 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》
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27
deigning
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| v.屈尊，俯就( deign的现在分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- She just grunted, not deigning to look up from the page. 她只咕哝了一声，继续看书，不屑抬起头来看一眼。
- He passed by without deigning to look at me. 他走过去不屑看我一眼。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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28
bass
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| 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。
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29
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 |
参考例句： |
- Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
- She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。
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