D's glass is half empty When school let out for the day, the
formerly1 scruffy2 but now fashionably
groomed3 and polished Daniel Humphrey didn't linger outside Riverside Prep with the other senior boys, bouncing basketballs and eating pizza from the slices place on Seventy-sixth and Broadway. Instead, he zipped up his new black APC storm jacket, retied his Camper
bowling4 shoes, and headed across town to the
Plaza5 Hotel to meet his agent. The ornate gold-painted Plaza dining room was buzzing with the usual
throng6 of
gaudily7 dressed Russian tourists,
extravagant8 grandmothers, and a few loud families from Texas, all toting shopping bags from FAO Schwarz and Tiffany, and all taking high tea. Except for
Rusty9 Klein. Mwa! Mwa! Rusty blew kisses into the air on either side of Dan's face as he sat down. ?Is Mystery coming?? he asked hopefully. Dozens of gold
bracelets10 clanked noisily as Rusty clapped herself on the forehead. ?Fuck me! I guess I forgot to mention it. Mystery's on a six-month world book tour. We've already sold five hundred thousand copies in Japan!? The last time Dan had seen Mystery had been at an open mike at the Rivington Rover Poetry Club downtown. They'd practically had sex on stage as they performed improv poetry together. Then the
wan11, horny, yellow-toothed poetess had retreated to write, and Dan hadn't seen her since. ?But her book's not even out yet,? he protested. Rusty piled her fire-engine-red hair on top of her head and stuck a sharpened number two pencil through it. She picked up her martini and
guzzled12 it,
smearing13 hot pink
lipstick14 all over the
rim15 of the glass. ?It doesn't matter if the booknever comes out. Mystery's already a celebrity,? she declared. An
avid16 chain-smoker, Dan was suddenly desperate for a cigarette. But smoking was prohibited, so instead he grabbed a fork from off the table and pressed the tines into the palm of his shaking hand. Mystery, who was only nineteen or twenty (Dan wasn't quite sure), had managed to write a
memoir17 calledWhy I'm So Easy in less than a week. The day she'd finished it, Rusty had sold it to
Random18 House for an
astounding19 six-figure advance, with a film deal attached. Rusty scooted her chair forward and pushed her half-drunk glass of stale tap water toward Dan, as if she expected him to drink it. ?I sent ?Ashes, Ashes? out to theNorth Dakota Review,? she told him
offhandedly20. ?They hated it.? ?Ashes, Ashes? was Dan's latest poem, written in the voice of a guy who misses his dead dog, only it was left up to the reader to figure out that the narrator was addressing a dog and not his old girlfriend or something. It's the first baseball game of the season I wait for your kiss Breath meaty like chocolate My shoes are still there One in your bed where you left it The other in the backseat of my car Dan
slumped21 in his chair. The week his poem ?Sluts? had come out inThe New Yorker , he'd felt
invincible22 and famous. Now he felt like a schmo. ?Sweetness, I can think of several reasons why your writing may not appeal to everyone the way Mystery's does,? Rusty crooned. ?You're young yet, sugarplum. All you need is some good training. Fuck me, I need another drink.? She
belched23 into her fist and then stuck both hands above her head. Within seconds, a sploshingly full martini was set down before her. Dan picked up the half-empty glass of water and then set it down again. He wanted to ask her about those ?several reasons? why his writing didn't appeal to everyone the way Mystery's did, but then again, he was pretty sure he knew. While Mystery mostly wrote about sex, Dan mostly wrote about death, or wanting to die, or wondering if being dead was better than being alive, which was kind of depressing if you thought about it. Also, he wasn't an
orphan24 like Mystery was?according to legend, anyway. An orphan raised by prostitutes. Dan was just a seventeen-year-old kid who lived in a
sprawling25 prewar apartment on the Upper West Side with his
outrageous26 but loving divorced dad, Rufus, and
relatively27 loving, big-boobed little sister, Jenny. ?So was that all you wanted to tell me?? he asked, feeling
depressed28. ?Are you kidding?? Fueled by the fourth
gulp29 of martini number two, Rusty whipped a cell phone out of her limited edition Snapdragon Louis Vuitton purse. ?Get ready, Danny-boy. I'm calling Sig Castle atRed Letter. I'm going to get him to give you a job!? Red Letterwas the most
prestigious30 literary journal in the world. Started five years ago by the German poet Siegfried Castle in an abandoned
warehouse31 in East Berlin, it had recently been bought by Cond? Nast and moved to New York, where it was currently thriving in its role as the
rogue32 avant-garde child of the publishers ofVogue andLucky. Rusty started dialing before Dan even had a chance to respond. Sure, working atRed Letter would be an honor, but he wasn't really in the market for a job right now. ?But I'm still in school,? he muttered. His agent tended to forget sometimes that he was only seventeen and therefore couldn't meet her for midmorning espressos on a Monday or fly to London on the spur of the moment to attend a poetry reading. Or hold a
full-time33 job. ?Sig-Sig, it's Rusty,? she crooned. ?Listen, babes, I'm sending you a poet. He's got potential, but he could use a little sharpening up. Got me?? Siegfried Castle?Dan still couldn't believe Rusty was actually talking tothe Siegfried Castle?said something Dan couldn't hear. Rusty thrust the phone at him. ?Sig wants a word.? Dan's hands dripped with sweat as he held the phone to his nervous ear and
croaked34, ?Hello?? ?I hawen't
gut35 a cwue vho you ahr, but Wuthsty cweated dat vantastic Mystewy Cwaze, so I thuppose I muthst take you athswell, yah?? lisped Siegfried Castle in a snooty German accent. Dan could barely understand a word, except for the Mystery Craze part. How come everyone had heard of Mystery and no one had heard ofhim ? After all, he'd been published inThe New Yorker. ?Thank you so much for the opportunity,? he responded
meekly36. ?I have next week off school for spring break, so I can work all day. Once break is over, I can only come after school.? Rusty grabbed the phone away from him. ?He'll be there Monday morning,? she pronounced. ?Bye-bye, Sig-Sig.? Clicking off, she tossed her phone into her purse and groped for her martini. ?We used to be lovers, but it's better now that we're friends,? she confessed. She reached out and pinched one of Dan's pale, confused cheeks. ?Aw. You're Sig-Sig's new
intern37, his cutie-patootie little intern!? Rusty made it sound so demeaning, as if Dan would be spending his workdays stirring Siegfried Castle's decaf mochas and sharpening his pencils. But an
internship38 atRed Letter was such a prestigious, impossible-to-get job, he couldn't possibly complain. ?So, isRed Letter named after the letterA foradulteress that Hester Prynne had to wear inThe
Scarlet39 Letter?? he asked, genuinely interested. Rusty stared at him quizzically. ?Fuck if I know.? Why s and b are still friends ?I made us tea.? Serena
pointed40 to the white cups and saucers sitting on her orange plastic lunch tray. She
sniffed41 and wiped her nose on the sleeve of her pale green Calypso blouse. ?With honey.? Blair permitted Serena to sit down across from her at the blond wood cafeteria table and accepted the tea. She had a terrible cold. Tea with honey would be just the thing. Besides, she and Serena always sat together at lunchtime, especially when they had peer group, for which they were both leaders. Plus there was something Blair needed to ask her. The cafeteria was crowded with girls pouring
ketchup42 over their sweet potato fries and trading gossip about spring break. ?I heard Serena and Nate Archibald got arrested for doing it on a chairlift,? Rain Hoffstetter whispered to Laura
Salmon44. ?I heard she's moving to Amsterdam after graduation. She met this guy from the Dutch Olympic snowboarding team. They're getting married,? Kati Farkas told them. ?And Blair's dad is trying to get her into Brown now,? Isabel Coates piped up. ?Because she and Erik van der Woodsen are totally in love.? ?Nothing happened, you know, between Nate and me,? Serena declared after she'd sat down. She took a
sip43 of her tea. Actually, somethinghad happened between them, but that was a long time ago. ?I mean, after Georgie's party.? Blair stirred her tea. She and Serena had been ignoring each other ever since the party in Sun Valley, mostly because it was easier and more exciting to let the other girl imagine what had happened than to admit the embarrassing truth. She pushed her tea aside and rested her elbows on the table, staring at Serena intently. ?What was it like??
点击
收听单词发音
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1
formerly
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| adv.从前，以前 |
参考例句： |
- We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
- This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。
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2
scruffy
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| 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。
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3
groomed
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| 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》
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4
bowling
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| n.保龄球运动 |
参考例句： |
- Bowling is a popular sport with young and old.保龄球是老少都爱的运动。
- Which sport do you 1ike most,golf or bowling?你最喜欢什么运动，高尔夫还是保龄球？
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5
plaza
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| n.广场，市场 |
参考例句： |
- They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
- The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。
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6
throng
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| n.人群，群众；v.拥挤，群集 |
参考例句： |
- A patient throng was waiting in silence.一大群耐心的人在静静地等着。
- The crowds thronged into the mall.人群涌进大厅。
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7
gaudily
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| adv.俗丽地 |
参考例句： |
- She painted her lips gaudily. 她的嘴唇涂得很俗艳。 来自互联网
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8
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 |
参考例句： |
- They tried to please him with fulsome compliments and extravagant gifts.他们想用溢美之词和奢华的礼品来取悦他。
- He is extravagant in behaviour.他行为放肆。
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9
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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10
bracelets
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| n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 ) |
参考例句： |
- The lamplight struck a gleam from her bracelets. 她的手镯在灯光的照射下闪闪发亮。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- On display are earrings, necklaces and bracelets made from jade, amber and amethyst. 展出的有用玉石、琥珀和紫水晶做的耳环、项链和手镯。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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11
wan
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| (wide area network)广域网 |
参考例句： |
- The shared connection can be an Ethernet,wireless LAN,or wireless WAN connection.提供共享的网络连接可以是以太网、无线局域网或无线广域网。
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12
guzzled
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| v.狂吃暴饮，大吃大喝( guzzle的过去式和过去分词 ) |
参考例句： |
- The children guzzled down all the cakes. 孩子们大吃一通，把蛋糕都吃光了。 来自互联网
- The boys guzzled the cheap Vodka. 这些男孩狂饮廉价的伏特加酒。 来自互联网
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13
smearing
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| 污点，拖尾效应 |
参考例句： |
- The small boy spoilt the picture by smearing it with ink. 那孩子往画上抹墨水把画给毁了。
- Remove the screen carefully so as to avoid smearing the paste print. 小心的移开丝网，以避免它弄脏膏印。
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14
lipstick
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| n.口红，唇膏 |
参考例句： |
- Taking out her lipstick,she began to paint her lips.她拿出口红，开始往嘴唇上抹。
- Lipstick and hair conditioner are cosmetics.口红和护发素都是化妆品。
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15
rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 |
参考例句： |
- The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
- She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。
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16
avid
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| adj.热心的；贪婪的；渴望的；劲头十足的 |
参考例句： |
- He is rich,but he is still avid of more money.他很富有,但他还想贪图更多的钱。
- She was avid for praise from her coach.那女孩渴望得到教练的称赞。
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17
memoir
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| n.[pl.]回忆录，自传；记事录 |
参考例句： |
- He has just published a memoir in honour of his captain.他刚刚出了一本传记来纪念他的队长。
- In her memoir,the actress wrote about the bittersweet memories of her first love.在那个女演员的自传中，她写到了自己苦乐掺半的初恋。
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18
random
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| adj.随机的；任意的；n.偶然的(或随便的)行动 |
参考例句： |
- The list is arranged in a random order.名单排列不分先后。
- On random inspection the meat was found to be bad.经抽查，发现肉变质了。
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19
astounding
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| adj.使人震惊的vt.使震惊，使大吃一惊astound的现在分词) |
参考例句： |
- There was an astounding 20% increase in sales. 销售量惊人地增加了20%。
- The Chairman's remarks were so astounding that the audience listened to him with bated breath. 主席说的话令人吃惊，所以听众都屏息听他说。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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20
offhandedly
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| adv.立即地；即席地；未经准备地；不客气地 |
参考例句： |
- She had made these remarks offhandedly. 她即席做了这些评价。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- She threw him over offhandedly without even a dear-john letter. 她随即就把他甩了，甚至连封分手信都没有写。 来自互联网
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21
slumped
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| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] |
参考例句： |
- Sales have slumped this year. 今年销售量锐减。
- The driver was slumped exhausted over the wheel. 司机伏在方向盘上，疲惫得睡着了。
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22
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 |
参考例句： |
- This football team was once reputed to be invincible.这支足球队曾被誉为无敌的劲旅。
- The workers are invincible as long as they hold together.只要工人团结一致，他们就是不可战胜的。
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23
belched
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| v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气） |
参考例句： |
- He wiped his hand across his mouth, then belched loudly. 他用手抹了抹嘴，然后打了个响亮的饱嗝。
- Artillery growled and belched on the horizon. 大炮轰鸣在地平面上猛烈地爆炸。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
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24
orphan
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| n.孤儿；adj.无父母的 |
参考例句： |
- He brought up the orphan and passed onto him his knowledge of medicine.他把一个孤儿养大，并且把自己的医术传给了他。
- The orphan had been reared in a convent by some good sisters.这个孤儿在一所修道院里被几个好心的修女带大。
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25
sprawling
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| adj.蔓生的，不规则地伸展的v.伸开四肢坐[躺]( sprawl的现在分词 )；蔓延；杂乱无序地拓展；四肢伸展坐着（或躺着） |
参考例句： |
- He was sprawling in an armchair in front of the TV. 他伸开手脚坐在电视机前的一张扶手椅上。
- a modern sprawling town 一座杂乱无序拓展的现代城镇
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26
outrageous
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| adj.无理的，令人不能容忍的 |
参考例句： |
- Her outrageous behaviour at the party offended everyone.她在聚会上的无礼行为触怒了每一个人。
- Charges for local telephone calls are particularly outrageous.本地电话资费贵得出奇。
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27
relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 |
参考例句： |
- The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
- The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
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28
depressed
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| adj.沮丧的，抑郁的，不景气的，萧条的 |
参考例句： |
- When he was depressed,he felt utterly divorced from reality.他心情沮丧时就感到完全脱离了现实。
- His mother was depressed by the sad news.这个坏消息使他的母亲意志消沉。
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29
gulp
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| vt.吞咽，大口地吸（气）；vi.哽住；n.吞咽 |
参考例句： |
- She took down the tablets in one gulp.她把那些药片一口吞了下去。
- Don't gulp your food,chew it before you swallow it.吃东西不要狼吞虎咽，要嚼碎了再咽下去。
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30
prestigious
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| adj.有威望的，有声望的，受尊敬的 |
参考例句： |
- The young man graduated from a prestigious university.这个年轻人毕业于一所名牌大学。
- You may even join a prestigious magazine as a contributing editor.甚至可能会加入一个知名杂志做编辑。
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31
warehouse
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| n.仓库；vt.存入仓库 |
参考例句： |
- We freighted the goods to the warehouse by truck.我们用卡车把货物运到仓库。
- The manager wants to clear off the old stocks in the warehouse.经理想把仓库里积压的存货处理掉。
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32
rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 |
参考例句： |
- The little rogue had his grandpa's glasses on.这淘气鬼带上了他祖父的眼镜。
- They defined him as a rogue.他们确定他为骗子。
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33
full-time
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| 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。
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34
croaked
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| v.呱呱地叫( croak的过去式和过去分词 )；用粗的声音说 |
参考例句： |
- The crow croaked disaster. 乌鸦呱呱叫预报灾难。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
- 'she has a fine head for it," croaked Jacques Three. “她有一个漂亮的脑袋跟着去呢，”雅克三号低沉地说。 来自英汉文学 - 双城记
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35
gut
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| n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏 |
参考例句： |
- It is not always necessary to gut the fish prior to freezing.冷冻鱼之前并不总是需要先把内脏掏空。
- My immediate gut feeling was to refuse.我本能的直接反应是拒绝。
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36
meekly
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| adv.温顺地，逆来顺受地 |
参考例句： |
- He stood aside meekly when the new policy was proposed. 当有人提出新政策时，他唯唯诺诺地站 来自《简明英汉词典》
- He meekly accepted the rebuke. 他顺从地接受了批评。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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37
intern
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| v.拘禁，软禁；n.实习生 |
参考例句： |
- I worked as an intern in that firm last summer.去年夏天我在那家商行实习。
- The intern bandaged the cut as the nurse looked on.这位实习生在护士的照看下给病人包扎伤口。
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38
internship
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| n.实习医师，实习医师期 |
参考例句： |
- an internship at a television station 在电视台的实习期
- a summer internship with a small stipend 薪水微薄的暑期实习
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39
scarlet
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| n.深红色，绯红色，红衣；adj.绯红色的 |
参考例句： |
- The scarlet leaves of the maples contrast well with the dark green of the pines.深红的枫叶和暗绿的松树形成了明显的对比。
- The glowing clouds are growing slowly pale,scarlet,bright red,and then light red.天空的霞光渐渐地淡下去了，深红的颜色变成了绯红，绯红又变为浅红。
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40
pointed
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| 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。
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41
sniffed
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| v.以鼻吸气，嗅，闻( sniff的过去式和过去分词 )；抽鼻子（尤指哭泣、患感冒等时出声地用鼻子吸气）；抱怨，不以为然地说 |
参考例句： |
- When Jenney had stopped crying she sniffed and dried her eyes. 珍妮停止了哭泣，吸了吸鼻子，擦干了眼泪。 来自《简明英汉词典》
- The dog sniffed suspiciously at the stranger. 狗疑惑地嗅着那个陌生人。 来自《简明英汉词典》
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42
ketchup
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| 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？
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43
sip
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| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 |
参考例句： |
- She took a sip of the cocktail.她啜饮一口鸡尾酒。
- Elizabeth took a sip of the hot coffee.伊丽莎白呷了一口热咖啡。
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44
salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 |
参考例句： |
- We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
- Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？
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