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FACING THE FUTURE
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“Here’s option two.” Tally1 touched her interface2 ring, andthe wallscreen changed.
This Tally was sleek3, with ultrahigh cheekbones, deepgreen catlike eyes, and a wide mouth that curled into aknowing smile.
“That’s, uh, pretty different.”
“Yeah. I doubt it’s even legal.” Tally tweaked the eyeshapeparameters, pulling the arch of the eyebrows4 downalmost to normal. Some cities allowed exotic operations—for new pretties only—but the authorities here were notoriouslyconservative. She doubted a doctor would give thismorpho a second glance, but it was fun to push the softwareto its limits. “You think I look too scary?”
“No. You look like a real pussycat.” Shay giggled5.
“Unfortunately, I mean that in the literal, dead-mouse-eatingsense.”
“Okay, moving right along.”
The next Tally was a much more standard morphologicalmodel, with almond-shaped brown eyes, straightblack hair with long bangs, the dark lips set to maximumfullness.
“Pretty generic6, Tally.”
“Oh, come on! I worked on this one for a long time. Ithink I’d look great this way. There’s a whole Cleopatrathing going on.”
“You know,” Shay said, “I read that the real Cleopatrawasn’t even that great-looking. She seduced7 everyone withhow clever she was.”
“Yeah, right. And you’ve seen a picture of her?”
“They didn’t have cameras back then, Squint8.”
“Duh. So how do you know she was ugly?”
“Because that’s what historians wrote at the time.”
Tally shrugged9. “She was probably a classic pretty andthey didn’t even know it. Back then, they had weird10 ideasabout beauty. They didn’t know about biology.”
“Lucky them.” Shay stared out the window.
“So, if you think all my faces are so crappy, why don’tyou show me some of yours?” Tally cleared the wallscreenand leaned back on the bed.
“I can’t.”
“You can dish it out, but you can’t take it, huh?”
“No, I mean I just can’t. I never made one.”
Tally’s jaw11 dropped. Everyone made morphos, even littlies,too young for their facial structure to have set. It wasa great waste of a day, figuring out all the different ways youcould look when you finally became pretty.
40 Scott Westerfeld“Not even one?”
“Maybe when I was little. But my friends and I stoppeddoing that kind of stuff a long time ago.”
“Well.” Tally sat up. “We should fix that right now.”
“I’d rather go hoverboarding.” Shay tugged12 anxiouslyunder her shirt. Tally figured that Shay slept with her bellysensor on, hoverboarding in her dreams.
“Later, Shay. I can’t believe you don’t have a singlemorph. Please.”
“It’s stupid. The doctors pretty much do what theywant, no matter what you tell them.”
“I know, but it’s fun.”
Shay made a big point of rolling her eyes, but finallynodded. She dragged herself off the bed and plopped downin front of the wallscreen, pulling her hair back from her face.
Tally snorted. “So you have done this before.”
“Like I said, when I was a littlie.”
“Sure.” Tally turned her interface ring to bring up amenu on the wallscreen, and blinked her way through a setof eyemouse choices. The screen’s camera flickered13 withlaser light, and a green grid14 sprang up on Shay’s face, a fieldof tiny squares imposed across the shape of her cheekbones,nose, lips, and forehead.
Seconds later, two faces appeared on the screen. Both ofthem were Shay, but there were obvious differences: Onelooked wild, slightly angry; the other had a slightly distantexpression, like someone having a daydream15.
UGLIES 41“It’s weird how that works, isn’t it?” Tally said. “Liketwo different people.”
Shay nodded. “Creepy.”
Ugly faces were always asymmetrical16; neither halflooked exactly like the other. So the first thing the morphosoftware did was take each side of your face and double it,like holding a mirror right down the middle, creating twoexamples of perfect symmetry. Already, both of the symmetricalShays looked better than the original.
“So, Shay, which do you think is your good side?”
“Why do I have to be symmetrical? I’d rather have aface with two different sides.”
Tally groaned17. “That’s a sign of childhood stress. No onewants to look at that.”
“Gee, I wouldn’t want to look stressed,” Shay snorted,and pointed18 at the wilder-looking face. “Okay, whatever.
The right one’s better, don’t you think?”
“I hate my right side. I always start with the left.”
“Yeah, well, I happen to like my right side. Lookstougher.”
“Okay. You’re the boss.”
Tally blinked, and the right-side face filled the screen.
“First, the basics.” The software took over: The eyesgradually grew, reducing the size of the nose between them,Shay’s cheekbones moved upward, and her lips became atiny bit fuller (they were already almost pretty-sized). Everyblemish disappeared, her skin turning flawlessly smooth.
42 Scott WesterfeldThe skull19 moved subtly under the features, the angle of herforehead tilting20 back, her chin becoming more defined, herjaw stronger.
When it was done, Tally whistled. “Wow, that’s prettygood already.”
“Great,” Shay groaned. “I totally look like every othernew pretty in the world.”
“Well, sure, we just got started. How about some hairon you?” Tally blinked through menus quickly, picking astyle at random21.
When the wallscreen changed, Shay fell over on thefloor in a fit of giggles22. The high hairdo towered over herthin face like dunce cap, the white-blond hair utterly23 incongruouswith her olive skin.
Tally could hardly manage to speak through her ownlaughter. “Okay, maybe not that.” She flipped24 through morestyles, settling on basic hair, dark and short. “Let’s get theface right first.”
She tweaked the eyebrows, making their arch moredramatic, and added roundness to the cheeks. Shay wasstill too skinny, even after the morpho software had pulledher toward the average.
“And maybe a bit lighter25?” Tally took the shade of theskin closer to baseline.
“Hey, Squint,” Shay said. “Whose face is this, anyway?”
“Just playing,” Tally said. “You want to take a shot?”
“No, I want to go hoverboarding.”
UGLIES 43“Sure, great. But first let’s get this right.”
“What do you mean ‘get it right,’ Tally? Maybe I thinkmy face is already right!”
“Yeah, it’s great.” Tally rolled her eyes. “For an ugly.”
Shay scowled26. “What, can’t you stand me? Do you needto get some picture into your head so you can imagine itinstead of my face?”
“Shay! Come on. It’s just for fun.”
“Making ourselves feel ugly is not fun.”
“We are ugly!”
“This whole game is just designed to make us hateourselves.”
Tally groaned and flopped27 back onto her bed, glaringup at the ceiling. Shay could be so weird sometimes. Shealways had a chip on her shoulder about the operation, likesomeone was making her turn sixteen. “Right, and thingswere so great back when everyone was ugly. Or did youmiss that day in school?”
“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Shay recited. “Everyone judgedeveryone else based on their appearance. People who weretaller got better jobs, and people even voted for some politiciansjust because they weren’t quite as ugly as everybodyelse. Blah, blah, blah.”
“Yeah, and people killed one another over stuff likehaving different skin color.” Tally shook her head. Nomatter how many times they repeated it at school, she’dnever really quite believed that one. “So what if people look44 Scott Westerfeldmore alike now? It’s the only way to make people equal.”
“How about making them smarter?”
Tally laughed. “Fat chance. Anyway, it’s just to see whatyou and I will look like in only . . . two months and fifteendays.”
“Can’t we just wait until then?”
Tally closed her eyes, sighing. “Sometimes I don’t thinkI can.”
“Well, tough luck.” She felt Shay’s weight on the bedand a light punch on her arm. “Hey, might as well make thebest of it. Can we go hoverboarding now? Please?”
Tally opened her eyes and saw that her friend was smiling.
“Okay: hoverboard.” She sat up and glanced at thescreen. Even without much work, Shay’s face was alreadywelcoming, vulnerable, healthy . . . pretty. “Don’t you thinkyou’re beautiful?”
Shay didn’t look, just shrugged. “That’s not me. It’ssome committee’s idea of me.”
Tally smiled and hugged her.
“It will be you, though. Really you. Soon.”

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tally Gg1yq     
n.计数器,记分,一致,测量;vt.计算,记录,使一致;vi.计算,记分,一致
参考例句:
  • Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
  • The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。
2 interface e5Wx1     
n.接合部位,分界面;v.(使)互相联系
参考例句:
  • My computer has a network interface,which allows me to get to other computers.我的计算机有网络接口可以与其它计算机连在一起。
  • This program has perspicuous interface and extensive application. 该程序界面明了,适用范围广。
3 sleek zESzJ     
adj.光滑的,井然有序的;v.使光滑,梳拢
参考例句:
  • Women preferred sleek,shiny hair with little decoration.女士们更喜欢略加修饰的光滑闪亮型秀发。
  • The horse's coat was sleek and glossy.这匹马全身润泽有光。
4 eyebrows a0e6fb1330e9cfecfd1c7a4d00030ed5     
眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • Eyebrows stop sweat from coming down into the eyes. 眉毛挡住汗水使其不能流进眼睛。
  • His eyebrows project noticeably. 他的眉毛特别突出。
5 giggled 72ecd6e6dbf913b285d28ec3ba1edb12     
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》
6 generic mgixr     
adj.一般的,普通的,共有的
参考例句:
  • I usually buy generic clothes instead of name brands.我通常买普通的衣服,不买名牌。
  • The generic woman appears to have an extraordinary faculty for swallowing the individual.一般妇女在婚后似乎有特别突出的抑制个性的能力。
7 seduced 559ac8e161447c7597bf961e7b14c15f     
诱奸( seduce的过去式和过去分词 ); 勾引; 诱使堕落; 使入迷
参考例句:
  • The promise of huge profits seduced him into parting with his money. 高额利润的许诺诱使他把钱出了手。
  • His doctrines have seduced many into error. 他的学说把许多人诱入歧途。
8 squint oUFzz     
v. 使变斜视眼, 斜视, 眯眼看, 偏移, 窥视; n. 斜视, 斜孔小窗; adj. 斜视的, 斜的
参考例句:
  • A squint can sometimes be corrected by an eyepatch. 斜视有时候可以通过戴眼罩来纠正。
  • The sun was shinning straight in her eyes which made her squint. 太阳直射着她的眼睛,使她眯起了眼睛。
9 shrugged 497904474a48f991a3d1961b0476ebce     
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》
10 weird bghw8     
adj.古怪的,离奇的;怪诞的,神秘而可怕的
参考例句:
  • From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来,他好像有点怪。
  • His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。
11 jaw 5xgy9     
n.颚,颌,说教,流言蜚语;v.喋喋不休,教训
参考例句:
  • He delivered a right hook to his opponent's jaw.他给了对方下巴一记右钩拳。
  • A strong square jaw is a sign of firm character.强健的方下巴是刚毅性格的标志。
12 tugged 8a37eb349f3c6615c56706726966d38e     
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》
13 flickered 93ec527d68268e88777d6ca26683cc82     
(通常指灯光)闪烁,摇曳( flicker的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • The lights flickered and went out. 灯光闪了闪就熄了。
  • These lights flickered continuously like traffic lights which have gone mad. 这些灯象发狂的交通灯一样不停地闪动着。
14 grid 5rPzpK     
n.高压输电线路网;地图坐标方格;格栅
参考例句:
  • In this application,the carrier is used to encapsulate the grid.在这种情况下,要用载体把格栅密封起来。
  • Modern gauges consist of metal foil in the form of a grid.现代应变仪则由网格形式的金属片组成。
15 daydream jvGzVa     
v.做白日梦,幻想
参考例句:
  • Boys and girls daydream about what they want to be.孩子们遐想着他们将来要干什么。
  • He drifted off into another daydream.他飘飘然又做了一个白日梦。
16 asymmetrical gO7ye     
adj.不均匀的,不对称的
参考例句:
  • Most people's faces are asymmetrical.多数人的脸并不对称。
  • Folds may be gentle and symmetrical,or sharp and asymmetrical.褶皱可以是平缓而对称的,也可以是陡峭而非对称的。
17 groaned 1a076da0ddbd778a674301b2b29dff71     
v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 );发牢骚;抱怨;受苦
参考例句:
  • He groaned in anguish. 他痛苦地呻吟。
  • The cart groaned under the weight of the piano. 大车在钢琴的重压下嘎吱作响。 来自《简明英汉词典》
18 pointed Il8zB4     
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。
19 skull CETyO     
n.头骨;颅骨
参考例句:
  • The skull bones fuse between the ages of fifteen and twenty-five.头骨在15至25岁之间长合。
  • He fell out of the window and cracked his skull.他从窗子摔了出去,跌裂了颅骨。
20 tilting f68c899ac9ba435686dcb0f12e2bbb17     
倾斜,倾卸
参考例句:
  • For some reason he thinks everyone is out to get him, but he's really just tilting at windmills. 不知为什么他觉得每个人都想害他,但其实他不过是在庸人自扰。
  • So let us stop bickering within our ranks.Stop tilting at windmills. 所以,让我们结束内部间的争吵吧!再也不要去做同风车作战的蠢事了。
21 random HT9xd     
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。
22 giggles 0aa08b5c91758a166d13e7cd3f455951     
n.咯咯的笑( giggle的名词复数 );傻笑;玩笑;the giggles 止不住的格格笑v.咯咯地笑( giggle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Her nervous giggles annoyed me. 她神经质的傻笑把我惹火了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I had to rush to the loo to avoid an attack of hysterical giggles. 我不得不冲向卫生间,以免遭到别人的疯狂嘲笑。 来自辞典例句
23 utterly ZfpzM1     
adv.完全地,绝对地
参考例句:
  • Utterly devoted to the people,he gave his life in saving his patients.他忠于人民,把毕生精力用于挽救患者的生命。
  • I was utterly ravished by the way she smiled.她的微笑使我完全陶醉了。
24 flipped 5bef9da31993fe26a832c7d4b9630147     
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。
25 lighter 5pPzPR     
n.打火机,点火器;驳船;v.用驳船运送;light的比较级
参考例句:
  • The portrait was touched up so as to make it lighter.这张画经过润色,色调明朗了一些。
  • The lighter works off the car battery.引燃器利用汽车蓄电池打火。
26 scowled b83aa6db95e414d3ef876bc7fd16d80d     
怒视,生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He scowled his displeasure. 他满脸嗔色。
  • The teacher scowled at his noisy class. 老师对他那喧闹的课堂板着脸。
27 flopped e5b342a0b376036c32e5cd7aa560c15e     
v.(指书、戏剧等)彻底失败( flop的过去式和过去分词 );(因疲惫而)猛然坐下;(笨拙地、不由自主地或松弛地)移动或落下;砸锅
参考例句:
  • Exhausted, he flopped down into a chair. 他筋疲力尽,一屁股坐到椅子上。
  • It was a surprise to us when his play flopped. 他那出戏一败涂地,出乎我们的预料。 来自《简明英汉词典》


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