My new school's ski trip seemed like a good idea to my mom, who was holding up the slick new ski jacket she'd just bought for me. Mom must have imagined me-her seventh-grade daughter, Carly—and my new rosy—cheeked friends sipping hot chocolate beside a roaring fire. Maybe she thought I'd spend the weekend dashing through the snow in a one-horse open sleigh（雪橇） , bells jingling.
After all, she knew I couldn't ski.
"So? You'll learn," she said, conveniently forgetting that I was nearly ten before I could manage a two-wheeler.
"But I don't really know anybody...," I said, afraid to admit the whole truth. I'd been in school for months and still had no friends.
"And what better way to get acquainted?" she said.
Obviously I had no clue.
After hours on the bus with rival boom boxes blaring the entire length of the New York State Thruway, we finally arrived at the slopes. The wind chill made the temperature feel like ten below, so I distributed the tubes of lip balm my thoughtful mother had sent to prevent chapping（龟裂） .
After my classmates smeared on smudge-proof all-day protection, I snapped photos, the proof Mom wanted that I was having fun. My best shot was of some guys on the football team. Their lips had turned hot pink.
My ski lesson went well. I learned how to break skis. Bindings snapped off under my uncoordinated legs.
"It's OK," the instructor said. "That's supposed to happen. Sometimes it keeps you from getting hurt."
"Sometimes?"
He pointed to the plaster cast on his ankle. "Avoid the moguls," he said.
"Real estate moguls（雪上技巧） ? Developers who turn mountains into ski resorts?"
"Nah," he said. "Moguls are mounds of snow. Bumps on the slope."
He repaired my skis and sent me toward a rope that was mysteriously moving up the mountain.
"Stick with the bunny slope," he said.
"Is the bunny named Godzilla?"
My pink-lipped classmates, who were either seasoned skiers or fearless fools, had deserted me and raced for the lift lines to Mounts Denali, Rushmore, and Vesuvius. I shuffled to Godzilla's leash（皮带，束缚） , tucked in my lucky scarf, and grabbed on.
The icy rope slid through my mittens. My frostbitten fingers gripped tighter and harder but to no avail. Fidgety four-year-olds stiffened up behind me. As I turned to apologize, a knot reached my hands and dragged me up the hill with the force of a tidal wave.
It was only fitting that Beach Boys music started blasting out of the speakers in the lodge: "Surfin' USA". Little kids in goofy hats surfed by me on snowboards. Slush swooshed into my face. My nose dripped into my lip balm.
Higher and higher I went up Mount Bunny until I reached the peak from which, theoretically, I would ski down.
I wiped my nose and surveyed the situation. I considered riding the rope back down, but the snickers from the snowboarders would be too humiliating. Peer pressure is a terrible thing, especially from kids half your age.
I reviewed what I'd learned. The instructor had said to point your ski tips together to stop. He called it "snowplowing." Where I'm from, we use a pickup truck with a giant blade in the front.
He kept saying to "slalom" down the mountain, a term I later realized means to zigzag. Frankly, I thought he'd said "salami." I figured they had a gourmet deli on the hill. All these people would need to eat.
With this wealth of knowledge, I slid off. I followed the tracks of the child who'd gone before me. Since her ski tips eventually plowed together, I stopped. No problem. Turning, however, took some maneuvering. I couldn't seem to do it.
Finally I squatted, figuring that the closer I was to the snow, the easier it would be to fall. Skis together, aimed directly at the ski-lodge door, I zipped down the hill.
The cold air suddenly turned fresh and exciting. I felt like an Olympic champion. At long last, the thrill of skiing! That my eyes were frozen shut only added zest.
I snowplowed to a stop and entered the lodge. My cheeks tingled from the warmth of the crowded room, and the biggest, most ridiculous smile took over my face.
"I'm still here," I said, practically bragging（夸耀） to the crowd. They didn't erupt with applause, but they didn't pelt me with snowballs either. Actually, nothing had changed. Just my attitude.
Without thinking twice, I went up to Marie, a girl from my math class. "Hi, I'm Carly," I said. "Fracture anything yet?"
We'd been studying fractions all week, but she missed the common denominator of my joke.
Her face reddened. "They had to stop the ski lift so I could get on," she said. "I wanted to die."#p#分页标题#e#
"Aw, that's nothing," said a kid named Joey as he leaned in. He took off his cool sunglasses. "I had to change my name and put on a disguise after the Ski Patrol chased me for going too fast."
"Look what happened to me!" said a guy behind them. He wore a bike helmet, and the exposed hair that peeked out around his face was frozen into stiff, curly ringlets. Matt Hall. We rode the same bus every day but hadn't said so much as "Hi" before.
"I did a belly flop to avoid the tree that jumped into my way," Marie and I laughed. And to my surprise, I discovered that my mother was right. I'd forgotten that I was a social misfit. What better way to get acquainted?
Matt, Joey, Marie, and I hit the slopes again.
The ski slopes? No way! Instead, we went dashing through the snow. No horse, no sleigh. We were the kids tobogganing（平底雪橇滑雪） near the lodge on the backs of our ski jackets.
相关单词：sipping
sipping解释：v.小口喝，呷，抿( sip的现在分词 )
sipping例句：
She sat in the sun, idly sipping a cool drink. 她坐在阳光下懒洋洋地抿着冷饮。
She sat there, sipping at her tea. 她坐在那儿抿着茶。
相关单词：jingling
jingling解释：叮当声
jingling例句：
A carriage went jingling by with some reclining figure in it. 一辆马车叮当驶过，车上斜倚着一个人。 来自英汉文学 - 嘉莉妹妹
Melanie did not seem to know, or care, that life was riding by with jingling spurs. 媚兰好像并不知道，或者不关心，生活正马刺丁当地一路驶过去了呢。
相关单词：smeared
smeared解释：弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上
smeared例句：
The children had smeared mud on the walls. 那几个孩子往墙上抹了泥巴。
A few words were smeared. 有写字被涂模糊了。
相关单词：instructor
instructor解释：n.指导者，教员，教练
instructor例句：
The college jumped him from instructor to full professor.大学突然把他从讲师提升为正教授。
The skiing instructor was a tall,sunburnt man.滑雪教练是一个高高个子晒得黑黑的男子。
相关单词：pointed
pointed解释：adj.尖的，直截了当的
pointed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。
相关单词：mounds
mounds解释：土堆，土丘( mound的名词复数 )； 一大堆
mounds例句：
We had mounds of tasteless rice. 我们有成堆成堆的淡而无味的米饭。
Ah! and there's the cemetery' - cemetery, he must have meant. 'You see the mounds? 啊，这就是同墓，”——我想他要说的一定是公墓，“看到那些土墩了吗？
相关单词：deserted
deserted解释：adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的
deserted例句：
The deserted village was filled with a deathly silence.这个荒废的村庄死一般的寂静。
The enemy chieftain was opposed and deserted by his followers.敌人头目众叛亲离。
相关单词：shuffled
shuffled解释：v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼
shuffled例句：
He shuffled across the room to the window. 他拖着脚走到房间那头的窗户跟前。
Simon shuffled awkwardly towards them. 西蒙笨拙地拖着脚朝他们走去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：leash
leash解释：n.牵狗的皮带，束缚；v.用皮带系住
leash例句：
I reached for the leash,but the dog got in between.我伸手去拿系狗绳，但被狗挡住了路。
The dog strains at the leash,eager to be off.狗拼命地扯拉皮带，想挣脱开去。
相关单词：mittens
mittens解释：不分指手套
mittens例句：
Cotton mittens will prevent the baby from scratching his own face. 棉的连指手套使婴儿不会抓伤自己的脸。
I'd fisted my hands inside their mittens to keep the fingers warm. 我在手套中握拳头来保暖手指。
相关单词：stiffened
stiffened解释：加强的
stiffened例句：
He leaned towards her and she stiffened at this invasion of her personal space. 他向她俯过身去，这种侵犯她个人空间的举动让她绷紧了身子。
She stiffened with fear. 她吓呆了。
相关单词：lodge
lodge解释：v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆
lodge例句：
Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。
相关单词：pickup
pickup解释：n.拾起，获得
pickup例句：
I would love to trade this car for a pickup truck.我愿意用这辆汽车换一辆小型轻便卡车。||The luck guy is a choice pickup for the girls.那位幸运的男孩是女孩子们想勾搭上的人。
相关单词：zigzag
zigzag解释：n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行
zigzag例句：
The lightning made a zigzag in the sky.闪电在天空划出一道Z字形。
The path runs zigzag up the hill.小径向山顶蜿蜒盘旋。
相关单词：frankly
frankly解释：adv.坦白地，直率地；坦率地说
frankly例句：
To speak frankly, I don't like the idea at all.老实说，我一点也不赞成这个主意。
Frankly speaking, I'm not opposed to reform.坦率地说，我不反对改革。
相关单词：gourmet
gourmet解释：n.食物品尝家；adj.出于美食家之手的
gourmet例句：
What does a gourmet writer do? 美食评论家做什么？
A gourmet like him always eats in expensive restaurants.像他这样的美食家总是到豪华的餐馆用餐。
相关单词：plowed
plowed解释：v.耕( plow的过去式和过去分词 )；犁耕；费力穿过
plowed例句：
They plowed nearly 100,000 acres of virgin moorland. 他们犁了将近10万英亩未开垦的高沼地。 来自辞典例句
He plowed the land and then sowed the seeds. 他先翻土，然后播种。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：maneuvering
maneuvering解释：v.移动，用策略( maneuver的现在分词 )；操纵
maneuvering例句：
This Manstein did, with some brilliant maneuvering under the worse winter conditions. 曼施坦因在最恶劣的严冬条件下，出色地施展了灵活机动的战术，终于完成了任务。 来自辞典例句
In short, large goals required farsighted policies, not tactical maneuvering. 一句话，大的目标需要有高瞻远瞩的政策，玩弄策略是不行的。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：squatted
squatted解释：v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。
squatted例句：
He squatted down beside the footprints and examined them closely. 他蹲在脚印旁仔细地观察。 来自《简明英汉词典》
He squatted in the grass discussing with someone. 他蹲在草地上与一个人谈话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
相关单词：zest
zest解释：n.乐趣；滋味，风味；兴趣
zest例句：
He dived into his new job with great zest.他充满热情地投入了新的工作。
He wrote his novel
相关单词：tingled
tingled解释：v.有刺痛感( tingle的过去式和过去分词 )
tingled例句：
My cheeks tingled with the cold. 我的脸颊冻得有点刺痛。 来自《简明英汉词典》
The crowd tingled with excitement. 群众大为兴奋。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
相关单词：bragging
bragging解释：v.自夸，吹嘘( brag的现在分词 )；大话
bragging例句：
He's always bragging
Now you're bragging, darling. You know you don't need to brag. 这就是夸口，亲爱的。你明知道你不必吹。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：pelt
pelt解释：v.投掷，剥皮，抨击，开火
pelt例句：
The boy gave the bully a pelt on the back with a pebble.那男孩用石子掷击小流氓的背脊。
Crowds started to pelt police cars with stones.人群开始向警车扔石块。
相关单词：peeked
peeked解释：v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出
peeked例句：
She peeked over the top of her menu. 她从菜单上往外偷看。 来自《简明英汉词典》
On two occasions she had peeked at him through a crack in the wall. 她曾两次透过墙缝窥视他。 来自辞典例句
相关单词：belly
belly解释：n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛
belly例句：
The boss has a large belly.老板大腹便便。
His eyes are bigger than his belly.他眼馋肚饱。
相关单词：flop
flop解释：n.失败(者)，扑通一声；vi.笨重地行动，沉重地落下
flop例句：
The fish gave a flop and landed back in the water.鱼扑通一声又跳回水里。
The marketing campaign was a flop.The product didn't sell.市场宣传彻底失败，产品卖不出去。
