Scott Westerfeld生于美国得克萨斯州。在走上作家道路之前，他从事过多种职业。1996年，他辞掉程序设计师的工作，打算开始作家生涯。在最初的八年里，他写作速度很快，但只是作为代笔匿名作家的身份活跃于文坛。这期间他创作的近百万字中，不乏优秀的作品。2000年，Scott发表了《进化宠儿》(Evolution's Darling)，该书除了首次入选《纽约时报》(The New York Times)的年度推荐读物列表以外，更是一举获得了菲利普·狄克奖，读者也从该小说中体会到了Scott富有文学内涵和高度思想性的文字。2004年，Scott的《昨日》(So Yesterday)和《秘密时刻》(The Secret Hour)更是双双获得维多利亚文学奖与澳瑞里斯文学奖。他的青少年小说深受读者欢迎，好莱坞也买下了他多部作品的改编权。
2005年，Scott发表了作品《丑人儿》(Uglies)。作品虚构了一个表面繁华美丽的New Pretty Town，这里的人们全都优雅美丽，生活富足快乐，过着无忧无虑的生活。所有的青少年只需在年满16岁时接受一次全身整容手术，即可拥有明星般的外貌和美好的生活。在这一看似充满诱惑力的“成人仪式”背后，潜藏着的却是权力机构不可告人的阴谋。然而，并不是所有人都心甘情愿地接受这样的改造。有一群反抗者，他们抗拒手术，生活在The Smoke区，被称作Uglies (丑人儿)。本书发表后，荣获了“美国图书馆协会大奖”，被翻译成八种语言，让Scott的写作事业达到了顶峰。其后，Scott陆续发表了《美人儿》(Pretties)和《特别儿》(Specials)，与《丑人儿》构成三部曲。2007年，Scott发表了外传《附加儿》(Extras)。
When the day came, Tally waited for the car alone.
当这一天来临的时候，塔利孤零零一个人等着车子来接她。
Tomorrow, when the operation was all over, her parents would be waiting outside the hospital, along with Peris and her other older friends. That was the tradition. But it seemed strange that there was no one to see her off1) on this end. No one said good-bye except a few uglies passing by. They looked so young to her now, especially the just arrived new class, who gawked2) at her like she was an old pile of dinosaur bones.
明天，等手术全部做完之后，她的爸爸妈妈会在医院外面等她，佩里斯和她的另外几个老朋友也会一起来。这是惯例。但是此刻却没有人来送她，这似乎有点奇怪。除了路过的几个丑人儿，没有人和她说再见。此刻在她眼里，他们都显得那么年轻，尤其是刚来的那个班的学生，他们总是那么傻呆呆地看着她，好像她是一堆老掉牙的恐龙化石似的。
She'd always loved being independent, but now Tally felt like the last littlie3) to be picked up from school, abandoned4) and alone.
塔利一向喜欢独来独往，可此时此刻，她却觉得自己像学校里剩下的最后一个孩子，等着别人来接她放学，她有种被遗弃和孤单的感觉。
"You're Tally, right?"
She looked up. It was a new ugly, awkwardly5) exploding6) into unfamiliar height, tugging7) at his dorm uniform like it was already too tight.
"Yeah."
"Aren't you the one who's going to turn today?"
"That's me, Shorty."
"So how come you look so sad?"
Tally shrugged. What could this half-littlie, half-ugly understand, anyway? She thought about what Shay had said about the operation.
“你就是塔利，是吗？”
她抬头看了看。这是个新来的丑人儿，由于个子很突兀地猛然窜高，他自己还不太习惯，所以使劲拽着自己的宿舍制服，好像衣服已经很紧了似的。
“是的。”
“你不就是今天要变成美人儿的那个人吗？”
“就是我，小矮个儿。”
“那你怎么看上去这么不高兴呢？”
塔利耸了耸肩。这么个还没长大的小丑人儿又能懂什么呢？她不高兴是因为满脑子都在想谢伊对她说的有关手术的事。
Yesterday they'd taken Tally's final measurements, rolling her all the way through an imaging tube8). Should she tell this new ugly that sometime this afternoon, her body was going to be opened up, the bones ground9) down to the right shape, some of them stretched or padded, her nose cartilage10) and cheekbones stripped11) out and replaced with programmable plastic, skin sanded12) off and reseeded like a soccer field in spring? That her eyes would be laser-cut for a lifetime of perfect vision, reflective implants inserted under the iris13) to add sparkling gold flecks14) to their indifferent brown? Her muscles all trimmed15) up with a night of electrocize and all her baby fat sucked out for good16)? Teeth replaced with ceramics17) as strong as a suborbital18) aircraft wing, and as white as the dorm's good china?
昨天，医院的人给塔利做了最后的测量，让她躺在一个管状的透视仪器里，把她翻过来转过去地研究了个遍。难道要让她告诉这个新来的丑人儿，今天下午的某个时候，她的身体将被打开，她的骨头将被逐一取出然后打磨加工成适合的形状：某些骨头将被拉长或垫高，鼻骨和颧骨将被削掉并被具有可塑性的塑料填充物取代；她的皮肤将被打磨抛光，然后再重新种植在她身上，就像春天的足球场一样？难道要告诉他，她的眼睛要接受激光手术，这样她就可以一辈子都拥有完美的视力；他们还要在她的虹膜下植入一些能反光的东西，这样她原本平淡无奇的棕色眼球上就会增加一些闪闪发光的金色亮点？还是要告诉他，她要经受一晚上的电疗，身上的每一块肌肉都要经过加工修整，还有她身上所有的婴儿肥都会被抽掉，永远不再回来？还是说她的牙齿全部都要换成和航天飞机机翼一样坚固、和宿舍里的精致瓷器一般洁白的烤瓷牙？
They said it didn't hurt, except the new skin, which felt like a killer19) sunburn for a couple of weeks.
他们说这些一点儿都不疼，除了可能会感觉新的皮肤在几周内像被太阳严重晒伤了一样。
As the details of the operation buzzed around in her head, she could imagine why Shay had run away. It did seem like a lot to go through just to look a certain way. If only people were smarter, evolved enough to treat everyone the same even if they looked different. Looked ugly.
这时，关于手术的种种细节开始在她脑子里盘旋，嗡嗡作响，她可以想象为什么谢伊会逃跑了。仅仅是为了样貌上的改变，就得经历这么多折磨，这代价似乎也太大了。要是人能更聪明些，进化得更好些就好了！这样，即使有人长相奇怪，或者说，长相丑陋，人们也能平等地对待他们。
If only Tally had come up with the right argument to make her stay.
要是塔利那会儿能想到合适的理由说服谢伊留下来就好了。
The imaginary conversations were back, but much worse than they had been after Peris had left. A thousand times she'd fought with Shay in her head—long, rambling20) discussions about beauty, biology, growing up. All those times out in the ruins, Shay had made her points21) about uglies and pretties, the city and the outside, what was fake and what was real. But Tally had never once realized her friend might actually run away, giving up a life of beauty, glamour, elegance. If only she'd said the right thing. Anything.
塔利脑子里又开始虚构和谢伊之间的谈话。但是自从佩里斯离开之后，这样的谈话比以前要激烈多了。在她脑海里，她已经和谢伊唇枪舌战了不下千百次——喋喋不休、漫无边际地讨论着关于美丽、生物学和成长的话题。在那些闲逛到废墟中聊天的日子里，谢伊其实很明白地阐述了她对于丑人儿与美人儿、城里和城外、虚假与真实的种种观点。但塔利却从未意识到她的朋友会真的逃跑，真的放弃可以一辈子拥有的美丽容颜、迷人魅力与优雅气质。要是她那会儿能说些该说的话把她留下就好了！随便说点什么也行啊！
Sitting here, she felt as if she'd hardly tried.
这会儿坐在这儿，塔利后悔不已，觉得自己好像都没有试一下就放弃了。
Tally looked the new ugly in the eye. "Because it all comes down to this: Two weeks of killer sunburn is worth a lifetime of being gorgeous22)."
The kid scratched his head. "Huh?"
"Something I should have said, and didn't. That's all. "
The hospital hovercar23) finally came, settling onto the school grounds so lightly that it hardly disturbed the fresh-mown grass.
The driver was a middle pretty, radiating24) confidence and authority.
"Tally Youngblood?" he said.
"That's me, sir."
塔利看着这个新来的丑人儿的眼睛：“因为归根结底就是一句话：忍受两个星期的皮肤灼伤，就能换来一辈子的美貌，挺值的。”
这个小孩挠了挠自己的头，“嗯？”
“这句话我早就该说了，却没有说。就这样。”
医院的飞行车终于来了。它轻轻地落在学校的地面上，一点儿也没有打扰刚刚修剪过的草坪。
司机是个中年人，样貌帅气，浑身散发着自信与权威的气息。
“是塔利·扬布拉德吗？”他说。
“是我，先生。”
The door closed, and the car took off.
车门关上了，飞行车飞了起来。
The big hospital was on the bottom end of New Pretty Town. It was where everyone went for serious operations: littlies, uglies, even late pretties from way out in Crumblyville25) coming in for life-extension treatments.
大医院位于新美丽城的最深处。每个人都到这儿来做大手术，有小孩子、丑人儿，甚至还有迟暮之年的美人儿，从老人镇来这儿做延长寿命的治疗。
The hovercar descended onto one of the red Xs on the hospital roof, and Tally's driver escorted26) her inside, taking her to a waiting room.
医院的屋顶上有许多红色的X标志，飞行车降落在其中一个X标志上面。开车的司机陪着塔利进了医院，把她领到一个候诊室里。
No one else was in the waiting room. Tally settled back and counted the tiles on the ceiling. As she waited, the conversations with Shay in her head came back again, but they weren't so troubling here. It was too late for second thoughts now.
候诊室里除了塔利之外一个人也没有。塔利坐下来，往椅背上一靠，数起了天花板上的瓷砖。她等待时，和谢伊的谈话又回到了她的脑海里，不过这会儿，这些谈话却没有令她太过烦躁。因为此时此刻，想要再改变主意也已经太迟了。
Tally wished there was a window to look out onto New Pretty Town. She was so close now. She imagined tomorrow night, her first night pretty, dressed in new and wonderful clothes (her dorm uniforms all shoved down the recycler), looking out from the top of the highest party tower she could find. She would watch as lights-out fell across the river, bedtime for Uglyville, and know that she still had all night with Peris and her new friends, all the beautiful people she would meet.
塔利希望能有扇窗户，让她看看外面的新美丽城。这会儿她和这个梦想之城已经近在咫尺。她想象着明天晚上，她变成美人儿之后的第一个晚上，她穿着崭新又漂亮的衣服(她的宿舍制服都已经被扔进了回收器)出席派对，那是在一个高楼的顶层(这是她能找到最高的一幢高楼)，她站在窗边向外眺望。她会看着河对岸的灯一盏盏熄灭，因为对于丑人镇的人们来说已经是睡觉时间了，而她知道她还有一整个晚上的时间和佩里斯还有她的新朋友们，所有她将要结识的美人儿们一起狂欢。
She sighed.
她叹了口气。
Sixteen years. Finally.
16年了。这一天终于到了。
Nothing happened for a long hour. Tally drummed her fingers, wondering if they always kept uglies waiting this long.
漫长的一个小时过去了，可是什么事也没有发生。塔利紧张地敲着手指，心里琢磨着他们是不是总是让丑人们等这么长时间。
Then the man came.
正在这时，一个男人走进来了。
When he walked up, Tally started to ask what was going on, but a glance from him silenced her.
他朝塔利走了过来，塔利正开口要问到底出什么事了，男人瞟了她一眼，他的眼神让她打消了提问的念头。
The man said, "There's a problem with your operation. Come with me."
男人开口说道：“你的手术出了点问题。跟我来吧。”
She went.
她跟着走出了候诊室。
1. see sb. off: 为某人送行，向某人告别
2. gawk [ɡɔːk] vi. 呆望，痴呆地凝视
3. littlie [ˈlɪtlɪ] n. 小孩
4. abandoned [əˈbændənd] adj. 被放弃的；被遗弃的，被抛弃的
5. awkwardly [ˈɔːkwə(r)dli] adv. (动作、形态等)不雅观地；难看地；粗笨地
6. explode [ɪkˈspləʊd] vi. 激增；迅速扩大
7. tug [tʌɡ] vi. 用力拖(或拉)
8. imaging tube: 显像管
9. grind [ɡraɪnd] vt. 磨；磨成
10. cartilage [ˈkɑː(r)təlɪdʒ] n. 【解】软骨；软骨部分(或结构)
11. strip [strɪp] vt. 剥去，除去；剥光(或除去)……的外皮
12. sand [sænd] vt. 用沙(或砂纸等)擦净；磨光
13. iris [ˈaɪrɪs] n. 【解】虹膜
14. fleck [flek] n. 色斑；光斑
15. trim [trɪm] vt. 调整；削减
16. for good: 永久地
17. ceramic [səˈræmɪk] n. 陶瓷艺术品；陶瓷器；硅酸盐材料
18. suborbital [ˌsʌbˈɔː(r)bɪt(ə)l] adj. (卫星、导弹、火箭等)不满轨道一圈的，亚轨道的
19. killer [ˈkɪlə(r)] adj. 极难处理的
20. rambling [ˈræmblɪŋ] adj. (言辞、文字)散漫芜杂的，不连贯的
21. make one's point: 表明自己的看法；证明自己的论点
22. gorgeous [ˈɡɔː(r)dʒəs] adj. 绚丽的；华丽的；灿烂的；辉煌的
23. hovercar [ˈhɒvə(r)kɑː(r)] n. 飞行车
24. radiate [ˈreɪdieɪt] vt. 流露，显示，焕发
25. Crumblyville: 老人镇；crumbly [5krQmbli] n. <口> 老人，老家伙；-ville [vɪl] comb. form <口> [常用于构成虚构的地名] 表示“城”“镇”“市”
26. escort [ˈeskɔː(r)t] vt. 护送；为……护航
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