《绝配》

Imagine a world of perfect efficiency, in which the culture becomes lists of best songs and poems and paintings. Technology has been pared* to three standard-issue gadgets. Meals are custom-prepared for individuals' nutritional* needs and sent directly to their kitchens.

What happens when a computer mistake causes a fissure* in that perfect world? That's the question at the center of "Matched," the first installment of a new trilogy* by Ally Condie.

Unfolding in a futuristic country, "Matched" plots the course of a perfectionist teen who becomes a budding* rebel after a series of small events shatter* her lifelong belief that the government is operating in citizens' best interests.

It's a story that will appeal to fans of Suzanne Collins' "The Hunger Games" and Allegra Goodman's "The Other Side of the Island" — young-adult titles that follow similarly well-behaved and intelligent heroines who slowly realize they've been duped*.

Told from the perspective of 17-year-old Cassia, "Matched" is written in a style that mimics the emotional development of its young heroine. At the beginning, Cassia learns she's been matched with her lifelong friend Xander, a good-looking nice guy most girls would want to have as a partner.

In preparation for their first date, Cassia looks at the micro-card the government issued to learn more about her future mate. When she does, she is presented with a different match for another boy, Ky, and that is when the seeds of doubt are sown*.

pare 削减

nutritional 营养的

fissure 裂缝

trilogy 三部曲

budding 萌芽的

shatter 粉碎

dupe 欺骗

sow 播种