新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课24

ltlong52010

课文24  “家丑”
! @4 W8 f7 ^3 G/ H- s8 R417. We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years.
        在小说中，我们经常读到一个表面上受人尊重的人物或家庭，却有着某种多年不为人所知的骇人听闻的秘密。
/ X0 o) g- [5 v7 Z418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
2 A6 U7 |% Q& e8 `5 o: |8 Z8 k        英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
9 V& v5 |" z  E, V6 A419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.
        惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。
0 G& n5 d' J6 U5 M! E  A420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
        在小说的某个戏剧性时刻，可怕的秘密泄漏出来，接着便是某人的声誉扫地。
+ e* s5 L0 ]6 ~% l421. The reader's hair stands on end when he reads in the final pages of the novel that the heroine, a dear old lady who had always been so kind to everybody, had, in her youth, poisoned every one of her five husbands.
# e9 I6 h2 @* V0 E/ H        当读者到小说最后几页了解到书中女主人公，那位一向待大家很好的可爱的老妇人年轻时一连毒死了她的5个丈夫时，不禁会毛骨悚然。
422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
        这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
. P: r( \/ i6 W4 E  b423. To varying degrees, we all have secrets which we do not want even our closest friends to learn, but few of us have skeletons in the cupboard.
% r3 M$ e2 K+ g" Z1 }: u: M% [) @3 h        尽管我们人人都有各种大小秘密。连最亲密的朋友都不愿让他们知道，但我们当中极少有人有柜中骷髅。
424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
        我所认识的唯一的在柜中藏骷嵝的人便是乔治.卡尔顿，他甚至引以为自豪。
425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
1 r  ~0 h! X$ l0 A- e. Y        乔治年轻时学过医，然而，他后来没当上医生，却成了一位成功的侦探小说作家。
426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.
        有一次，我在他家里度周末，过得很不愉快。这事我永远不会忘记。
427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
        乔治把我领进客房，说这间很少使用。
/ }4 F/ n1 J/ f2 U/ H! ]428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
% l$ K% o6 B0 l) U        他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
, g" h$ O: q/ [! Z+ A# @429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
' k3 b7 b# M% r6 h7 B0 Z0 P3 z        我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里，
  _" H: j& k5 ?/ ]430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.
+ ?( c" o, k/ v) t        然后我想把随身带来的两套西服中的一套挂到大衣柜里去。
7 M' ?2 t9 b" X/ u9 _! S6 V431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
6 ]% u0 r" V' t, ?9 N, b& h        我打开柜门，站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
8 x& e6 B) K; N  N; }432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
        一具骷髅悬挂在眼前，
: C/ r5 h& I8 J4 \: K433. The sudden movement of the door made it sway slightly and it gave me the impression that it was about to leap out at me.
        由于柜门突然打开，它也随之轻微摇晃起来，让我觉得它好像马上要跳出柜门朝我扑过来似的。
434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
5 N" N5 [) i  }/ @4 z" z+ s- b        我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
! S" `3 B& R2 h8 Z* U& }4 A435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
        这是比“骇人听闻的秘密”更加惊人的东西，这是一具真正的骷髅啊！
436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
: _' M5 C: L% j2 H% ~  y        但乔治却无动于衷。“噢，是它呀！他笑着说道，俨然在谈论一位老朋友。
8 i4 y& Q/ s) }& d* _5 b3 K437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time.