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课文24 “家丑”
0 d- i! @0 q% ]3 e; P h417. We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years., E% p, A+ N, S0 x4 k* c
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。9 N4 ?0 h) J2 s1 g
418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
3 |2 m8 R( s+ V+ Z 英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。% U2 o4 q9 g- e5 d% _: f
419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.: x; N y9 B* r4 p0 J7 n2 Y
惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。4 s( |0 g9 S7 _. X* A2 _
420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
. @& ^) C; o+ N* J7 ^ 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。
: C Y0 l+ [" J( j; [+ I% W, u421. 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.# T! x U) d8 x! f5 y
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。% a( }" M# `8 y4 P
422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.& e) ?- Z& B; @3 w4 }6 @
这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
% [% e/ e4 F: i423. 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.
4 K$ C8 `9 f6 P( r' {5 o% h: [: k/ X 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。
& i8 v M w T0 I$ @/ a424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
$ k& [6 U F: P6 G- |; S" E5 f 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。& H% a0 m' ^3 ]1 Z& |) ~* D
425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories." u" c7 W3 b8 M, {1 W: S
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。
; r m( Q# B. d& j- f" e2 |& c+ }$ y426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.
h' x0 J7 c5 w# g' x( ? U 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。( }+ _6 B( k" a7 a, `
427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used." H* U& b' m4 V/ j. w9 X
乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。
2 ]; B5 c. P6 `428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.6 w1 I& t: J- N/ a2 {! i
他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
: K- @3 I+ l. U# Z/ Y9 e0 b/ H. p( E429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,/ A( t2 z! }. L U4 d" G
我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,3 N Z6 N( d9 f. \8 }
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.
1 U8 }* k) R8 o2 m! B8 ^ 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。
- l, ]$ ~# Q" d) z, |& f. S431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
9 w3 A3 Q f: r# f/ Z7 |- o 我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
" w+ J0 o3 B# }. J' _432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.2 |. v8 ?- ~% r! c# o: U2 ]
一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,' d1 n3 X$ S/ {& L, v; i
433. 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.: C$ L4 s& c* I
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。7 J, S6 }' e( f5 a' W/ ]) k
434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
: G7 c2 T# ^8 {, n. v5 ?2 { 我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。1 t5 V! T" p6 F8 w9 s8 l- g
435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
$ W3 ?' c2 d9 Q8 B1 ?7 g 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!
, {$ ^& w+ b: A0 h436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
1 l7 l$ L3 { N1 p 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。
7 s* h6 `% z# Y+ D9 a" _9 U, J437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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