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课文24 “家丑”+ t" h/ j7 E" u1 H2 g: Q
417. We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years.
; S, i6 P0 R5 n% {: q 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。
; ^# J- B( u1 y& ~418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
( d3 w! m8 R5 A; T N! n8 K [ 英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
7 ~3 D* _. ~6 c3 T5 R419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.2 d+ O& V- M/ x" Y) M% W
惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。
7 w4 m A$ ]+ a1 ?* k6 I# h420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
" T& I' X. k; ]0 f& f* o9 n7 L( r- C 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。! S2 M0 I9 r6 O
421. 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.# J9 m$ v0 r6 z! ]9 G% c
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。4 c: H F4 R1 g& i. D7 o+ e
422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
' \9 ~* G" M3 Q( _* A 这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
! X; d, F% H# _2 `1 Q6 e423. 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.
, q4 w) u! _; i) z 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。
3 Z7 t" G+ i! v: A9 X424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
" [5 H, |- x9 ~ 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。
+ u. H2 i$ N: |$ `425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
: M* `- Q3 n ]6 O4 k. @% B 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。
8 M0 j7 q$ O; F0 X' o/ F426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.# z/ P0 t2 c8 K* ]: _# W
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。
; l1 F6 ?; F' R0 r- j8 m/ _2 l427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.1 O) i6 }& W9 P! D. m. m
乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。5 E& O+ N' c* O- D# s' D7 k
428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.- \) Q4 H- \1 m: V0 f/ l+ @# x
他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。/ e2 D4 f" L- Y/ o7 I6 {
429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
3 b& e8 i% w1 L- n2 G3 J" k: G 我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,
3 R: R9 w1 n3 t2 d/ I, B430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.
3 w/ A5 I7 o( F% ` 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。
( ~0 {. L q% K' F431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.6 S7 L2 z) Y. D. ?
我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。0 O( L1 F& m% s8 a. y0 e
432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.! |9 a/ N) Y) }: u: I
一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,
4 F3 r( _# u$ j9 |# X. I2 ?: i433. 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.
V5 I; q9 f0 U8 W1 D3 Q: U 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。9 h; B/ _3 D; B8 ^- ?3 r; U6 y
434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.# X; {5 w5 w/ z8 F6 b/ P; `' I* T
我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。, f L9 l6 V( _7 y" K% ~6 i
435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!5 s0 k6 ?! \5 H, b
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!
0 x0 P! L! w( E436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
8 R' V! e( `' K' 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。* S+ f `7 y9 [
437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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