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课文24 “家丑”
! i. v& A* L/ Y9 F; a/ M417. We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years.
; O' t1 s% I3 j& X6 H 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。1 q) ?& ~, N6 `6 K( Q& i" A2 E
418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation. M6 Q$ K/ d% f- z
英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
: b. R+ V, r+ U/ e7 m8 ^419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.1 ^8 r0 B4 \* u; H
惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。& k7 s8 V$ H. U- D& S
420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.( }# G8 p1 E7 y, S3 w
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。3 D1 L9 p9 ?% c6 A% I
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.
2 z7 K$ E6 [0 |3 Q% _4 x 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。
8 J6 \: r" f- [: _422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.. B" |, b2 q: G0 J# `
这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
" p$ V$ t, G) e. x0 F9 Y423. 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.# A/ J8 z6 m! n' R, e
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。
H: Z. q# x) s& M( F" a424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.1 g! q8 r. b9 t& h s! x! 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。& n% r/ C# _$ f+ C7 P; p4 v
425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.1 q l- P: r' v6 T0 W1 ?- k& X( \
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。
( e5 ] t. x2 z- D, I( p426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.: U# i( v) E: w5 F3 y9 ?
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。
; R! I) z, C; G% N: j* G427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
; L8 k o% ]+ n% ^( D 乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。
0 P, a( P5 i$ K! h428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
+ X4 J' j% Q/ b1 T9 z0 D9 h9 m 他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
1 j$ z( x: A. J429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
; {% e/ i- v0 ^" Q ]0 y 我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,
e8 t% z: q8 l430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.( ?; ?2 z, ^5 l K
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。/ V4 u' n9 Z) d
431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
4 a, I: O& D% I& C7 l) Y+ x1 u 我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。( d# q! _1 k! y4 Q( {
432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.. M: l/ k0 x- F: W4 u
一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,( F3 T. d A% X2 \9 n/ t; C
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.
3 F3 y( I5 \% `" y& b 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。
; M+ ]' s" A8 l434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
* R; J8 f& `! g) q: }/ ^7 t' ]& G 我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
) \; ^. x1 H$ C2 [8 p( J# r435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
9 j6 I' W. V+ k D2 |6 Q8 S' V% q 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!/ ?/ Y: @7 ?" u8 F& q
436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
# \) A1 x) M1 y J, w- J 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 ]- x* J: O437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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