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课文24 “家丑”
0 ~* m" f" c, Y+ g; ` E- j417. We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years.
2 I5 A9 I& K. @ 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。" F. ~" E. e5 G; u% W2 F' H
418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.% C( V$ T9 ^- M: a+ K, g C
英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
0 S; u- _' s! G0 E# s; c2 t419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.) z _( |$ y; f( Q; z: W8 _0 @% N
惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。0 T# d; \' Q; b. M' t
420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
7 P/ n; h# d; g* M 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。
! j2 [) ~( x9 d# ?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.+ X' \3 z3 g; Y$ k! E, s
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。
M( K/ S* m2 M9 t422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.- u# Q) F7 r# a* a% M
这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。) o1 P m+ M* Y$ ?( w
423. 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.! Y! M6 e; l0 t! D; B
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。
% k3 f! e( z+ Z4 i" \' a* f$ K) Z ]424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.1 T7 U' h) h ~: M
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。3 Y& y1 a3 Z! D& Z; P% y
425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.9 a5 P, K, ?; H8 L
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。
& J5 [. m5 d" i' c426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.
/ e: z* t* R5 w v/ X( ?; Y 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。
8 C8 Y( ]/ F" R9 c. }427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
8 D$ ?7 @' k0 U 乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。4 `3 ~ T9 b! |5 ?% R
428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.5 ?" l' A) K* k5 l9 n
他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
0 X( v' ]* ~* q5 g. G2 g- I* c429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,) w# u' C3 N. p, Z; c
我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,+ p! V6 Z4 N5 e; M
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.- |8 D, o; n- E: a
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。
- D/ c( l6 n) \8 Q- C7 S9 n# R431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.! C p7 a. @2 F( j
我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
+ y6 S4 {- u9 l, h5 z: \- g m432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.: x: ?% H- I5 ]! P! `
一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,. P5 N6 d. P# y" H! }( k
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.- E9 M. q8 @; H* Q! Z. p
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。" S& h0 @- ^7 Y5 C' s
434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
2 Q7 |2 h+ d8 a; Q( u2 n 我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
# z l4 t4 ]1 n1 o3 k8 M2 J6 K4 A435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
( a" A( Q' V$ g: x4 M. O 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!
# G8 z: k$ s0 _( C436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
# n5 ? G# p: i7 E+ H 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。
, k7 v. p5 f, ~) o% H. h- P437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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