新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课24

ltlong52010

课文24  “家丑”
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.
        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。
3 K/ m* }4 X  v. R3 `418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
        英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
# e- Q+ ?7 F5 w; }; E4 s( e( ]& }419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.
0 E5 z" q' c3 s- Q' ~, k        惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。
420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
! ~4 ^4 I- t1 Z0 n( G% N        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。
4 s& C/ U( z& Y6 @$ o2 o2 F421. 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.
4 O% U/ n1 g# t% @( ?3 _3 Q& F        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。
+ _/ ~. z' P1 o/ K422. 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。
& L: I4 f' |* t' g5 k5 M/ K423. 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.
# o7 |: P1 m- D8 u        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 D. K* y# g6 H3 }$ u  i! ]" @424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
; i4 J! R/ v+ M  t. ^9 F* V, s        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。
( `7 D8 B. F. R2 U- _$ `: i425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
/ G2 D5 z. G- L: V, O# f        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.
7 J# @/ n6 k- V2 c2 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。
427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
  V7 n) Y  X, {3 _  b/ k! o/ E6 }$ ^        乔治把我领进客房，说这间很少使用。
428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
2 @" g2 _  A" V* e& U# V        他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
        我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里，
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.
2 M1 X7 n; N+ T) e; K! c8 U1 G        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。
1 z% Q( `" |9 n; h431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
        我打开柜门，站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
( j$ R/ {; M( M. T4 a: b& v* U+ X        一具骷髅悬挂在眼前，
6 p: Q4 J9 g7 T- q: ^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.
( a- Q. u: |5 D9 T$ T0 Q+ z        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.
        我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
2 K5 \( y" H2 G8 R  j* u0 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！
4 J: b& I- X/ q/ v- r436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
2 ]! v: f. J% y+ R) }        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。
437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time.