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课文24 “家丑”% R/ H6 Q; z6 C! Q$ W/ r
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.
$ b/ A5 E' l7 G* B. o 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。
- T' M1 W, O/ ?! _+ s' F5 E6 X418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.6 W; j# Y' T( I9 ~0 R! A: Z
英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
& M. y; C) c& Y8 _3 N R. ]419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.9 o: N T: \+ }1 f2 r: B+ s
惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。% o5 V) ~1 A0 H3 [: U2 N( d
420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
: s! B/ w+ L1 k8 R8 Y 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。% o0 |. Q$ r( f- }9 q* t
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.
& O" ^8 Q- o2 M1 p6 @( M# 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。
* ~% p# ~& s9 ^422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.! T/ ]5 @2 V1 B* d0 j! |2 d% {- e0 _
这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
! I2 N' u9 a6 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.* L6 f% K' l/ I
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。
6 T3 ?. i- N! {- ]: x% o424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.7 R/ p/ q/ b; @; w% ~
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。0 g6 U7 [6 J0 w' {+ Q! N
425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
2 |! t2 d; V9 ?7 F! P) U/ k+ I- | 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。
5 R( g" ~6 e( J426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.1 e% s- n# S) n0 C/ C
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。
4 \! Z4 W# H! k8 \2 N6 R427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
; k# V# h3 x# G; z5 L- [) R/ v 乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。6 l: v$ R3 g& t# t
428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.( D$ g5 z$ U, S& H5 [. l% F$ P
他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
1 G/ r |: E. M( S0 g% C a429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
) a, G* K$ _) f( Y- n 我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,; a" g6 D, w0 I" n0 p9 i; `: k* M& y
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.
8 Y8 u# h5 w" S$ }, v5 \6 T 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。
4 E- T# e: u- ]# l# V, V- b0 b431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
. B. g: Z; S9 Q8 T 我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。6 E1 U3 z; W* K. }* @ b
432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
( M c8 f% e9 V6 H9 w( N' B* @ 一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,, D+ Q8 v3 o8 d* ?4 k, n1 o7 ]
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.2 @) E3 }3 B. @: V) F0 E% f8 c
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 n0 I- @' i1 K2 u$ }3 S: w7 E0 d8 s u
434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
+ f6 G' n$ i* K# T3 c* _ 我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
& {1 x2 Y* B, s0 l3 K7 K$ j. L( Q435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!) S T& Y3 n* C. V- Z; b" y
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!
* i5 Y, q0 q6 `436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
8 ^" Q+ p; J" S9 G 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 f9 O; u1 H: X7 V; S. s; |9 Z, T437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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