 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文24 “家丑”
8 V4 t' {/ l8 ?) c0 [" d. Y417. We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years.$ R" S& D: W6 {0 J$ G
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。9 }3 @, ?& v1 S' h
418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
* H2 o" \. u/ E/ T 英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。9 g' X* O) L; |5 P! o3 G
419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'. y! m4 y Y- ^! W: s. i
惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。
C6 M. R3 o% r0 U7 T! ^/ u420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
0 M+ z0 v1 T5 k$ V) B" \ 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。
" v# {' A# |: U9 N3 ~; j. R421. 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.
+ L. F3 b9 h2 F3 N 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 R) H+ [) i, h; l422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
r+ ^0 v: h. h4 V9 o2 ~5 D 这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
: T# G B* _$ C" ^5 q- {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.
& q; s4 ?6 Q% d 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。* C3 [9 W% v/ C0 b" _
424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
: g- h1 t$ q3 R; \( E4 H" ?) ] 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。
: f; F* _& h4 ?9 K# K425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
% s; t3 K9 c, S. ^$ P 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。" C& f- d8 P" w, d' C* f5 X
426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.
9 @0 Q6 z( l6 o) L* ^) R' A' V 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。
+ b) c7 s1 k d1 c427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
2 x: P' T; P9 T! k 乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。
8 x4 P6 d- Z/ c: J/ C, a428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
$ p x2 j+ g8 ]- K 他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
3 I( L* g1 H( h# c/ s429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,6 B* ^- z8 W% |$ S- d' {
我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,* F- V6 A+ }+ t& O' I0 N' {# n, J
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.
& a8 q5 Z7 {6 u) C% X 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。# @% G2 @* @# r2 u$ j
431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.- q C& \0 |# b" ?5 n# [
我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
( T. q' T( x5 U/ |/ s) A( i432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.# g& n2 [. E/ Q0 b, ]3 D
一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,4 }5 D H; Z& p# o& B
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.
6 l* a7 W7 U+ A8 e: p* N- y6 \3 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。
/ N. N5 P d0 w. H6 y( O8 F434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
m5 b. T: S5 G5 h/ j$ j4 ] C 我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。( x" b3 k+ A/ ~+ t. p& r
435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!& R5 p: j& X: m/ j& j, E: F
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!
$ `2 `+ j& @ ]/ Q9 t436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.$ F. s9 ? b! k; r9 K' Z
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。4 _% R0 O/ q C! Y$ f! C2 l) R
437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
|