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课文24 “家丑”
& S6 n, O. _" s, Y, b5 `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.1 {1 g7 {; G9 B( Y# x* I7 d
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。4 }: ? f1 F( c. b( V1 o+ ?
418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.7 w6 |6 K3 k4 @* e
英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。8 M0 y5 d7 F: c0 P' R$ t
419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.5 V2 p/ E# O( G( r
惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。
; w+ K) m9 o2 ]; y420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
6 q- K( i6 Z, [- p 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。
0 m# x( r4 C/ v& n7 }* V( j1 i; ^: O421. 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.! G" _) h% j) t6 r d& g& i# B6 B# 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。
) i, I$ r5 ~8 O9 c* v$ q8 c2 Z# f422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
* s9 l$ B2 E4 E 这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
" R" n' D8 i5 I: b- F& Q5 b423. 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." M9 w' ]5 ?/ X7 p- o9 D/ f( t
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。
8 q# }; R! X. 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.& L! r% t; q3 d' L4 s6 R- o4 k1 k
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。# n3 X2 p9 b( P0 o4 ^8 i: u' T
425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.' }. A$ T8 `1 h# A' \% r- J
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。
4 f/ p. B2 _, g) E/ \# N+ U426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.
" v9 r/ }- X8 Z& ^8 Q 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。! o7 b1 h, b4 d7 k$ z' ?$ u3 N/ D
427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
: s7 L. B- y) g, w 乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。2 Z; c- f/ G7 m; j+ ?3 ]4 o3 \
428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.3 `% q; P* {) _ G7 |
他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
" C* v# Q- _' d2 ?429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
: {+ J# N% C* U/ Y$ I 我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,2 K& c, w ?3 d: Z. q0 `; C
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.* y( W" ^0 J# M2 x9 m& C
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, A5 R D" M* y8 z8 P( A
431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.9 m. [' M2 h4 E5 {5 \
我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
( W3 P$ ^) X1 r432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.& z! T4 Y0 u+ Y9 G- v; v. C1 [+ c
一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,
* z# }$ J+ S4 I* N433. 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.9 J% ~0 m7 i5 z V9 w
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。+ r4 j% ?6 U4 e
434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
$ S; r1 I9 V+ O5 t: K2 q( ~; L: q; q 我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
& I% T5 l' D' h+ g+ _/ b435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
) d$ t+ L; w N1 H- _" v 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!- f5 g% ^( F u5 `9 q2 N% U7 M
436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
7 b. M3 P' m) ^" |; w 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。 ^5 B$ R! a# {3 D
437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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