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课文24 “家丑”
8 W0 y* h$ c. Z" w$ d417. 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 z! O/ ]1 Q i& r- u' v
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 P" L8 D& N3 f8 U+ J
418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
3 e6 N: S0 s6 t4 t 英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
3 F+ \, P, E0 D; p# h419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.
; j7 k" s0 e" d4 k; b9 I! W/ u 惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。* ^+ E; y6 i) P l
420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined., p+ f$ R" E* l# f/ R
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。
3 O7 i* o# w/ g$ I0 `, @) J1 z421. 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- M9 d, v! F. ]/ b4 K 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。
' d3 X K/ j M1 d' w: `2 m# E422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.: W' }; k- Z2 S9 [# ~" l; a
这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。( u" U, E. @& g6 q6 S! }
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.+ S2 v5 F q" M2 k: \, 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。
( b/ f% t. K6 g/ _3 S424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.: ^4 g+ \! K; {" ^* ?- j& n/ Z
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。
5 p" {" r9 H) e( {425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.7 i; @4 e) ~" z/ k; Z" v0 H
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。
" i& M& o4 C$ z6 Q% J/ m426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.
. V6 G8 g: Z2 ]3 y, e* 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。
& f% ^8 p2 u$ j4 V4 E427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.5 N" L' |5 M4 }/ [8 V# g
乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。
( F. o7 O( D, [/ t8 J9 J+ d428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
3 N9 {7 D+ f$ }9 P5 k0 K1 g2 C 他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
& M& H8 q: w$ g8 U) Q' k" p429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
4 t4 Z" Z0 j5 C8 Y6 U1 g7 ^ ^; @ 我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,/ w4 X* P* F: @, }' G
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.3 k! k) D2 m: c6 a; p2 b
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。% e) M4 p9 d4 }9 r: \5 t) d3 [5 q
431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
( j8 W/ ^% s( b: t4 L0 n" R5 r 我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
& q A% h w F( Y/ G1 e( z# g- e432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.. M9 R2 x+ M( F% [* B# h
一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,
j) I/ v- w# |1 G \. k/ o* U3 O1 \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.
; m# E$ L: V, U4 k) @/ k5 R 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。
j; K9 C/ E6 f& N% R V2 ^/ K434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.( l% S4 F3 i7 V7 D! W+ p) F
我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
- w# s9 }/ u2 h435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
6 r7 x1 s$ \* U. _: M: ^! o" ?* 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!- @3 o( l+ D* P# p
436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
: ~9 j6 b% q: U: T$ p( x 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。' v# k' z# q4 v g+ r
437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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