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课文24 “家丑”
; {: s: T. h: E8 U# N! |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.
- }4 O$ `) V9 Y! p 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。+ K2 {, ]0 f* r) n
418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
`) P$ _5 Q5 E 英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
& S7 D# W6 I7 G1 C* b( f$ e- B3 `. N419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.
8 B2 \! g5 L; Q% \$ Y' U 惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。
$ w% y4 [) N# Q: \9 o420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
: q+ F. C2 V+ g3 U 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。
5 [# T' a. H, J7 H) m) N421. 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.
3 v8 v1 ^1 {& N0 x; p 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。& U' y) I& @2 r
422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
* R- Y1 q/ o1 g8 D+ B8 I 这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
) C6 p" n5 y5 I) V* Z# r9 N$ |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.
9 k4 y1 i, m2 _9 M: s) 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。
9 [$ ~. ?- r$ l2 V/ n$ H6 c: P( z424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.) j+ Y i+ B8 K4 \- M' T
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。6 {! ?$ w0 O1 R7 Y; A b v
425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.$ s; \, j7 F1 u6 k$ j& k
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。$ q' K1 _$ m. @( u3 W
426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.7 E* [" |8 j# L( w4 p& O3 [. @
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。# w3 e8 [3 w: A' C3 }+ K9 \1 k
427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.8 [/ I4 K2 ~5 z: n d V$ M
乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。
/ P. [: q6 _% Q2 w428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
+ C' s9 \" f V8 s/ q0 n0 ^ 他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
. v+ o* m8 M N/ \. j! r+ ]% |429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
# j3 Q3 v, F, f# W4 \" f* v 我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,; P& P% ~' Q& ^) N, z: v/ o8 B! M
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.0 C- ]1 g/ }7 N
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。6 W3 O( B8 F! ~" N* z% L
431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified. b8 ~8 p ^ \5 E' U
我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
% a& K) F; V4 A) |8 k432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
D, D( P* Y z2 |9 d' R 一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,
7 J' ]/ E9 X. i" W$ K433. 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 c/ J; R% E! `+ C+ Y
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。 O3 Z, S, U6 d# T$ b* p# S4 M
434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
- N4 ^6 |; p. ]) y- f0 o* ^3 I 我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
$ Q; m7 U b# b2 c0 r3 Q. N435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
- R6 P' ~& L7 @4 N' d; O7 m 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!
) {: \' n* I2 i436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.( @! i! S$ ^6 O% W+ i
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。
$ q$ A" ^& n9 |6 G437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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