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课文24 “家丑”- e4 P# c7 v, `; p
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.
7 G6 M d9 u3 l3 ^# n5 G+ e 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。
( i+ m0 @: F W9 D q! V7 v' G418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.3 u# Y8 [; \3 M& y# w, ]" l( n/ L
英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
P' L# r' o1 W: M4 }, P8 q& K419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'." z6 q9 Q) f0 Z; [: H
惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。+ i/ j; C% }0 [+ D
420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.% g/ ?) c; k: d% E
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。- o1 }. y8 W3 g3 }. Q4 {
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.5 [# \8 C" m$ H0 }7 }% I8 W3 y8 l
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。
- a6 ?" q7 \( H \0 {422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
: L5 P4 X$ Q+ t 这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。, U. V4 W! C" O, z" @
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.% d. `* m9 \ w4 D7 E
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。
2 Z. [9 T5 @# A7 f; I. C( s. l( G424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
- A5 l! K" I6 h p6 t& L( v 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。
- C2 K) n. N% q: m, @+ q425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.2 C6 d8 ]2 C0 `- | ]
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。7 P& O; t& F- G/ s! l# q
426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.1 {+ k0 z$ e# _
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。! D- O& f+ W8 V: W5 d% o0 }
427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.8 m1 V3 N+ t( q( b Q9 E7 K
乔治把我领进客房,说这间很少使用。
: V9 ^5 r9 V4 l5 p" B428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
' K& r- i! h n: m* F' K 他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
! D: N4 P# e$ @* t3 e) i429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
9 N6 a! A8 P" G3 O7 `7 I8 w- p7 q 我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里,7 y% P9 y' C2 B
430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.5 t0 [! T- }3 k( S: u
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。7 u. E0 O; d T+ S6 V7 j/ m
431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
3 I1 c( l) n; O0 w# l1 R' \4 { 我打开柜门,站在柜门前一下惊呆了。$ z5 A3 Y& |0 Q. f# `, j) a
432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
; \ I" w* D" Y9 Q+ y: | 一具骷髅悬挂在眼前,' z! H$ @5 f$ c4 C* v+ A/ N# `
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.5 X! x2 ^) S6 s9 ?+ Z. V
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。
1 r# V& a( i5 Y5 [4 }434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
/ h0 T7 |& \, ]; P" R7 d7 U1 w 我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。- G2 `) L2 W7 o8 y- S
435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
! W z5 O2 x! w; O5 m2 W* u, } 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!
& [" k$ H( m$ N6 r+ e436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
2 V4 W' |5 S' N. I6 w/ y/ C 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。
$ B8 e/ u, v I; A2 B; u437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time. |
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