新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课24

ltlong52010

课文24  “家丑”
& e/ S1 T2 ]; J/ Y' I7 r4 ^2 b- b  Q" \! F417. We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years.
' B/ c, F0 W' d7 K( }& s        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。
418. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
        英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
3 Z; t2 V5 t9 R- \: Y6 I419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.
        惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。
420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
        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。
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.
- J/ ^( t. [& U1 T7 _        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。
$ H  @2 c' v: v* z0 @: J3 A422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
# |: N$ M' H' b3 \  p: @1 p) F        这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
: k3 x5 o  C- ~' ?2 H423. 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.
        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。
' [3 E/ [+ L: k% ]424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
        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。
425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
        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) f: ~' I2 r; I& @426. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.
        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。
427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
. y7 c" p/ e# Q2 _4 L1 J        乔治把我领进客房，说这间很少使用。
) v  l9 ^0 V8 _428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
$ K& h# j" ~, W8 u0 B        他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
  F' J/ p; s5 T4 J0 Y" C        我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里，
9 n3 w. F; F9 ^. f; f430. I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard.
        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。
431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
        我打开柜门，站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
$ v' e% z' E% W5 k+ k1 a432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
- E; ~; m- s* q0 f* A, ~# ]" I+ i- H        一具骷髅悬挂在眼前，
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.
+ p4 z- l) @3 ~% }& K) L        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。
8 S: `& I& V- R9 o$ [434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
7 p- C2 G& B- h2 v6 a        我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
435. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton!
        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！
436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
) q3 ~6 V0 T- d1 |" F. Q        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。
. M5 v8 B  b) E) W437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time.