新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课24

ltlong52010

课文24  “家丑”
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.
. w5 _) d) H0 V4 r        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.
) D# W/ I2 L. T" G' Z+ }7 M        英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。
9 ~7 t9 T( P( Y# j* W. P! \8 T4 E419. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'.
( O0 f. j( v9 E7 Z1 T$ u        惊人的秘密称作“柜中骷髅”。
' c: x' J$ k+ T# D6 u7 i/ H. A7 I420. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
2 Q2 h7 {& o9 F! L        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.
% S! n$ C& p: [+ s, B& e        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。
6 i% w0 L  F1 _; k422. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
0 O/ N9 r" s) F  f. w        这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。
+ ]% Y! D1 e4 B) l423. 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.
  |3 p; f! n' {/ f        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。
424. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
2 N# b6 _1 k+ L2 d8 {5 N        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。
1 S+ Y* V% e; P, t; ?425. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
* ?& g* c0 Y# _9 ~        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。
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。
$ z4 t# [2 p  O& u7 g! d427. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
+ V3 f8 ~2 L! @8 t        乔治把我领进客房，说这间很少使用。
  C/ G4 H& e4 E/ g" s428. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
+ J  x0 W% e2 }& g        他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。
! |1 Q9 o% O% O! o4 M429. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers,
# r; E: j4 r8 y1 }* [        我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里，
. {2 I. {9 ~! p. _' M0 T2 E430. 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。
* L) Q4 P9 o/ X7 `* V' u431. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
0 H, p3 c2 d" P! H        我打开柜门，站在柜门前一下惊呆了。
432. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
        一具骷髅悬挂在眼前，
' F, K( x4 \8 Z+ p) R( K9 m433. 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 B' V0 p9 h, F9 W$ p        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。
* A, J9 g9 ?3 F1 V* u7 A0 Q& ]434. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
* e" x. i) o1 `4 v        我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。
4 [1 [9 Q+ B9 l/ v4 C1 C* N435. 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！
9 @: j& @+ P. T( q4 v+ a6 a436. But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
, o$ V) B2 r" l1 @( R- \0 Y        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。
  D; w9 V4 X' h, m- ?437. That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time.