24_A_Skeleton_in_the_Cupboard

24 A Skeleton in the Cupboard

原文译文

We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from strangers for years. The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation. The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'. At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined. 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.

It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction. 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. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact. George studied medicine in his youth. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories. I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house. George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner. After I had stacked my shirts and underclothes in two empty drawers, I decided to hang one of the two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes. 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. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George. This was worse than 'a terrible secret'; this was a real skeleton! But George was unsympathetic. 'Oh, that,' he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend. 'That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time.'

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。英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。惊人的秘密称作"柜中骷髅"。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。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。

这种事发生在小说中是无可非议的。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。我所认识的唯一的在柜中藏骷髅的人便是乔治·卡尔顿，他甚至引以为自豪。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。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。乔治把我领到客房，说这房间很少使用。他让我打开行装后下楼吃饭。我将衬衫、内衣放进两个空抽屉里，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。我打开柜门，站在柜门前一下惊呆了。一具骷髅悬挂在眼前，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。我扔下西服冲下楼去告诉乔治。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！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。"那是塞巴斯蒂安。你忘了我以前是学医的了。"

Words

• seemingly /ˈsimɪŋli/ adv. 表面上地
  1. For instance, it was a seemingly impossible task.
  2. Seemingly, we can do nothing to prevent this from happening.
• respectable /rɪˈspɛktəbəl/ adj. 体面的
  1. We need someone who is respectable right now to deal with this.
• concealed /kənˈsild/ v. 隐瞒
  1. Dana concealed her pregnancy from her family and friends.
  2. Technically speaking, for a long time his death was concealed from her.
  3. She tried to conceal the fact that she was pregnant.
• vivid /ˈvɪvəd/ adj. adv. 生动的
  1. I’ve got vivid memories of that summer.
• dramatic /drəˈmætɪk/ adj. n. adv. 令人激动的
  1. If something dramatic has happened during the day, we'll sit and talk about it.
• ruined /ˈruənd/ v. 毁坏
  1. We had an opportunity to go to the beach, but the bad weather ruined our trip.
  2. Leo was genuinely sorry that he ruined your shirt.
• heroine /ˈhɛroən/ n. 女主人公
  1. She blushed when they called her a heroine.
  2. She became the heroine of a famous horror movie when she was still 8.
• poisoned /ˈpɔɪzənd/ 毒害
• fiction /ˈfɪkʃən/ n. 小说
  1. I bet you read a lot of science fiction.
  2. On the same day, he gave all his science fiction books to Leo.
  3. The idea that science fiction is useless is mistaken.
• stacked /stækt/ v. 堆放
  1. I had the impulse to rush out.
  2. I took a shower.
  3. I changed my mind, and went downstairs.
• drawers /drɔrz/ n. 抽屉
  1. I saw what was in your drawer when I was cleaning.
  2. There's a longer letter in the dresser drawer I've been writing for the last week.
• petrified /ˈpɛtrəˌfaɪd/ 惊呆的
• dangling /ˈdæŋɡəlɪŋ/ v. 悬挂
  1. A big spider is dangling in my room.
  2. Because next time this will be dangling from your neck, not mine.
• sway /swe/ v. 摇摆
• unsympathetic /ənˌsɪmpəˈθɛtɪk/ adj. 无动于衷的
  1. It astounded me that he was so unsympathetic.
  2. Anyone who was unsympathetic is not welcomed here.

Expressions

• a skeleton(骷髅) in the cupboard/closet 家丑
• sth. be concealed from sb. = conceal sth. from sb. 对某人隐瞒某事
• drama queen 爱小题大做的人
• ruin my day 毁了我的一天
• science fiction 科幻小说
• to varying degrees 在不同程度上
• in the drawer / from the drawer 在抽屉里/从抽屉里
• be petrified of sth. 恐惧某事物
  1. Her speech definitely gave the impression that she was interested in the project.
  2. I get the impression that he don’t want to share this with us.
  3. It gave me the impression that it was designed to do this.
• medical student/school 医学生/医学院
• make one’s hair stand on end 让人毛骨悚然
  1. I told the boy a story [that made his hair stand on end].
  2. This was the kind of smile [that made your hair stand on end].
  3. Have you ever heard about the story?
  4. It could make your hair stand on end.
• in sb’s youth 在某人年轻时
  1. I used to play with him every summer in my youth.
  2. He reminds me of someone [l knew] in my youth.
• show sb. to sw. 领某人去某地
  1. Sure enough, he showed me to my room.
  2. Please show me to my room, for I’m so tired.
  3. Technically speaking, Leo show me to my room.
• bring sth. with sb. 随身带某物
  1. For some reason, Leo brought that with him last night.
  2. You should have brought that with you.
  3. It was estimated that he brought 3000 men with him.
• it give sb. the impression that + 句子 它给人的印象是
• be about to do sth. 即将做某事
  1. Her speech definitely gave the impression that she was interested in the project.
  2. I get the impression that he don’t want to share this with us.
  3. It gave me the impression that it was designed to do this.
• leap out at sb. 突然扑向某人
  1. I never expected him to leap out at me.
  2. It is clear that you leap out at him first.
  3. And suddenly he leapt out at me.
• once upon a time 从前
• It is all very well .... , but not in reality. ……说起来容易，现实并非如此
  1. If you say that something is all well and good, you are suggesting that it has faults or disadvantages, although it may appear to be correct or reasonable.
  2. It is all well and good that you have been enjoying yourself, but you have to start saving your money.
  3. It's all very well to look down on money, but a girl's got to look after
  4. It's all very well and good hearing about these things, but you've got to get here, and
  5. Well, that's all very well and good, but what about those who work late?
  6. That's all well and good, but we don't have enough time.
  7. That's all well and good, but with your agreement, Chef Chandra, I'd