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§ Lesson 24

A skeleton in the cupboard

“家丑”

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【单词】

●skeleton： n. 骷髅

●seemingly： adv. 表面上地

●respectable： adj. 体面的，雅观的

●conceal v. 隐藏，隐瞒

●vivid： adj. 生动的

●dramatic： adj. 令人激动的，扣人心弦的

●varying： adj. 不同的

●stack ：adj. （整齐地）堆放，排放

●petrify： v. 使惊呆

●dangle： v. 悬挂

●unsympathetic： adj. 不表同情的，无动于衷的

单词分析

1. skeleton n. 骷髅

1) a skeleton in the cupboard=a skeleton in the closet

=a family skeleton 家丑

Eg.: It’s time to bring a family skeleton out of the cupboard.

2) skeleton key 万能钥匙

3) a walking skeleton 骨瘦如柴的人

4) reduced to a skeleton 瘦的皮包骨

Eg.: He has nothing to eat for a couple of days so he has been

reduced to a skeleton.

2. respectable adj. 体面的，雅观的

respectable decent, graceful, deserving respect:

体面的，雅观的，可敬的

Eg.: He is a most respectable man.

The tie is for a respectale man only.

respectable: 可敬的

respectful : 充满敬意的，尊敬人的

A respectable person is respectful to others.

respective: 各自的

Eg.:Our students return to their respective classroom.

3. conceal v. 隐藏，隐瞒

conceal : hide, 比hide更加正式，语气强烈

conceal sth. from sb.

Eg.: He concealed his disappoint from his friends.

Eg.: He concealed his bets from his wife.

Eg.: When the mother coming, the little girl hid behind the curtain.

4. vivid adj. 生动的

vivid 生动的，栩栩如生的,鲜艳的，活泼的

more vivid, the most vivid

Eg.: There is a vivid proverb.

Eg.: vivid blue 碧蓝色

Eg.: He is vivid with life. 他是生气勃勃。

Eg.: Yours discription is really vivid.

5. dramatic adj. 令人激动的，扣人心弦的

dramatic 比exciting更加强烈

Eg.: The dramatic things is still vivid in his mind.

6. fiction 和novel

fiction (集合名词)不可数 (poetry)

novel 某一部具体的小说 (poem)

Eg.: I prefer reading fiction to hearing about real invent.

7. petrify v. 使惊呆 =shock, dumbfound

Eg.: Heard the news I was petrified.

【Text】

PeopleWe 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.'

参考译文

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

柜中藏骷嵝的人便是乔治.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。乔治把我领进客房，说这间很少使用。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。”

【课文讲解】

1.We often read in novels how a seemingly respectable person or

family has some terrible secret which has been concealed from

strangers for years. .

how引导宾语从句

has some terrible secret

which 引导的定语从句，修饰说明secret

seemingly =from appearence 从表面上看来

Eg.: a seemingly respectable person:表面上受尊重的人

2.The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this

sort of situation.

possess:(= have got, own )

不定式to作定语，修饰说明vivid saying, 来描述这种场景。

3.At some dramatic moment in the story the terrible secret

becomes known and a reputation is ruined.

ruin: 泛指概念，表示毁坏的过程不是一下完成的（spoil）

Eg.: The rain ruined / spoiled our holiday.

destroy: 把凭借某种外力来破坏和摧毁事物，完全摧毁

Eg.: The earthquake destroyed almost entired city.

damage: 侧重强调把…弄坏，但是可以修复

4.The reader's hair stands on end when he reads in the final

pages of the novel that the heroine...

one's hair stands on end :某人感到毛骨悚然的

Eg.: I thought I was alone in my room until I heard the mysterious

noice again, and my hair stands on end.

make/set one's hair stand on end: 使某人感到毛骨悚然的

5. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction .

1) it is all very well but 不赞成不满意的反语，“好倒是好，但是……”

Eg: It is all very well for them to ask me to do it, but I am too busy.

It is all very well for you to suggent taking a few days rest, but how

can finish our work in time.

2) occur: 某个事件出乎意料的发生（正式）

happen: 某个事件出乎意料发生

take place: 事件根据安排“举行”

Eg.: When did the accident happen / occur?

It occured to me that / to do.

It occured to me to open the window.

When will the wedding take place?

6. 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.

1) to varying degrees: 从不同角度来讲

2) learn: 了解某个事实，学习某种知识、技能

know: 知道某个事实，具有某方面的知识、技能，认识、了解某个人

（状态动词，不能用于进行时态）

Eg.: I learned that I had passed the test.

Eg.: She knows about computers.

Eg.: She is learning about computers.

7. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it

petrified.

stood in front of sth. petrified: 站在…前，目瞪口呆

frightened: 在某个特定的场合下，受到惊吓

terrified:表示惊吓的程度，更加强烈，感到恐怖

afraid (of ): 表示一种状态，永久性的恐惧

8. 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.

it gave me the impression that:给某人以印象

make a lasting impression on sb: 给某人以不可磨灭的印象

have a false impression of sb: 对某人有错误的看法

give sb impression that: 给某人印象

impress sb with sth: 用…给某人留下印象

be about to do sth.: 即将，就要。暗示动作即将发生（多与when连用）

I was about to go to bed when there was a knock at the door.

leap out at sb. 跳出来扑向某人

【Homework】

【Single Choice】:

1. In what respect does fact differ from fiction concerning the

secrets that people keep to themselves?

a. They are rarely so terrible as to ruin out reputations if revealed.

b. People’s closest friends do not even suspect them of having them.

c. People who have ‘skeletons in the cupboard’ are rarely found out.

d. People who have skeletons in their cupboards are very proud of the

fact.

2. What was the most frightening thing about the writer’s

experience?.

a. The sight of a skeleton hanging in the cupboard.

b. The sudden movement of the door when he opened the cupboard.

c. To discover that it was the skeleton of an okd friend of George’s.

d. To have found a real skeleton rather than finding out a terrible

secret.

3. The only person I have ever known __ a skeleton in the

cupboard...

a. he had     b. of having     c. that he has    d. to have

4.----gave me the impression that it __leaping out at me.

a. was on the point of    b. was concerned with

c. was thinking of    d. was almost

【Tanslation】:

5. I thought I was alone in my room until I heard the mysterious

noice again, and my hair stands on end.

6. He has nothing to eat for a couple of days so he has been

reduced to too a skeleton.