# 第三册 Lesson 24 A skeleton in the cupboard 家丑

## 一、课文原文

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.'

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| skeleton | /'skelitən/ | n. | 骷髅 | a skeleton in the cupboard家丑 |
| seemingly | /'si:miŋli/ | adv. | 表面上地 | seem v. 似乎 |
| respectable | /ri'spektəbəl/ | adj. | 体面的 | respect v. 尊敬；respectful恭敬的 |
| conceal | /kən'si:l/ | v. | 隐藏，隐瞒 | conceal sth. from sb. 对某人隐瞒 |
| vivid | /'vivid/ | adj. | 生动的 | vivid description生动的描写 |
| dramatic | /drə'mætik/ | adj. | 扣人心弦的 | drama n. 戏剧 |
| ruin | /'ru:in/ | v. | 毁坏 | ruin one's reputation毁坏名誉 |
| heroine | /'herəuin/ | n. | 女主人公 | hero n. 男主人公/英雄 |
| fiction | /'fikʃən/ | n. | 小说 | 区别：non-fiction非虚构作品 |
| varying | /'veəriiŋ/ | adj. | 不同的 | vary v. 变化；various adj. 各种各样的 |
| medicine | /'medisən/ | n. | 医学 | study medicine学医 |
| guestroom | /'gest-rum/ | n. | 来客住房 | guest + room |
| unpack | /ʌn'pæk/ | v. | 取出（行李） | pack v. 打包；un-否定前缀 |
| stack | /stæk/ | v. | 堆放 | stack up堆起来 |
| underclothes | /'ʌndəkləuðz/ | n. | 内衣 | under + clothes |
| drawer | /drɔ:/ | n. | 抽屉 | draw v. 拉 |
| petrify | /'petrifai/ | v. | 使惊呆 | petrified adj. 惊呆的 |
| dangle | /'dæŋgəl/ | v. | 悬挂 | =hang loosely |
| sway | /swei/ | v. | 摇摆 | sway in the wind随风摇摆 |
| unsympathetic | /'ʌn'simpə'θetik/ | adj. | 无动于衷的 | sympathy n. 同情 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. A skeleton in the cupboard——成语
- 直译"柜中骷髅"，比喻"家丑"
- 类似表达：skeleton in the closet（美式）
- 来源：传说有人家衣柜中藏有骷髅，象征不可告人的秘密

### 2. conceal sth. from sb.
- 意为"对某人隐瞒某事"
- =hide sth. from sb.

### 3. one's hair stands on end
- 意为"毛骨悚然"
- 固定表达，表示极度恐惧或震惊

### 4. to varying degrees
- 意为"在不同程度上"
- varying = different

### 5. stand + 过去分词（系动词+表语）
- **stood in front of it petrified**——站在柜前吓呆了
- stand此处为系动词，petrified为表语
- 类似：stand still / stand ready

### 6. the impression that...（同位语从句）
- **it gave me the impression that it was about to leap out at me**
- that引导的从句作impression的同位语
- be about to do sth. 即将做某事

### 7. as if引导方式状语从句（虚拟语气）
- **as if he were talking about an old friend**
- were为虚拟语气，表示与事实相反
- as if = as though

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. It is all very well for...to...
- 意为"……做某事倒是不错（但……）"
- 含有转折暗示：小说中如此可以，现实中则不同

### 2. Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer
- **instead of** + 动名词：没有……而是……
- 表示对比转折

### 3. It was about to leap out at me
- **be about to** 即将做某事
- at me = 朝我
- 描写骷髅因柜门晃动而似乎要扑过来的恐惧感

### 4. "That's Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time."
- George的轻松语气与叙述者的恐惧形成鲜明对比
- once upon a time = 从前（用于讲述故事）
- 医学生接触骷髅是正常的学习工具

## 五、课文翻译

在小说中，我们经常读到一个表面上受人尊重的人物或家族，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。惊人的秘密被称作"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。当读者读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。乔治把我领进客房，说这间房间很少使用。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，站在柜门前一下子惊呆了。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。"

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
- **由虚入实**：先讨论小说中的"柜中骷髅"概念，再讲述真实的骷髅经历
- **预期反转**：读者预期听到一个"家丑"故事，结果却是真正的骷髅
- **对比手法**：叙述者的惊恐 vs. George的淡然
- **幽默效果**：George将骷髅当作老朋友"Sebastian"，化恐怖为滑稽

### 文化背景
- **A skeleton in the cupboard**：英语习语，意为"家丑/不可告人的秘密"
- 医学生学习解剖时使用真人的骨骼标本是常见的
- 侦探小说作家在家中放置骷髅也有"职业道具"的意味

## 七、课后练习要点

1. 词汇：掌握conceal, petrify, dangle, sway, respectable, unsympathetic等重点词
2. 语法：conceal from; stand+表语; 同位语从句; as if虚拟语气
3. 句型：be about to do; instead of doing; to varying degrees
4. 理解：为什么George对骷髅无动于衷？——他以前是学医的，骷髅是学习工具

## 八、本课小结

- 核心词汇：skeleton, conceal, petrify, dangle, sway, respectable, unsympathetic
- 核心语法：conceal from、stand作系动词、同位语从句、as if虚拟语气
- 核心句型：be about to do、instead of doing、one's hair stands on end
- 写作特色：由虚入实、预期反转、对比手法、幽默效果