课程笔记：
Lesson 24 A skeleton in the cupboard “家丑”

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 spend an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house. George showed me to the guest room 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。”

词汇：

1. skeleton ['skelitn] n. 骨架, 纲要,家丑

2. cupboard ['kʌbəd] n. 碗橱

3. novel ['nɔvəl] n. 小说

4. seemingly ['si:miŋli] adv. 表面上, 似乎

5. respectable [ri'spektəbl] adj. 值得尊重的, 体面的, 不错的, 可观的

6. terrible ['terəbl] adj. 可怕的, 极度的, 糟糕的

7. concealed [kən'si:ld] adj. 隐藏的, 隐蔽的

8. possess [pə'zes] vt. 拥有, 持有, 支配

9. vivid ['vivid] adj. 生动的, 鲜艳的, 栩栩如生的

10. saying ['seiiŋ] n. 谚语, 俗话, 格言

11. describe [di'skraib] vt. 描述, 说成, 形容

12. sort [sɔ:t] n. 种类, 方法, 特征

13. situation [.sitju'eiʃən] n. 形势, 局面

14. dramatic [drə'mætik] adj. 戏剧性的, 引人注目的, 给人深刻印象的

15. reputation [.repju'teiʃən] n. 好名声, 声誉

16. ruined ['ru:ind] adj. 毁坏的, 破坏的

17. heroine ['herəuin] n. 女英雄, 女主角

18. youth [ju:θ] n. 青年时期, 青春, 青年

19. poison ['pɔizn] vt. 毒害, 摧毁, 中毒

20. occur [ə'kə:] vi. 发生, 存在, 出现, 想到

21. fiction ['fikʃən] n. 小说, 虚构, 杜撰

22. varying ['vɛəriŋ] adj. 不同的

23. degree [di'gri:] n. 学位, 程度, 度数

24. close [kləus] adj. 亲近的, 近的

25. Detective [di'tektiv] n. 侦探 adj. 侦探的

26. rarely ['rɛəli] adv. 很少, 难得

27. unpack ['ʌn'pæk] vt. 打开取出, 卸下

28. stack [stæk] v. 堆积, 堆放

29. underclothes ['ʌndəkləuðz] n. 内衣

30. drawer ['drɔ:ə] n. 抽屉

31. hang [hæŋ] v. 悬挂

32. petrified ['petrifaid] adj. 使惊呆的, 使丧失活力的

33. dangle ['dæŋgl] v. 摇晃, 悬垂

34. sway [swei] v. 摇动, 摇摆

35. slightly ['slaitli] adv. 些微地, 稍微, 瘦小地

36. impression [im'preʃən] n. 印象, 感觉, 模仿

37. leap [li:p] v. 跳跃, 跃过, 跃

38. dash [dæʃ] v. 猛冲, 猛掷

39. worse [wə:s] adj. 更坏的, 更差的, 更严重的

40. unsympathetic ['ʌn.simpə'θetik] adj. 不表同情的, 无情的, 不共鸣的

词汇要点：

1. skeleton n. 骷髅
Every family has a skeleton in the cupboard.家家有本难念的经。

skeleton key 万能钥匙
a walking skeleton 骨瘦如柴的人 /reduced to a skeleton 瘦的皮包骨
He has nothing to eat for a couple of days so he has been reduced to a skeleton.
2. respectable adj. 体面的，恰当的，受人尊敬的

(1)respecting prep. 关于（书面语）
(2)respectful（to/towards sb.）adj. 尊重他人的
(3)respectable 受人尊重的,可敬的
(4)respective 各自的
A respectable person is respectful to others.受人尊敬的人也会尊敬别人的。
Respecting your salary, we shall come to a decision.关于你的薪水，我们稍后会做出决定。
The classes went to their respective rooms. 同学们回到了各自的房间。

3. conceal v. 隐藏，隐瞒(hide, 比hide更加正式，语气强烈)

conceal sth. from sb.

4. vivid adj. 栩栩如生的，活泼的，生动的
比较级：more vivid
最高级：most vivid
5. fiction （集体名词）小说

novel 某一部具体的小说

联想记忆
┌detective story侦探小说
├essay散文
├novel小说
├poem诗
├article未发表的文章
└fiction小说

6. impression 印象

leave sb. an impression 留下真实的印象

课文要点：

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
which 引导的定语从句，修饰说明secret
seemingly=from appearence 从表面上看来，
a seemingly respectable person:表面上受尊重的人

Has been concealed 现在完成被动

2. 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 ）
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
The earthquake destroyed almost entired city.
damage: 侧重强......弄坏，但是可以修复
3. 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
one's hair stands on end: 某人感到毛骨悚然的

when 时间状语从句

That 宾语从句

Who 定语从句

Had poisoned过去完成
4. It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction
occur: 某个事件出乎意料的发生（正式）
happen:一个事件出乎意料发生
take place: 事件根据安排“举行”
5. To varying degrees, we all have secrets which we do not want even our closest friends to learn
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）
instead of + doing----表示相反、没有、取而代之的是.......
6. The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.

定语从句

Be proud of 以......为自豪

7. I once spend an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.

Which 非限定性定语从句

8. 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.

After 时间状语从句

I had brought with me 定语从句

9. 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
10. 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
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）
定语从句
定语从句又分为限定性定语从句和非限定性定语从句。
限定性定语从句把它的先行词限定在特定的意义之内，对先行词起限定的作用、是先行词必不可少的修饰语，没有它，整个句子的意思就会受到影响、就不完整。
非限定性定语从句不对先行词起限定的作用，不是先行词必不可少的修饰语，只对先行词起补充说明的作用，没有它，整个句子的意思不会受到影响、仍然完整。非限定性定语从句相当于一个分句，翻译时也是把它当作分句处理的。非限定性定语从句和它的先行词之间要用逗号隔开；而限定性定语从句和它的先行词之间不能用逗号隔开。非限定性定语从句中除了不用 that以外，其它关系词都可使用，使用方法与限定性定语从句一样。