Lesson24 A Skeleton in the Cupboard 櫥柜里的骷髏
新概念3課文內容：
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 make 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(chǎn) 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.'
新概念英語3逐句精講：
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.
在小說中，我們經(jīng)常讀到一個表面上受人尊重的人物或家庭，卻有著某種多年不為人所知的駭人聽聞的秘密。
語言點:句子結構分析:how引導賓語從句，說明read的內容。從句中的which引導定語從句，修飾secret,說明“是什么樣的秘密”。
2.The English language possesses a vivid saying to describe this sort of situation.
英語中有一個生動的說法來形容這種情況。
語言點:句子結構分析:to describe this sort of situation作賓語saying的補足語，補充說明“說法”的內容。
3.The terrible secret is called "a skeleton in the cupboard".
驚人的秘密稱作 “柜中骷髏 ”。
語言點:句子結構分析: a skeleton in the cupboard作主語secret的補足語。
4.At some dramatic moment in the story, the terrible secret becomes known and a reputation is ruined.
在小說的某個戲劇性時刻，可怕的秘密泄漏出來，接著便是某人的聲譽掃地。
語言點:英語中的被動語態(tài)在譯成漢語時必須作出適當?shù)恼{整，譯為主動語態(tài)更符合漢語的邏輯和表達習慣，a reputation is ruined不可直譯為“一個聲譽被毀了”，而是“聲譽掃地”。
5.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.
當讀者到小說后幾頁了解到書中女主人公，那位一向待大家很好的可愛的老婦人年輕時一連毒死了她的 5個丈夫時，不禁會毛骨悚然。
語言點:句子結構分析:這是一個超長的復合句，主句為The reader's hair stands on end,when引導時間狀語從句，其中又有一個由that引導的賓語從句，賓語從句中含有由who引導的定語從句，修飾lady。此外，a dear old lady作heroine的同位語，in her youth是插入語。
6.It is all very well for such things to occur in fiction.
這種事發(fā)生在小說中是無可非議的。
語言點:句子結構分析:it充當形式主語，真正的主語是動詞不定式短語to occur in fiction。此句可以還原為:To occur in fiction is all very well for such things.但還原后的句子頭重腳輕，故使用it作形式主語，而將句子的真正主語移到后面。
7.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.
盡管我們人人都有各種大小秘密。連親密的朋友都不愿讓他們知道，但我們當中極少有人有柜中骷髏。
語言點:句子結構分析:which引導定語從句，修飾secrets,說明是“什么樣的秘密”。But連接兩個轉折關系的句子，引出下文。
8.The only person I know who has a skeleton in the cupboard is George Carlton, and he is very proud of the fact.
我所認識的的在柜中藏骷嶁的人便是喬治 .卡爾頓，他甚至引以為自豪。
語言點:句子結構分析:person的后面接了兩個定語從句，其中I know的前面省去了在從句中不充當任何成分的關系代詞that。
9.George studied medicine in his youth.
喬治年輕時學過醫(yī)。
語言點:句子結構分析:in his youth的意思是“在他年輕時”，在本句中充當時間狀語。
10.Instead of becoming a doctor, however, he became a successful writer of detective stories.
然而，他后來沒當上醫(yī)生，卻成了一位成功的偵探小說作家。
語言點:句子結構分析:however是轉折連詞，連接兩個意思相反的句子。Instead of becoming a doctor作方式狀語，放在句首是為了強調。
11.I once spent an uncomfortable weekend which I shall never forget at his house.
有，我在他家里度周末，過得很不愉快。這事我永遠不會忘記。
語言點:句子結構分析:which引導定語從句，修飾weekend,說明“周末過得怎么樣”。
12.George showed me to the guestroom which, he said, was rarely used.
喬治把我領進客房，說這間很少使用。
語言點:句子結構分析:which引導定語從句，修飾guestroom。He said作插入語。
13. He told me to unpack my things and then come down to dinner.
他讓我打開行裝后下樓吃飯。
語言點:句子結構分析:to unpack my things充當me的賓語補足語。
14. 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.
我將襯衫、內衣放進兩個空抽屜里，然后我想把隨身帶來的兩套西服中的一套掛到大衣柜里去。
語言點:句子結構分析:after引導時間狀語從句。Suits后為省略了關系代詞that/which的定語從句。
15. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it petrified.
我打開柜門，站在柜門前一下驚呆了。
語言點:句子結構分析:and并列連接主語“我”發(fā)出的兩個動作。
16. A skeleton was dangling before my eyes.
一具骷髏懸掛在眼前。
語言點:本句用過去進行時was dangling特別形象地強調“骷髏”晃來晃去的恐怖模樣。
17. The sudden movement of the door make it sway slightly and it gave me the impression that it was about to leap out at me.
由于柜門突然打開，它也隨之輕微搖晃起來，讓我覺得它好像馬上要跳出柜門朝我撲過來似的。
語言點1:句子結構分析:sway slightly是賓語it的補足語。That引導定語從句，修飾impression,說明“印象如何”。
語言點2:leap out(跳出來)為夸張修辭格。
18. Dropping my suit, I dashed downstairs to tell George.
我扔下西服沖下樓去告訴喬治。
語言點1:句子結構分析:dropping my suit是現(xiàn)在分詞短語，作伴隨狀語。
語言點2:dash downstais的意思是“沖下樓”，注意與rush out(沖出去)加以區(qū)別。
19. This was worse than a terrible secret; this was a real skeleton!
這是比 “駭人聽聞的秘密 ”更加驚人的東西，這是一具真正的骷髏??！
語言點:句子結構分析:分號之后的內容為補充說明，解釋“為什么駭人聽聞”。
20. But George was unsympathetic.
但喬治卻無動于衷。
語言點:句子結構分析:but引導的句子與上文的說法形成轉折，引出下文George對這件事情的不同看法。
21. ‘Oh, that,’he said with a smile as if he were talking about an old friend.
“噢，是它呀！他笑著說道，儼然在談論一位老朋友。
語言點1:句子結構分析:that指代上文中提到的skeleton。as if引導虛擬語氣—“好像在談論一位老朋友”。
語言點2:said with a smile的意思是“笑著說”，with a smile作方式狀語，指的是“以笑的方式說”。
22. ‘That’s Sebastian. You forget that I was a medical student once upon a time.’
“那是塞巴斯蒂安。你忘了我以前是學醫(yī)的了?！? 語言點1:句子結構分析:that引導賓語從句，說明forget的內容是什么。
語言點2:once upon a time指的是“過去，曾經(jīng)”，即以前的事情。