§ Lesson 24 A
skeleton in the
cupboard "家丑"
【New words and expressions】 生词和短语
●
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
●ruin v. 毁坏
●
heroine n. 女主人公
●
fiction n. 小说
●varying adj. 不同的
●medicine n. 医学
●guestroom n. (家庭中的)来客住房
●unpack vt. (从箱中)取出
●stack adj. (整齐地)堆放,排放
●underclothes n. 内衣
●drawer n. 抽屉
●petrify v. 使惊呆
●dangle v. 悬挂
●sway v. 摇摆
●unsympathetic adj. 不表同情的,无动于衷的
●medical adj. 医学的
■
skeleton n. 骷髅
a
skeleton in the
cupboard==a
skeleton in the closet == a family
skeleton 家丑
It's time to bring a family
skeleton out of the
cupboardskeleton key 万能钥匙
a walking
skeleton 骨瘦如柴的人
reduced to too a
skeleton 瘦的皮包骨
He has nothing to eat for a couple of days so he has been reduced to too a
skeleton.
■
seemingly adv. 表面上地
■
respectable adj. 体面的,雅观的
respectabledecent, 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.
■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.
He concealed his bets from his wife.
When the mother coming, the little girl hid behind the curtain.
hide, hid, hidden
■vivid adj. 生动的
vivid 生动的,栩栩如生的,鲜艳的,活泼的
Eg.: There is a vivid proverb.
vivid blue 碧蓝色
he is vivid with life. 他是生气勃勃。
Yours discription is really vivid.
more vivid, the most vivid
■dramatic adj. 令人激动的,扣人心弦的
dramatic 比exciting更加强烈
The dramatic things is still vivid in his mind.
■ruin v. 毁坏
■
heroine n. 女主人公
■
fiction n. 小说
fiction 和novel
fiction (集合名词)不可数 (poetry )
novel 某一部具体的小说 (poem)
I prefer reading
fiction to
hearing about real invent.
■varying adj. 不同的
=various
different 与......不一样
My idea differents from yours.
■medicine n. 医学
■guestroom n. (家庭中的)来客住房
■unpack vt. (从箱中)取出
■stack adj. (整齐地)堆放,排放
stack up the books
The
housewife is stacking up the clothing.
■underclothes n. 内衣
underclothing,
underwear■drawer n. 抽屉
■petrify v. 使惊呆
= shock, dumbfound
Heard the news I was petrified.
■dangle v. 悬挂
■sway v. 摇摆
■unsympathetic adj. 不表同情的,无动于衷的
sympathetic 同情的
sympathy n. in sympathy 同情地 (= sympathetically )
■medical adj. 医学的
【Text】
§ Lesson 24 A
skeleton in the
cupboard "家丑"
Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
Who was Sebastian?
We often read in novels how a
seeminglyrespectable 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
uncomfortableweekend 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】
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: 9=from appearence )从表面上看来,
a
seeminglyrespectable person:表面上受尊重的人
possess:(= have got, own )
不定式to作定语,修饰说明vivid
saying, 来描述这种场景。
some-表示"某一个",修饰单数可数名词
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: 侧重强调把...弄坏,但是可以修复
one's hair stands on end :某人感到毛骨悚然的
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
in her youth:在她年轻时
everyone
every one of与介词of 连用时要分开
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.
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?
To varying degrees: 从不同角度来讲
which引导定语从句修饰secret
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)
I
learned that I had passed the test.
She knows about computers.
She is learning about computers.
instead of + doing----表示相反、没有、取而代之的是......
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
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
drop----是我所发出的主动动作,所以用-ing形式
as if 引导虚拟语气
【Multiple choice questions】
Comprehension
1 In what respect does fact differ from
fictionconcerning 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.
in what respect : 在什么方面
2 Before opening the
cupboard door, the writer had _____ .
a. unpacked and gone down for dinner b. changed into some new clothes
c. put his shirts and his
underwear in a couple of drawers
d. hung one of the two suits he had brought with him
3 What was the most frightening thing about the writer's experience?
a. The sight of a
skeletonhanging 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.
Structure
4 We often read in novels of a
seeminglyrespectable person or family _____ some terrible secret ...(ll.1-2)
a. having b. has c. whom has d. that they have
如果运用
定语从句,that they have, they是多余的
现在分词做定语
c选项关系词运用不正确
5 The only person I have ever known _____ a
skeleton in the
cupboard... (ll.11-12)
a. he had b. of having c. that he has d. to have
运用不定式,修饰名词,----定语从句
the first person, the only person, the last person...
I 前省略了关系词that
6 ----George Carlton, and it is _____ he is very proud of. (l.12)
a. the fact b. something c. that which d. what
something:有意义,有价值的事
It's something to have a job in televier.
what = all全部
7 No sooner had I opened the
cupboard door _____ I stood ...(ll.17-18)
a. and b. then c. than d. that
8 '_____ that I was a medical student once upon a time?' (l.22)
a. Why don't you remember b. Have you forgotten c. Do you forget d. have you not remembered
现在完成时
Vocabulary
9 The English language _____ a vivid
saying to ... (ll.3-4)
a. owes b. contains c. holds d. has
has == own
owe 欠钱
I owed him two dollars yesterday.
10 ----the guestroom, which, he said, was _____ used. (l.15)
a. little b. a little c. uncommonly d. preciously
little:否定色彩的副词
a little: 肯定语义
uncommonly:不正常地,不普通地
preciously:珍贵地
11 He told me to unpack my _____ and then ...(ll.15-16)
a. items b. objects c. trunks d. belongings
belongings ==possessions
trunk:皮箱,汽车尾箱
object:巨大的物体
item:物品
12 ----gave me the impression that it _____ leaping out at me. (l.19)
a. was on the point of b. was
concerned with c. was thinking of d. was almost
"...it was about to leap out at me..." "即将,即刻做某事"
Eg.: The plane is about to set off.
The plane is on the point of
setting out.
be
concerned with:关心
think of:考虑,想到
【Key to Multiple choice questions】
1. A 2. C 3. A 4. A 5. D 6. B 7. C 8. B 9. D 10. A 11. D 12. A
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