精选新概念背诵篇【省纸打印页】.docVIP

新概念三L?esson? 24? A skele?ton in the cupbo?ard? “家丑” We often? read in novel?s how a seemi?ngly respe?ctabl?e perso?n or famil?y has some terri?ble secre?t which? has been conce?aled from stran?gers for years?. The Engli?sh langu?age posse?sses a vivid? sayin?g to descr?ibe this sort of situa?tion. The terri?ble secre?t is calle?d ‘a skele?ton in the cupbo?ard’. At some drama?tic momen?t in the story?, the terri?ble secre?t becom?es known? and a reput?ation? is ruine?d. The reade?rs hair stand?s on end when he reads? in the final? pages? of the novel? that the heroi?ne, a dear old lady who had alway?s been so kind to every?body, had, in her youth?, poiso?ned every? one of her five husba?nds. It is all very well for such thing?s to occur? in ficti?on. To varyi?ng degre?es, we all have secre?ts which? we do not want even our close?st frien?ds to learn?, but few of us have skele?tons in the cupbo?ard. The only perso?n I know who has a skele?ton in the cupbo?ard is Georg?e Carlt?on, and he is very proud? of the fact. Georg?e studi?ed medic?ine in his youth?. Inste?ad of becom?ing a docto?r, howev?er, he becam?e a succe?ssful? write?r of detec?tive stori?es. I once spent? an uncom?forta?ble weeke?nd which? I shall? never? forge?t at his house?. Georg?e showe?d me to the guest?room which?, he said, was rarel?y used. He told me to unpac?k my thing?s and then come down to dinne?r. After? I had stack?ed my shirt?s and under?cloth?es in two empty? drawe?rs, I decid?ed to hang one of the two suits? I had broug?ht with me in the cupbo?ard. I opene?d the cupbo?ard door and then stood? in front? of it petri?fied. A skele?ton was dangl?ing befor?e my eyes. The sudde?n movem?ent of the door made it sway sligh?tly and it gave me the impre?ssion? that it was about? to leap out at me. Dropp?ing my suit, I dashe?d downs?tairs? to tell Georg?e. This was worse? than ‘a terri?ble secre?t’; this was a real skele?ton! But Georg?e was unsym?pathe?tic. ‘Oh, that,’ he said with a smile? as if