Listen to the tape then answer the question below.
听录音，然后回答以下问题。
Who was Sebastian?

    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 pound 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 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 tow suits I had brought with me in the cupboard. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of two suits I had brought with me in the cupboard. I opened the cupboard door and then stood in front of it 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 read 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.'

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
v.   （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

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。”

New words and expression 生词和短语

Skeleton  n.骷髅 （n.(动物之)骨架, 骨骼, 基干, 纲要, 万能钥匙）

Closet  n.壁橱, 衣橱, 碗橱

a skeleton in the cupboard = a skeleton in the closet = a family skeleton 家丑

-- It is time to bring the family skeleton out of the cupboard. 该是公开家丑的时候。

skeleton key  万能钥匙

reduced to a skeleton 瘦得皮包骨

-- He has had nothing to eat for a couple of days so he has been reduced to a skeleton.

 

Seemingly  adv.表面上地

 

Respectable  adj.体面的, 雅观的

-- The tie is for respectable people only. 这条领带只适合体面的人戴。

Decent  adj.正派的, 端庄的, 有分寸的, (服装)得体的, 大方的

Graceful  adj.优美的，优雅的

Deserving respect 可敬的

-- deserve（vt.应受, 值得）  respect（n.尊敬, 敬重）

Respectable  adj.可敬的, 有名望的, 高尚的, 值得尊敬的

Respectful  adj.尊重人的, 有礼貌的

-- A respectable person is respectful to others. 受人尊敬的人也会尊敬别人的。

Respective  adj.分别的, 各自的  -- All the students returned to their respective classrooms.

 

Conceal  v.隐藏, 隐瞒 （比hide更加正式, 语气更强）

Conceal sth. from sb.

-- He concealed his disappointment from his friends.（disappointment n.失望）

-- He concealed his debts from his wife.

Hide  vt.vi.（hid, hidden, hiding）隐藏, 把…藏起来

-- When her mother came in the little girl hid behind the curtain.（很口语话）

 

Vivid  adj.生动的（活泼的）

adj.鲜明的, 鲜艳的（光线、色彩等）  -- a vivid color 鲜艳的颜色 /  vivid blue 碧蓝色

adj.传神的, 栩栩如生的

She gave the police a vivid description of the accident. 她对警察生动地描述了这次事故。

比较级more vivid  / 最高级the most vivid

 

Dramatic  adj.令人激动的, 扣人心弦的（戏剧性的, 生动的）

Vivid  adj.清晰的

-- The dramatic scene is still vivid in his mind. 那扣人心弦的一幕在他脑海中仍很清晰。

Exciting  adj.令人兴奋的, 使人激动的（没有dramatic那么强烈）

Striking  adj.引人注意的, 显著的, 惊人的

 

ruin  v.毁坏

heroine  n.女主人公

 

fiction  n.小说（虚构, 编造）---- 集合名词, 小说的总称, 不可数

novel  n.小说, 长篇故事（某一部具体的小说）

-- I prefer reading fiction to hearing about real events. 我喜欢阅读小说而不喜欢听真实的事件。

 

varying  adj.不同的

vary  vi.vt.改变, 变化  -- The weather varies from day to day.  天气一天天变化。

Varying = Various（adj.不同的, 各种各样的）= different kinds of

Different  adj.不同的（与…不一样）  -- My idea in different from yours.

 

medicine  n.医学

Guestroom  n.（家庭中的）来客住房

Unpack  vt.（从箱中）取出

 

Stack  v.（整齐地）堆放, 排放

-- Stack up the books.

-- The housewife is stacking up the clothing.

Stack  n.摞, 叠, 大堆, 堆栈  -- a stack of papers 一摞报纸 /  a stack of books 一大堆书

 

Underclothes  n.内衣

Underclothing  n.内衣, 贴身衣裤   Underwear  n.内衣裤

 

Drawer  n.抽屉

 

petrify  v.使惊呆

shock  vt.使…震惊 n.打击, 震动   dumbfound  vt.使惊愕；使惊呆；使目瞪口呆

Petrified  adj.感到震惊的  /  Petrifying  adj.令人震惊的零   -- At the new I was petrified.　

 

dangle  v.悬挂

sway  v.摇摆

 

unsympathetic  adj.不表同情的, 无动于衷的

be unsympathetic to sb. 对某人不表示同情

-- I told him about my experience but he was unsympathetic to me.

Sympathetic  adj.同情的,表示同情的, 感到同情的

-- The manager was sympathetic (to me), but he could do nothing (to help me).

这位经理表示同情,但他无能为力。

Unsympathetically  adv.无同情心的, 冷淡的

Sympathetically  adv.同情地, 怜悯地

Sympathy  n.同情, 同情心

In sympathy = sympathetically

 

medical  adj.医学的

 

stranger  n.陌生人                        secret  n.秘密

close  adj.近的, 紧密的, 亲密的 adv.接近, 紧密地（s读z）

closest  adj.最靠近的

youth  n.青春, 青年时期, 初期  n.少年, 青年们

detective  n.侦探 adj.侦探的              shirt  n.衬衫, 衬衣

slightly  adv.轻微地, 有一点, 略, 苗条地

dash  vt., vi.突进, 飞跑

once upon a time  adv.从前

[1] [2] 下一页