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 cup board '. 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 week-end 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 in the cupboard one of the two suits I had brought with me. 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.’
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。”
1. 单词
（1）conceal
英[kənˈsi:l] 美[kənˈsil]
vt. 隐藏，隐瞒，遮住;
（2）vivid
英[ˈvɪvɪd] 美[ˈvɪvɪd]
adj. 生动的; 清晰的（记忆、描述等）; 丰富的（人的想像）; 鲜艳的，耀眼的（光、颜色等）;
（3）dramatic
英[drəˈmætɪk] 美[drəˈmætɪk]
adj. 引人注目的; 戏剧的，戏剧性的; 激动人心的;
（4）heroine
英[ˈherəʊɪn] 美[ˈheroʊɪn]
n. 女主角; 女英雄; 女杰出人物;
（5）fiction
英[ˈfɪkʃn] 美[ˈfɪkʃən]
n. 小说，虚构的文学作品; 虚构的或想像出的事，并非完全真实的事; 编造，虚构;
（6）unpack
英[ˌʌnˈpæk] 美[ʌnˈpæk]
vt.& vi. 从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出;
vt. 拆包; 解除…的负担; 吐露（心事等）; 卸下（车、马等）的负荷物;
（7）stack
英[stæk] 美[stæk]
n. 垛，干草堆; 烟囱（一排）; 层积; 整个的藏书架排列;
vt.& vi. 堆成堆，垛; 堆起来或覆盖住; 洗牌作弊; 秘密事先运作;
（8）underclothes
英[ˈʌndəkləʊðz] 美[ˈʌndərkloʊðz]
n. 内衣; 内衣裤; 衬衣;
（9）petrified
英[ˈpetrɪfaɪd]
adj. 惊呆的; 目瞪口呆的;
v. 使吓呆，使惊呆; 变僵硬; 使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词);
（10）dangle
英[ˈdæŋgl] 美[ˈdæŋɡəl]
vi. 悬荡，垂着摆动; 尾随，追逐;
vt. 使摇晃地挂着或摆荡; 悬而未定;
（11）dash
英[dæʃ] 美[dæʃ]
vi. 猛冲; 赶紧离开;
vt. 猛撞; 匆忙完成; 泼溅; 使…破灭;
n. 短跑; 破折号; 猛冲; 少量，些许;
（12）unsympathetic
英[ˌʌnˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk] 美[ˌʌnˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk]
adj. 不同情的，冷漠无情的;
adv. 不同情地，冷漠无情地;
（13）Sebastian
n. 塞巴斯蒂安(m.);
2. 短语
（1）a skeleton in the cup board 柜子里的秘密
（2）hair stands on end 头发倒竖
（3）leap out 跳出; <非正>显而易见;
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 week-end 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 in the cupboard one of the two suits I had brought with me. 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.’
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。”
1. 单词
（1）conceal
英[kənˈsi:l] 美[kənˈsil]
vt. 隐藏，隐瞒，遮住;
（2）vivid
英[ˈvɪvɪd] 美[ˈvɪvɪd]
adj. 生动的; 清晰的（记忆、描述等）; 丰富的（人的想像）; 鲜艳的，耀眼的（光、颜色等）;
（3）dramatic
英[drəˈmætɪk] 美[drəˈmætɪk]
adj. 引人注目的; 戏剧的，戏剧性的; 激动人心的;
（4）heroine
英[ˈherəʊɪn] 美[ˈheroʊɪn]
n. 女主角; 女英雄; 女杰出人物;
（5）fiction
英[ˈfɪkʃn] 美[ˈfɪkʃən]
n. 小说，虚构的文学作品; 虚构的或想像出的事，并非完全真实的事; 编造，虚构;
（6）unpack
英[ˌʌnˈpæk] 美[ʌnˈpæk]
vt.& vi. 从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出;
vt. 拆包; 解除…的负担; 吐露（心事等）; 卸下（车、马等）的负荷物;
（7）stack
英[stæk] 美[stæk]
n. 垛，干草堆; 烟囱（一排）; 层积; 整个的藏书架排列;
vt.& vi. 堆成堆，垛; 堆起来或覆盖住; 洗牌作弊; 秘密事先运作;
（8）underclothes
英[ˈʌndəkləʊðz] 美[ˈʌndərkloʊðz]
n. 内衣; 内衣裤; 衬衣;
（9）petrified
英[ˈpetrɪfaɪd]
adj. 惊呆的; 目瞪口呆的;
v. 使吓呆，使惊呆; 变僵硬; 使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词);
（10）dangle
英[ˈdæŋgl] 美[ˈdæŋɡəl]
vi. 悬荡，垂着摆动; 尾随，追逐;
vt. 使摇晃地挂着或摆荡; 悬而未定;
（11）dash
英[dæʃ] 美[dæʃ]
vi. 猛冲; 赶紧离开;
vt. 猛撞; 匆忙完成; 泼溅; 使…破灭;
n. 短跑; 破折号; 猛冲; 少量，些许;
（12）unsympathetic
英[ˌʌnˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk] 美[ˌʌnˌsɪmpəˈθetɪk]
adj. 不同情的，冷漠无情的;
adv. 不同情地，冷漠无情地;
（13）Sebastian
n. 塞巴斯蒂安(m.);
2. 短语
（1）a skeleton in the cup board 柜子里的秘密
（2）hair stands on end 头发倒竖
（3）leap out 跳出; <非正>显而易见;
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