新概念英语第三册 24（New concept English third volumes 24）.docVIP

新概念英语第三册 24（New concept English third volumes 24） lesson 24 a skeleton in the cupboard 家丑 一、【text】课文 we often read in novels how the 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 also ruined. the readers hair stands on end when he did you tell in the final pages of the novel that the heroine, the 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 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 my shirts and underclothes doublestacked in two empty drawers, i decided to hang one of the two suits i had brought with me in the cupboard. i opened the door, and then cupboard stood in front of it petrified. the 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. thats sebastian. you forget tha