A skeleton in the cupboard

原文

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.'

译文

我们常常在小说中读到，一个貌似体面的人或家庭，有某种可怕的秘密，多年来一直瞒着外人。英语中有一个生动的说法来形容这种情况。这个可怕的秘密叫做“壁橱里的骷髅”。在故事中某个戏剧性的时刻，这个可怕的秘密被揭露了，于是名誉扫地。当读者在小说的最后几页读到，女主人公——一个一向对大家非常和善的可敬老太太，在她年轻时毒死了她的五个丈夫时，不禁毛骨悚然。

这种事情发生在小说里是情有可原的。我们大家在不同程度上都有一些秘密，不愿让最亲密的朋友知道，但很少有人有“壁橱里的骷髅”。我所认识的唯一一个有“壁橱里的骷髅”的人是乔治·卡尔顿，而且他对这点颇为自豪。乔治年轻时学过医学。然而，他没有当医生，却成了一个成功的侦探小说作家。有一次，我在他家度过了一个难忘的令人不快的周末。乔治把我带到客房里，说那间房很少使用。他让我先把东西 unpack 好，然后下来吃晚饭。我把衬衫和内衣叠好放进两个空抽屉后，决定把带去的两套西服中的一套挂在壁橱里。我打开壁橱门，然后站在那里，惊呆了。一具骷髅悬挂在眼前。门的突然开启使它微微晃动了一下，给我一种它要向我扑过来的印象。我扔下西服，冲 downstairs 去告诉乔治。这比“可怕的秘密”还糟——这是一具真正的骷髅！但乔治却毫不同情。“噢，那个，”他笑着说，仿佛在谈及一个老朋友似的。“那是塞巴斯蒂安。你忘了我曾经是个医科学生了。”

词汇表

secret

名词, 形容词

英:/ˈsiːkrət/

美:/ˈsiːkrət/

定义

1. 秘密 - Something that is kept hidden from others.

例子: Everyone has a secret they don't want to share.

例子: The secret to her success was her hard work.

2. 保密的 - Not known or seen by others (as an adjective).

例子: He held a secret meeting with his team.

例子: The document contains secret information.

近义词

confidential: 强调需要保密的信息，与 'secret' 类似，但更正式，常用于官方或商业语境。

mystery: 暗示未知或需要揭开的谜团，'secret' 更侧重于故意隐藏，而 'mystery' 可能涉及好奇心。

concealment: 更侧重于隐藏的行为，'secret' 指隐藏的内容本身，与 'concealment' 相比更直接。

反义词:

public, open, revealed

用法

常用于描述个人或事件中的隐藏信息，常见搭配如 'keep a secret'（保守秘密），在小说或故事中常表示戏剧性元素。

形式:

复数: secrets, 形容词形式: secretive, 动词形式: secrete (隐藏)

关键句型 "X is called Y."

定义

此句型用于定义或命名某事物，常用于解释术语、习语或概念的含义。结构为：X（主语，通常是名词或名词短语）+ is called（动词短语，表示被称作）+ Y（定义或名称）。根据《剑桥英语语法》教材，这种句型是简单定义句的一种形式，常用于正式或叙述性语言中，帮助清晰地介绍新词汇或表达方式。它简洁明了，常在故事、文章或对话中出现，以建立读者对事物的理解。

例如，在文章中，“The terrible secret is called 'a skeleton in the cupboard'” 直接定义了习语。

用法

此句型主要用于介绍专有名词、习语或隐喻性表达，常见于说明文、故事或教育性对话中。规则：X 必须是可定义的事物，is called 后跟 Y，后者可以是引号内的短语或直接名词。语法体系中，它属于系表结构（linking verb sentences），与 "be" 动词相关，强调身份或标签。

横向比较：与 "X means Y"（表示解释含义）相比，X is called Y 更侧重于正式命名或惯用表达；与 "X is known as Y" 相比，前者更直接、更简短，常用于非正式场合，而后者更适合正式或学术语境。此外，它可以与定语从句结合，如 "X, which is called Y, does something"，从而扩展句子复杂性，建立与其他句型的联系，例如与被动语态的关联，因为 "is called" 本身是被动形式。

在实际应用中，此句型帮助学习者构建词汇库，尤其在阅读小说或学习习语时。

注意事项

学生常犯的错误包括：误用动词形式，如将 "is called" 替换为 "calls"（变成主动语态，改变含义）；或忽略引号，导致习语不清楚，例如说 "The secret is called a skeleton in the cupboard" 而非用引号标明。另外，学生可能忘记上下文适配，例如在非定义场景强行使用此句型，显得生硬。纠正建议：练习时，确保 Y 是特定名称，并结合实际例句。使用时注意语调平和，以避免听起来过于正式。

错误示例：The secret calls a skeleton.（主动语态错误，缺少定义感）
正确示例：Pride is called a deadly sin in many cultures.

练习

原创例子：假设你在讨论英语习语时可以说：“Fear of the dark is called 'nyctophobia' in psychology.” 学生可以替换 X 和 Y，如将它改为 “Success is called 'the key to happiness' in some stories”，并在日常对话中应用，例如在朋友圈分享时说：“This game is called 'Monopoly', and it's really fun!” 通过替换关键词，学生能练习适应不同主题，如文化或个人经历，这有助于加深记忆和灵活运用。

额外内容

背景知识：此句型在英语中源于定义性语言的传统，尤其在文学和教育中常见，如莎士比亚的作品中经常使用类似结构来命名角色或概念。对比分析，与中文的 "X 叫做 Y" 类似，但英语版本更强调正式性和精确性，例如在法语中，类似表达是 "X s'appelle Y"，需要动词变位，而英语更简单，无需变化。这可以帮助学生理解英语的简洁优势，同时扩展到其他语言的学习，丰富跨文化认知。

关键句型 "which has been [verb]"

定义

此句型是一种定语从句结构，用于描述主句中名词的过去状态或经历，常以 which 引导，表示原因、结果或持续影响。结构为：which（关系代词）+ has been（现在完成时被动语态）+ [verb]（过去分词）。根据《牛津现代英语语法》，它属于复杂句型的一部分，用于添加额外信息，使句子更生动和连贯，尤其在叙述故事时。

例如，文章中的 “which has been concealed from strangers for years” 定义了秘密的长期隐藏状态。

用法

此句型常用于描述过去事件对现在的影响，常见于故事、新闻或描述性写作中。规则：which 必须指代前面的名词，has been 表示动作已完成但影响持续，[verb] 是过去分词形式。在语法体系中，它结合了定语从句和现在完成时被动语态，强调事件的延续性。

横向比较：与简单过去时定语从句如 "which was concealed" 相比，which has been [verb] 突出事件的持续性到现在；与主动语态的 "which has concealed" 相比，它更客观，焦点在被影响的事物上。同时，它与条件句或时间状语从句相关联，例如 "which has been done before it happens"，帮助学生连接不同语法点，如被动语态与时态的互动。

此句型在英语中增强叙述的深度，适合初级到中级学习者用于写作练习。

注意事项

学生易犯错误包括：混淆时态，如用 "which is concealed"（现在时，失去过去影响）；或错误使用关系代词，例如用 "that has been concealed" 而忽略上下文（which 更适合非人称名词）。纠正建议：多练习定语从句的搭配，并注意被动语态的结构。另一个常见问题是用错动词形式，如 "which has been conceal"（应为过去分词），可以通过例句比较来避免。

错误示例：The secret which has conceal for years.（动词形式错误）
正确示例：The book which has been read by many people is fascinating.

练习

原创例子：在讲述个人经历时可以说：“The old house which has been abandoned for decades still holds many mysteries.” 学生可以替换 [verb] 和上下文，如改为 “The letter which has been sent to my friend arrived yesterday”，并在日记或故事中应用。通过这种替换，学生能探索不同场景，例如在旅游描述中说：“The bridge which has been built last year is now a popular spot.” 这不仅加深理解，还鼓励创造性表达。

额外内容

背景知识：定语从句如这个句型起源于古英语的复杂句结构，在现代英语小说中广泛用于增加张力，对比其他语言，如西班牙语的 "que ha sido [verb]"，英语版本更灵活，无需性别变化。这对比能帮助学生欣赏英语的包容性，并扩展到历史语境，如维多利亚时代小说中常见，丰富学习体验。