 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死
+ x4 M- H0 \6 K* v' _552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.* P$ M. ~. [* O
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。( ~# {7 E/ r5 B7 U, Z) v
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
( l9 u5 U2 r7 `/ L" n" d G 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: U+ H6 I! A8 V. A% [/ g4 \* S1 b, U
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
2 }* K. b' i* q1 Z7 C# ]- f 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
5 o/ c& i% w5 S0 r' d- C555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
- x( r& Q3 H6 p* Q2 ^( Y 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。1 C! Z) ]3 U) E F: z$ T# e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.- N: T( K* q( `6 o; i. {1 m
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,$ {# X+ T/ w" h& O2 f% l
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
3 C- f. n: I2 j1 j4 O. k) q1 I- j 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
3 a/ r+ f: T8 q. @" N ^9 P6 g558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.3 `/ i3 c: ]" { n2 A
有一个彻夜未眠的雇工还声称他看见一个人影在月光下收割庄稼。
# e1 t9 K4 P8 w/ i* Z2 b) I559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them." S3 K0 a- }2 v+ a
随着时间的流逝,考科斯兄弟雇了一个尽心尽责的鬼,他们家的活大部分都让鬼给干了,这件事成了公认的事实。
5 |8 Q8 A; L0 ~# `# T560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.+ H" Y" u) c5 L# M# o# `9 ]2 o: x4 D
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。6 T: \7 I5 W) }1 @ d( z% l
561. This was indeed the case.5 K$ A. s1 m- [6 L Y J- }
但事实上确有此人。- u" a% s0 E' _9 K3 Y8 S9 R* k
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
1 c x) z4 _2 m+ ^# j9 } 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
2 O' h" e5 z$ c4 S8 c1 p$ v5 S+ e563. Everyone went to the funeral, for the 'ghost' was none other than Eric Cox, a third brother who was supposed to have died as a young man.
! ~3 H' j+ K0 U! A9 `' H2 Q9 \ 大家都去参加了葬礼,因为那“鬼”不是别人,正是农场主的兄弟埃里克.考科斯。人们以为埃里克年轻时就死了。' I8 }- d2 B3 b5 Y) \. ]
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 H9 S' m; k1 ]
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。; W) Q9 ~5 F" c2 S
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.8 Y& N, f1 M4 [$ G, C
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,8 f) z% z' }5 ] B, e! o- w
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.2 C- }- s1 E7 R% i8 P6 w
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
! M0 Q3 T' l& f7 E567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.- ]' P2 ^& \& B
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。! _* ?9 }) i! j8 r7 V. |
568. When he learnt that he would be sent abroad, he returned to the farm and his father hid him until the end of the war.
; M- |# M0 H3 C' X* Q0 q 当他了解自己将被派遣出国时,他逃回农场,父亲把他藏了起来,直到战争结束。7 U. z0 ?/ M4 s
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.7 Y* J, k4 v; Q! V8 Z4 A5 m4 \! s
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。2 x% ]5 w; W- _! I: y0 N4 f y
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
* y6 m- g. ?3 d& G4 J1 f 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
2 n8 [# U% h2 O2 M2 K: q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
$ W9 l7 ? G. {) V) b 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
$ u5 U4 h4 y6 g, a572. They did not even tell their wives.
- L5 m+ w. ?( R/ R/ D% { 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
& m, I+ e: m3 \. ^573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.$ h) b! I( ?: |; \/ T8 j) Z
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 h/ h% d/ g! v6 u' ^- j
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.% y5 ^4 B, N% X+ e9 I
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: j% [0 S" U; N% c. D7 |
575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
! n$ w8 Q0 ^2 ] 白天睡觉,夜里出来干活,一点不知道自己已成了恩得利家场的活鬼。9 i7 F/ a b, p, [& t8 Y
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
9 e' g- ^" m- [2 w& \. e4 v 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|