 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死
) K# \1 A) Y M( j9 |* p1 P552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted./ l) z, ]. C! C I. W" f- m0 Q
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。. U+ v. P- t3 A
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.- i* p# \! ?; V7 T! g' @
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。3 q+ P: |- v+ q. w/ @
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
, S) O; u3 \. ?! ` 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
$ n$ Z* A5 S0 c7 G555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
" b: t1 U2 ]: z 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。+ ^2 Q& n- A. S( H( d8 F" S% `' T+ @
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.8 \2 J* J. H: l1 r+ c, Z, A& d
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,) ]8 @, H+ r' Z4 ^3 A
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.. r/ T2 a8 |& Z+ f3 ^
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
2 ^/ H# I6 Y( |7 x# E558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
/ M) F' E! S8 ? 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。
! u* T, ~* \. i2 x559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.7 v9 x& L2 K7 ]. t, ?) ?
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。
* t- W/ ~9 ~; Z0 C! M/ v560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
' {( x9 d/ ]" M- \ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。3 m' p0 e3 {, q, k4 _5 `7 y$ c
561. This was indeed the case.
1 ?0 M3 z ]& d8 ^5 x" ~% A% w 但事实上确有此人。( X1 N9 j0 B3 E B
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.. h2 J$ D2 Q; E4 u! ~# ?
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
' y: L+ \+ P) \9 E$ |4 F; p/ i563. 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.: K) T( B5 p2 P3 z7 U, j
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。
: Q( ~7 K# ^1 a! P# m564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
Y' ?/ F! f6 B 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
2 `7 O P0 N; S% n Q" H565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
+ E" |6 Y3 K0 Y4 L9 O2 e 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
7 e: g0 I, g. Z# n9 M566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
0 K9 i+ O; l# W) a$ O/ z" g 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。; f' H6 c) m# }- R$ X6 f2 B: o
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
' s( B9 o0 Q, i# x 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 G; J N: E+ G( Q5 y0 m" U: ]
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.
# R, ?. i8 d8 Z& ^ 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。, L: M' S- z6 ?4 y
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
+ W$ |: a; o6 ?0 I' r; g* C- E 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。. b+ H+ D5 m/ U; s
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.2 n2 `& v, t) e$ \/ N! X
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。0 _7 r* J" J) t8 h0 [ F
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.+ ~* b: k* a( n( z
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
: M& T- z9 X8 S0 p- C4 l572. They did not even tell their wives.: C! w6 R4 n8 }- v
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。, z0 J) F2 d% T% _ D
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
; ^( s9 b" t/ V; M- g$ F3 h) h _ 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
5 S- d: _1 ~; p! m* c% e# B574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
2 ^/ v: C6 M' P+ B* J* m 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
% z7 R1 t' D: \* V575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
9 C' t i, V2 x4 _5 h0 o7 j$ j5 U- \/ m9 { 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。
$ c, e2 R6 z/ l576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
- E% s7 s! \! q8 X, E$ ]- i 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|