 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死6 j7 k; q% Z, j
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
4 r& p) x1 s2 I0 J! f7 k 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% E; M2 F. B2 ^0 L( d; D553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.2 {9 k* E: W9 g8 |5 f6 g1 K
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
# t9 Q9 q' ~' X/ _! P" U554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
# R/ j9 U% m' d 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
: r) s$ C$ E8 v% W/ l, H# E0 z7 j555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story. E& K3 X9 Y( q. y3 A3 d
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。. z/ n4 ] [4 \5 b$ w+ r* g
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
9 T4 [8 d! N* g' L6 E" f+ N 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,; t1 D) w+ {7 S' J0 H
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.& `# q2 o$ ~: s- o
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
: ?1 w5 U: i- y558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.# W- C- g; N1 {7 Q; W1 q2 _
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。( A) f( u7 K! Q) a
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
* b7 A) c2 q/ ], 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。 G" j+ s m% w3 F- h) K
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.! f' _2 b3 g* X& ^$ L' ]4 [
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
+ E, z. h- m; O561. This was indeed the case.
6 r& k: u$ ^0 t0 R 但事实上确有此人。
6 c0 `0 [ Y3 t9 X562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.4 z( O3 C8 ~" }8 E
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。7 P2 K" G; L, e2 @3 Y! ]: {
563. 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.) ?$ |4 ^3 H4 m) B
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。0 W' i- J0 T4 i: b9 `
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.4 s7 F* U: g: K% G L
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。& D6 P* I0 [! V4 ^5 b k
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.0 Y. E4 i/ {' X4 l) h
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,) J* C) ^! A( Y' l9 l1 ]
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.# ^* k ^2 `/ [
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 ~( ]# ` ^ Y4 k* G% e! I
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
. s' g8 v7 c; h" d+ x 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。$ s% l3 z3 d4 L: P4 F
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.8 ~' ?, S' t9 l9 h9 F: y
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。' \! S. x* f6 {; y; x- O0 X
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
8 Q- n+ G2 x- d1 [; z 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
( z# Z% k$ K# @: {3 O' w570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
* s: y* b3 X( ~ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。: q2 K: I. j) s+ T
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
7 d+ R; d+ D$ f: S* d/ f2 T& _ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 R2 p. D R1 [7 n- e/ ^$ S8 [572. They did not even tell their wives.
; _- u; Z# J% O% h) Q 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。7 \) f$ V9 N3 P; [" x
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.- r8 Q2 W2 e# s8 B# Z
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
2 G3 f% q$ m- l, [% p, }% p1 G7 W574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
. `8 m/ ?' S) D) v, r) x6 y* |: I 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,! f3 v% p0 S# k" l) b! W
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.
( q& F) _0 W0 _! k; F 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。5 T! c. J6 V" v; |; L
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.3 S" k/ Y/ B: o% \ ?+ I. Q0 [6 K
他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|