 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死4 O B% y5 B- {, a9 X7 C6 d
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
4 p( O& U3 ]* { 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
$ y3 s4 f- E+ C" L% V5 d553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.* ` I" z7 Y& Y8 L' J. y
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
$ g: `( ?% q( l8 O' q; c# Y554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
8 f; F5 X" c' f4 E 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。+ S: J9 C4 J! \1 h
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.6 N' t: }' H+ g/ l
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
' d2 N5 e' d# C/ D q556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.# y1 c& I+ _2 {, [5 v
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,5 F f* D) e2 Q/ F! p" j( z
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.! ]; U5 j( S9 V @( F W4 I n) v/ m
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。4 I/ o* R( O# W1 H
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
1 j1 H+ K6 C5 I8 [" l 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。
* \7 I* N: i5 H! J0 @5 r' I559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
( ?' R0 m0 T$ W, ~4 @ 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。
3 G. i- |0 M3 T560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.2 j8 ^' h2 \6 V
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。' O* q. O' n# K6 t6 Q5 }. _7 y& x! K
561. This was indeed the case.
: _ G+ T, H( W+ e. e# } 但事实上确有此人。
5 x% Y3 s' M& W562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.0 w! F& J8 {1 X
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。! x( H( |" Q- z( M+ A
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.9 q" r5 F4 d& U1 f+ X
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。
' x9 M/ \8 @6 R( h564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.! S: K$ ~ c7 W, h9 |; x2 c
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
0 a+ C8 Y4 L& h9 B; o3 z% e/ V+ J565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.3 R+ _7 b! ^, P1 g) d0 s9 t' h4 x5 p
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
3 U# G- i; c4 k# c566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
8 t) Z a7 y( ?0 R 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。6 X1 \" l/ X% I% h: @# I' y2 c
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 H" ^. j+ n b 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
& M( c0 {$ N# P8 K568. 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.
5 M' ? b* \' x) v0 s5 t 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。
' i6 m; N* n# ~. D569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.: F2 K5 q1 e- v0 I! D. {% h: T
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。- n4 } L( s# f" ? @
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
9 g) U' J2 Y" r% d# O- Q 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
& b' j M; J, i, l1 S: o8 Y9 f571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.% X& {% r* J/ J+ ?. k' F
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" a% c0 w# P3 t- E572. They did not even tell their wives.
( T0 r d0 I% [- ]( P+ K1 l& I1 D. b 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
( E& y7 }3 D' \573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
& @' ^" ] C7 T8 F 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
' l! G0 v% @$ ^7 o# Q. i* G' p574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.8 J8 x6 v& s1 M$ O% m- J; C
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
9 T) k4 m8 b0 _$ S575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
_, U1 j- R9 ~: u& E) P) T 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。
# e1 e- u6 r& g; e576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
8 @3 Z. ~. P* P5 B* X/ m) C 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|