 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死) ^) q9 V$ Y1 l- Z0 K* _
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
! g' A, d2 ]1 Q$ i 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。$ f2 g: f& }2 W4 x6 B& q! N
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.. e; g. x7 C% I
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。. e3 p" C: f$ L( X' A. X0 V
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
3 D/ q2 k- G! D4 J; H: L. q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
. {) G7 {' h: w, Z. Y4 d: d1 Q555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.. O2 Y9 G6 U3 M) ?; {7 h
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
7 Q% r* c( D+ F2 [556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
% _7 ]8 _7 [% N4 {9 K 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,! `1 n, ^9 J! C& \& N+ g
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
, }7 Y/ X* d1 b9 }+ V1 h 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
8 p" Z1 C2 X5 X( q2 p! e# W558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
4 n) {* S8 H* d! W/ ?" ^ 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。
: f4 L; {# h- D k: b1 \& y/ j0 r559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.) G4 f# A7 z! e1 t R3 b
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。% a |; ^1 i, m3 M" V0 H
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
+ s- Z0 u6 ?: W! z @; K 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
# B( r3 q% g2 d, [6 t9 Q( u561. This was indeed the case.: C k9 q& D$ ^8 z! _7 N
但事实上确有此人。
' d1 Z2 j. N' S. l" }" @* [% \9 n562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.# w$ r4 U# t" J, T& t7 _$ _6 x& m' q
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。8 D# P2 {: ~( c: h- n
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.% H$ A& S1 {8 ~8 S
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。/ W* i6 U- s+ _$ L5 S
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years./ o! E1 H% o6 I) u6 w
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
4 W7 L M4 t }" a565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.. m0 i) y+ Q3 Q, E
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,/ P3 `5 y4 H0 |/ C6 y: m
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.9 z7 v2 p# t/ i1 Z
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 H6 f" Q+ S, w2 Z9 b/ U5 @: D
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.5 g! Y% {+ i8 d1 \
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
, z$ f) B9 O# Y8 Y568. 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.
* o3 a8 _. p/ B/ A: X( z# {5 s ] 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。- g5 G8 k# I7 h" M! Y$ Y+ N7 K
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.# o7 Q+ o% B6 U! M2 M! {
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
3 Q3 y1 X h! ?; h5 _/ ]* {0 z570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action." ~, S5 L' w4 D
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
9 O* O6 e. @- [571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
* g9 l9 R; b* d, |) ]- z 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 ]7 G7 Y# q* C/ i$ y572. They did not even tell their wives.7 c n% H a( p9 s9 c" i
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
$ p5 L1 d9 C b/ N% {+ X N573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.) s% a) B$ H G) {
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
7 ], [: Z5 D" {574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
5 t: T& e3 x; T1 C 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
( A# F- Y. R, h* F4 [& E575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
: H D7 V* _$ c7 X w5 Y' q6 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。
0 Z2 O$ C' U K! |576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
3 H3 e& U. R: ^; z) K 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|