 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死+ h: d' c9 p9 b' Y. M
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
; {4 H% C. v/ D- K3 C+ [- z% i! p 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
8 k5 O E+ a7 _553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
0 @ d# s8 Q! k3 g 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
( f( M7 P8 D) o' x! c554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.+ p- X* y- I- ^, z1 N2 ]( h; G
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。5 r8 \3 M* Q# Y* E8 {
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.2 B( b& R0 k2 X: }" _
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。& t; n0 a- @! W! @7 h
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.. v/ z) \& B; z5 t4 a2 `! }. y
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
# W( v5 X1 ]& V557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
2 J O/ k* Y: Z: | 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。8 I$ t8 S0 l$ m. y
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
2 \, k' T- W$ Y) P8 m' P 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。( `; D; r- L- e( o
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.% O5 r# ~- D" H% `: a) n% r
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。; X5 S1 g4 R4 o9 J2 @8 ?* X
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.. ?$ b D: ~$ J0 ^& w
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
8 @7 l& S; S n, H" z9 A6 x561. This was indeed the case.8 x f5 D4 t9 N2 n& p; s% U' v
但事实上确有此人。' r. L4 F9 `9 n
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.: |1 y$ Q1 `2 u* n* H7 G0 v9 y) E0 A
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
! [7 k- P) K* Q* w. a% p563. 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.# v( q l4 U& o; k' u3 p
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。$ u6 ? h: |/ A8 U! t5 P1 m
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 l3 R9 e8 w1 ^" g9 j1 K$ ^5 e
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。: n2 w9 p9 Q; i; _( g n3 ^
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
' y9 m5 u _# t- X 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
; _' ]; b7 X& b/ V566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.+ S7 E- X- H+ t, }- `
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
5 c/ `- c/ G: W3 @" F% G8 _567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.* p. U) @& e6 ]
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。# ~6 |" Q2 Q- u) 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.
# z9 z) n# u) j 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。 z' L0 {/ V. |2 T9 ^
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.; |1 d9 V2 ~& Y2 u8 o! `
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
7 U$ [8 X: A8 | Y. I: @570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
3 B8 i. d" ~; l6 M; J9 b 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
$ Z5 }+ T7 E3 A571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.2 ?; ]- y2 T6 O
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
i' T% v7 z& n4 W; U572. They did not even tell their wives.. y4 T; t6 Q/ x! m% E
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
8 Y, w* n+ @4 O5 U/ v& d7 p/ A! U573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
# a( ]$ ]' Q2 F$ Q0 k 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
0 z# \" F/ D, r! w; j& Q' \" \574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
( \/ K3 s5 _- N6 f' a4 x' W. m! k* H 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,/ m) ?4 P( F* l/ b- |8 i
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.3 B2 v$ I' U; t" Y# O3 _
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。
: ~3 j p6 H6 x4 _2 m8 h% i' p- k1 a576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.% q; w# M* O: W: `' o
他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|