 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死4 U! _- H Y- d' V
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
' {5 S6 @2 K9 n$ ?" g; | 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。+ ~. Z8 q! D( \
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
9 O0 X$ |% _ w* E' I 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。% p, W7 c; `: U D X% c+ n2 o& q
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
+ x' v9 N' I5 h0 [! i 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。( ]3 P. F% N/ s. j) }. |
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
/ J; w/ L' r5 t8 o0 |7 E 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
+ M7 K9 r$ [& {. ^! a8 y( I556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
3 M2 E4 z8 P# l, c 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,) Z$ e' ~4 _* H1 m( H7 y* |
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.5 I3 X8 W( @+ j' s' S# x, M
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。; b, h) T5 M4 l1 y
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.9 P, Y9 u! Z# T
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。! [% M c- }; s+ i5 i9 Q E7 \
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them. {2 A) }8 E5 n& W0 N3 O4 W7 \
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。' U, W$ m. {) R: M! R3 a
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
' U& d) P, g- S3 m7 Z 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
* H8 q3 Z6 K2 h3 M. ~561. This was indeed the case.# [2 J% [" v3 j/ S
但事实上确有此人。
* h! W% z' `6 V1 n9 J562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
" }. d: b7 y; B 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。 [( Z& h# y0 w
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.& `2 D4 v$ B2 h7 F/ 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。
: t( {) n7 k, n# A564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
; e* q" o+ r2 ~ 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。$ w& H9 P% E, A" n, s+ g
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.& J0 k" B b1 o, u* C! N- Z4 [. W# M
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
0 l' K/ P9 J# `566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.0 V+ b& L% x6 P6 Z, `
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。) [4 Y1 c4 n' a% r& [
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.1 s# z8 r" M, `, L3 f5 K& Q, Y! Y
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
+ G) L0 m7 K5 ?* d8 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.; i6 n# I% I5 k4 J
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。
4 q8 h5 C) {( s. L" U7 ]) u569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
* \* s/ A( V* k$ j8 A 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
+ b4 r- h, X) f1 z t570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.2 _3 H& ~- Y5 @$ H9 n/ J% d
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
7 N3 P3 i9 m& x5 H; ]' ]$ F571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.4 _+ D! f3 G7 i1 d
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。* I) s6 a9 g7 a$ u
572. They did not even tell their wives.% a, Z' R/ E0 q3 R0 I1 T% k
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。5 H3 \) F6 ` q, L- k, m: a
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.' B3 X! U, e; i/ m* S! _
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。5 t, ~& y! M! x& F3 j% T! E
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
( _, j: ]1 X0 }+ C& ?' J! E. d 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: t+ S; I8 f1 D
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., {: B, f( ?; a5 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。1 v9 r- D3 Y" [ A. m8 E8 ?/ A3 e
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.( C1 V* \9 f0 }4 G1 ^4 I3 P
他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|