 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死- I, p4 i6 @# Z. W7 h. r
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.3 w9 |) D* w. R! K& ^ h8 C
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。" z5 ^/ V7 ]/ t7 f
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
; E% f/ }5 D$ j* b( O0 @. s6 T 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
* ]# c3 M3 w5 n, P8 n0 d @554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
* P! i8 W' c7 K* u8 Y# P 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
: A7 _+ N8 q5 ]9 c9 C1 K555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.( X$ A9 k9 I8 K; C% C& l
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。: m& @* P! x5 C! ~
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
+ I. V% U% r0 k% C9 }$ l" e 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,! d U% O/ {3 o3 r6 a
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned./ x3 l) l8 o l- L) B- p8 [
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
' v, b# n$ O+ ^3 q1 x9 C558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.1 o) L8 {' b8 k# t& q
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。
( [, k+ l8 S) H6 k* t* W# ?: Y559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
6 j+ F( _ [7 _( H8 E 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。( [% x4 H% m6 V: E( z5 o) ^
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.! m5 T, f3 H# J
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
$ g6 [3 X2 [; z9 Z4 z& }561. This was indeed the case.9 h2 t& M$ w S8 v( n
但事实上确有此人。- \1 O. i' H4 b a
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
5 w2 M9 x0 s! I3 f% S$ J 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
4 f" m. o. S# b563. 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 C0 [0 Z. q. V* ` 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。
$ p. P; T9 _. u( T' E! d564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
5 W h" ~% @ Q8 [2 G0 v; m 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
: Z' z0 i z2 f% m1 J8 a+ w565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
t- o2 C& [- U! b- T! C 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,; H" C4 Y t$ z$ ?
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
( U1 C6 O. S# o( I 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。5 o. ]( ~" G- R7 \
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.8 [ h$ E% j9 l; z: Z9 I
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。- c; F7 |3 y2 n, W- E% v6 A
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.0 `' k/ u8 n7 D7 L
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。: m. v* \/ x3 }1 x$ Q+ j% d
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
' C1 o8 M, E! [# \2 }( e, a 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。$ W& L( @) i7 Q1 a, ~
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
+ Z1 ]& d. g" D& y# N1 { 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。4 e$ V$ t z4 a% j& `! `4 L( u* @) u
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
% B5 x7 t! [' s' `( @; o2 z+ F 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。$ |. E @# O ]2 L$ g- V
572. They did not even tell their wives.8 I+ T, D( V1 i1 z) E# i
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
- x& e% w. L6 B' F* G573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.& W9 g9 A8 y; j1 `: Y
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 F6 \# ~" L5 i5 K, k+ e2 a( b
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
4 h4 K& G2 x8 I$ j 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
1 e1 {# Y* ^7 W: d575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley., D$ k# }; e% a; h5 a" V
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。
7 }! Y; C" m2 ]8 J4 T% l576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.3 Q l9 Y/ V3 x3 j) p
他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|