 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死5 W' U$ M- m5 K ]/ n; Z F
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.4 c" ] P9 ]$ U: e
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
- E% \8 A# A7 ~* p. W/ B3 h8 m$ _553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
9 w' A/ d8 k) I 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
2 X# \( Z Y1 m6 M9 j; J' P554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.: S8 g' q- m- W/ E, m0 Y( g% M
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
9 J; v2 f: }9 y ^7 V555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
- f6 S5 h, E+ p1 S! O 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
8 Z" q2 K$ E; j556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight., L9 b# a1 W4 l- U" f
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
& k/ E0 |* h. _0 Q) b& ], J557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) O3 s7 y* D9 N# O* f1 D3 ? 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
5 l5 G5 ^* y |" H558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
4 k" T: F% `& q) v 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。
; { t. `# R6 X7 U559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
0 @. G6 C( f5 G+ J0 ?- J1 X 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。 D( N4 z2 i2 f
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen., c) o% M6 |; {$ _
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
" J5 \% h2 O; O: t) z561. This was indeed the case.
7 `" j- b5 d4 F5 L& a/ G 但事实上确有此人。2 n5 b1 g) B2 k8 v+ o% b3 n
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
$ `5 g B" \7 U% J8 o 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
9 p, ]+ N' e! |, x: a563. 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.
7 b, V" Z' X9 g+ y 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。
! ^ k) L& c% P7 Y- ~* o) ?. X564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
& I0 o2 K- i$ |$ f: a g 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 L6 u6 \ I3 }0 y4 j/ c4 @+ X
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.4 o# W) Z- l7 G( l5 F7 x* B
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
. M( a' [# [! J( `566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.! n8 M6 ]8 q7 c0 q o6 N9 \0 g
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
# H0 o# F1 ^2 _- Q567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 B4 G/ i. k. S# _ Q* Y# h 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 X/ e, O' _3 i, Q1 p* y: q" ~/ O
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.8 ]' F% g$ V- @3 Q
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。
' f) \9 z8 ]3 j0 j3 D569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.7 R% d; }& x6 A
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。+ a* S6 P7 u/ J( I, \, y1 p
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.' K7 H- n( K2 ]5 a5 z
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
, k5 k7 S8 h! S3 k571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
( K5 z, |% W& F9 U( b: H 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
: ^; Q6 U) b! C# J- K$ Y572. They did not even tell their wives.$ U3 R( u/ n6 S# q; P
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。4 g# y, M4 K. a5 U( E. u
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
" |0 d: f# \( M7 \! n# F 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
) @9 T* ~; s* p* S; e- b& }7 }! f574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
, c* _; b/ G9 ^( _ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,4 f* V0 g2 I: Z H
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.$ R9 P8 q3 e- P3 W* Z6 ?4 I
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。# c1 n' Y: Y$ w+ a/ T" F! @
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.! m; E. \6 m$ |3 v1 w( v
他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|