 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死, r6 j: W& {6 }8 e
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
; Z2 P3 ]" h, F& _6 T: i/ x: [ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
z% g7 Z" f2 T2 q4 y& Z553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
& h; f$ X+ n; P8 c 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
* ^& w2 v1 _( g/ ^2 S q: ?554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.0 F2 }9 e' I, e% B* {7 S8 z+ \# X/ `
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
, y3 A. P8 l9 [# o' @555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.. U0 d; ~: |. p
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
0 J! g; [! N9 v( E1 O556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.3 A) o& f5 E! o0 `0 N4 P# g' g6 Q
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,* Q& ?" x6 F/ \! x
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.! f- o' B# w2 C
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- E# O$ `3 j" v; D5 X3 g558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
. i4 v8 b8 U3 A8 H9 m/ { 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: B! o& J+ w$ m m; {% S8 t1 a2 R
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.; y0 x. C+ T/ f" U) q
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。
, F0 W( ]& z2 y560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen./ P8 V4 `0 e% D) ]4 N7 r1 Y
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。' x: }3 N7 O) S6 c* j
561. This was indeed the case.
' C1 E8 K9 h8 D: j# l Q4 x9 o 但事实上确有此人。3 J1 S/ P* I, N) K3 U' z
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
* J1 U, h0 z3 S8 ~ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
5 @) @# M9 U. U& 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.
. D4 w2 T& c8 W# \1 g# s3 k 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。
6 J+ q3 `: V. R7 \564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.* \% ~1 e: a1 q4 J6 o/ M; C
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
8 A. I: M7 Z( I" P: M565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.# N. j# O; k8 Q7 h% V7 X
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
2 f" l' n% G2 P$ R7 E( }) g566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
" P2 ^. x( k$ H' v: B 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
6 k5 @& h% K3 d' d3 |+ p, ?4 H567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
7 A8 y& _4 d& E- u 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
$ l$ D/ p. [5 I, C) i9 h0 N568. 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 g a! K: o( b; ~* R0 t- G 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。+ [% a4 l! {9 o6 `5 x! c
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well." c0 F) i S+ W0 z2 I
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。4 A. v! V: e [& Q- ]
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.* h, P" w j0 n
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
2 Q7 G1 M, d& s3 ^1 Z571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.' D6 H. i/ p0 P+ m: {
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
3 |" V5 t" e# w) Y% D8 v572. They did not even tell their wives.
+ L2 `, D* K% R1 {# J 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。5 {8 k7 e( e- V$ b
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding. c( K/ X2 V0 Z
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
9 F/ x5 `1 N+ m' e% {574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.7 u9 y/ O& \' ^6 M b* G- r+ u
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
. v! m6 F" T0 K- 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.
P$ F8 q Q9 h( ?4 x; Q: B9 w7 d( x 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。, d7 f$ |7 T& [* z
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
* D4 Z# H/ T# h3 V 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|