 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死
2 U# Z4 c/ {2 b0 e/ p552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.4 p$ e, j; j K
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。0 n/ r* h9 L1 C; X
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.$ D7 }2 |$ f. z- |6 Q+ J& q) x
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
5 t u' o% D. L. i+ d, w4 a554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
' x$ L4 n; b7 Y& r1 @5 s 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。% p- J2 \3 Z, o9 k! v% k3 @
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
! t% B! i0 P$ d J$ R7 S, W 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
8 k( ]% J) h' P: [( ]556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.9 g1 }1 ^7 B- B- V/ C
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,6 `! D5 v1 Y+ Z+ Y0 X* v) z
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) ~( o' @1 O. ~* M! k# S 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% ~& [8 v3 q& t4 o& u558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
* N* ~/ b7 H T3 ?% m/ 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。* J2 l [8 c2 U+ @: x0 ~
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& z! O' i* ^6 } `- S 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。7 ~" \' n& j! ~% T) X
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.$ q' `1 H" q9 m- F, V7 b' i5 d
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
S9 v& ~( ?) P E( K" x) B561. This was indeed the case.
$ l/ s, j# ]0 {& p2 Y 但事实上确有此人。! n4 P4 |4 [ _) u A
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 Q1 V" k, `4 c* Q. h* h2 Y
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
7 D7 x% \2 a7 `6 o563. 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.9 u5 u4 r5 k7 i6 o) e
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 W* ?4 c1 Q2 m
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 i; f5 @/ f( U j2 \8 z: x# 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。
: q! b0 G: v7 S* H6 p565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ y4 V5 b! V$ z2 I
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, I. `7 h' q8 N/ k
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
& {5 y* O' `; P+ u' I8 l, v 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。; }( s, {' k5 c
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment. z# R9 ^# k" w; e
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。5 ]* A. V" t( _& B$ ]
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.
% |% S) x+ Q# y: P1 B 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。6 z# U0 S- V( d$ H8 W
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
2 J5 ?/ O* H8 i) { 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。1 a9 c# k! I- H1 }& y% C/ @
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.! o5 }6 _2 r7 Q' j
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。) g! j7 k! ?% U$ o3 K" N6 ~
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
% z7 {! a4 l. S) f5 s5 _$ O 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。0 Q( @* ?. D9 k4 F" H1 q8 t2 W
572. They did not even tell their wives.
7 | e3 p, h( K& E7 i7 A6 ]- e0 ]- m 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) F7 e1 H M$ `3 j+ k9 }
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 F( y% o: P0 P, m3 E# ]
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 h7 C. [# D7 K
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
$ w, x& `& x3 H' J Z/ t 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
0 T. m, G* G9 A9 |. S% Y: A/ ^6 ]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 ~+ _" l8 u8 @
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。
# Q# [8 |/ j# O9 Q( g T+ K7 D576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
! y1 Q) s+ V4 B6 q0 m( | 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|