 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死2 W$ v) k) C) @# z, s4 V
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
$ O) h& v0 C& H4 o8 |4 D7 U 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
$ f# ]' @) d/ a4 `5 J% I- L553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
* W5 x) L& \1 B I 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。& A6 K) F2 B0 V( V" E1 m
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
" g; Y1 G) ~3 q4 ]- l* B3 a 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
6 H9 h+ O3 Y3 J7 ?555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.' N5 Y1 \5 l) N$ t' f3 J
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
( L W5 t, t% o! A% O+ H$ Y556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
) ?+ Z. j, K3 H# [. \+ F: W 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, i1 X7 P4 \6 |0 N
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) F6 _8 U, B5 A# P, F/ K' i+ e 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
2 {9 w8 A8 V% f$ g* C3 Z X6 w558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
5 z7 N, P/ r) V( F8 J9 @. M) R 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。1 g: x/ t9 j8 s% i. C
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
9 \3 b# \, K1 w& Y M- K8 n 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。5 N$ U5 x L- J [* l Z0 f6 b
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
7 _/ Z* p, F: D# B 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。6 n( M# ]6 T* L2 q
561. This was indeed the case.
" l! x0 {8 j# | 但事实上确有此人。: d$ J9 Z7 l4 h, w
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
; t1 U* O) C: _: B7 m: W- ~ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
# g) W% X* k& R$ R563. 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.
& K% ]" c& F6 c& S6 R6 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。
+ C! P, o. c4 i3 M4 q564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
) i. s. y9 }' d" |# E: z 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
, ]6 t7 V8 o/ O, c8 n+ k9 c565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.2 \$ p. l b/ |6 Z) O
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
* F9 M# y1 \# J* u566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.1 o3 T8 J0 s% j8 {8 z
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
' G$ U3 Z1 m4 L8 W# O; J567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
6 P b" y. m% A% V 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
. `: ^& r& i4 A8 \+ P568. 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.9 a- B5 c# Z. 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。
. Z* n( l0 q$ {8 h0 @* m) |569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
8 D% V; D, [- `8 X9 R+ I7 y }' l 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。' P9 H0 W& G% L5 Y: x
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action., l, I v2 S! E/ p
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
# p' R' d/ \. m0 D& h7 w( p571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
! m2 m. \8 W; E8 M$ U# D2 b& p: p 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
5 i/ p& V$ J' r4 Z' F572. They did not even tell their wives.
Z9 E3 `7 F5 T; Y4 X: v5 m 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。. Z8 d) t6 w. J0 E; _+ T9 R
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
6 \# P: I; D/ p6 y 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。% i1 c4 N2 Q1 `/ e: J9 n6 s/ l1 b
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.$ D3 f4 d+ L" p, {# _* l9 E0 O6 T7 b3 o
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
: u7 r. L( M( d4 ?! h: i575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.9 h1 W/ K/ S4 Y7 z+ v/ c8 W+ 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。
# n' e9 p) U, t0 K I8 B# H576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
0 r* r- }9 Z& [3 j4 a 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|