 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死
7 X- p/ M7 w4 ^! |& T5 C552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.$ U- K/ b0 z& n5 R u
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
( b, r- V# Y1 t( z553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
0 V2 o& O) I# L3 l 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
. U, c& D+ P# W$ E+ {6 P8 f554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.3 P; u, A( K! \! v& p- @5 F4 _7 D
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。. Y' A; a* ?0 w, i
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.) c. h, G* H6 E( C4 K
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
; P% n5 I0 I) x( R7 U4 z556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.9 W: F/ @: B; P/ }
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
( @$ Z; L( E |- W3 n557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.. G6 y1 e' M9 ~
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。- O. k) Q3 Z6 x; n0 u
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
: Z, h/ l" O$ x! U2 r0 ?. } 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。/ H5 |; D7 _5 ^1 k6 k+ K1 W
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
# A+ @3 H/ t! q% K1 ?3 x. i 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。
' c) N" F! s9 S, j560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.! O, J# b) E$ n5 n/ D+ A
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
8 q7 m) d$ P. y# }# }8 I6 f" D* e4 w- E561. This was indeed the case.
- M- O) n2 R6 p- U5 L# l! v( c 但事实上确有此人。8 K! _% e5 h3 `. X6 b* u
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.6 M1 e2 j2 I, f( S( M0 F1 t9 B
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
4 g" q- u5 Q l1 Z7 f2 A0 i% v563. 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., G; X5 Y% s# K# h4 B8 Q
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。
- o1 }* A$ x! M% _2 E) e# i564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
( D" P8 \$ J$ Q) n) }8 n 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。" U; M9 y6 E6 p" b
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ J1 u: h4 w8 m' Q/ E 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
/ _( h; y- n8 n" i( r# U* U4 I566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
7 v! C" }; j$ k T! t0 y 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。6 q1 W; n0 ]- y# r. q
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
- g9 E9 V0 f/ X( e( K 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
A% c2 C& i& S6 ^7 ^8 i568. 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.
7 w" i1 Q: ^" {! n6 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。! s$ o' m" _* o1 r
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.0 a' @) N' K) K+ @: _8 l- P @
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
! C5 g) ^. n: [570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
5 f4 e7 B9 [& n! w 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
, H' k8 X8 L K571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
0 v+ v& Q5 A+ q: m 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。; C7 i% T9 q' E
572. They did not even tell their wives.
4 e) @+ N5 {5 ]7 m 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。8 o1 b2 Y4 W1 e( a7 b8 g
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding." r" X! L4 T% _
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
. W- t0 M t: ~$ P- c6 b) m574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.. X/ S( n' K! a" s* r: I
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
# o% q2 e4 k% S6 K575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.8 |1 d4 q9 F1 Q. Q8 d& Y; g
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。- d9 u3 T$ g [, O, _9 G
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
6 B6 u6 B6 p; U1 n4 x 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|