 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死
/ F. g1 w/ s: X) }0 x& |$ h552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.3 Z- p% L1 h0 u9 a2 f
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。4 k# w: _) G2 F
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.( C, ^8 O& \9 T" R3 Q
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。0 E! {6 ?! I) t" |2 z
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.; C9 x+ _9 y. P# U& T2 j# Q
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。7 U; `6 u. i+ z f6 F4 u# o% {
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.! m, ]. ^7 Y7 W
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
- {* E6 n2 J& S! U# C556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
- B$ h# A# W! w5 J6 f: v+ j4 | 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,0 i* q) f; p1 U' {. W( X2 a
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' V0 a. K# O. j: t 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。. o- P ]9 m* o' t/ T1 i/ }9 N
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
! Q/ @; C% X8 T8 l2 z+ c/ D 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* o f. w, f" y) o" Z
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
" Y3 A5 p( H# W4 d; Z2 ` 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。( g* P! L& _) r, b
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
& T* R& q5 J& {5 x 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。+ j5 f* v" [4 w7 `8 W, S3 J* X+ s
561. This was indeed the case.- W0 @5 @4 `- O t: T" j# ^; t
但事实上确有此人。
6 ]3 Y! ~/ s- l$ d( E) T- I562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.+ k3 W$ ]& Z% {4 H; M8 |, m
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
# l3 I: W9 M! X563. 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 M" w1 |6 O, |/ ^2 a3 L 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。
% o" |- i2 M5 C564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
1 p$ ]: Y1 S# E% G3 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。
7 j9 _9 d$ w4 ~' o! u7 h( [565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
, ~$ H9 K- X# Q) A. o 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,* }4 r" K: e( w$ Z% n: N# |, z! X
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.& m3 Q( g# M: V; e
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。' p) W, n' \/ y8 K9 G+ l
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
) J4 _4 k4 s9 N6 B) }' E+ B8 g7 | 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。' r! |' [( \9 U% ]# A
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.) x' V c3 g: O2 p
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$ D. ]/ ~& Z& } W
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
+ k z" |" [/ S+ g 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。3 e' h+ _0 I' H) J( f
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
% x8 q( K' L( g! j5 b- P 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。* l& S! T) L$ S+ V+ q
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
& v: D; w. z, {4 S 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
0 [- T# f0 l* c b572. They did not even tell their wives.
' O1 Y2 w% e1 H* I 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。2 P0 R. J% t# A
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.$ D9 Q: P* ~, x9 `9 _
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
2 D: y8 R+ S; s574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.5 ^* l+ j& i4 k, Z
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
5 r/ o/ z X) v3 l. h* K( D0 e5 {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. Q6 ]6 x+ j7 y9 r# 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。* N0 L( t2 i/ ~2 J7 S- K
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
2 h+ w. I" G4 D7 `% O& E% V1 @6 q 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|