 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死: c/ I& x: D6 k: v
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
; Q C0 w) `' I/ S' T, m% { 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。8 u. @2 W: S7 j. {/ A7 m
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.' m$ u0 \6 p2 _; h4 m; E
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。, e B5 v! P0 x3 [" D
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.8 K; q" ~: G4 K
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
" _& G4 t+ K5 p. ^) n+ U% A555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
$ L% F4 j7 Q2 D( Q 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。2 l" B2 \& r" t) _8 y: D
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.0 [* o8 o2 t5 a- M6 o# L
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
+ x0 p- z$ \( T, ^9 i1 U; m557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
& x! E( f* [0 W 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。; l% F% _* ^! e( S( {
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.; j1 I1 F3 t0 M% v2 a4 a
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。
8 j0 _) @' c) i* Q+ u9 f0 R) k1 G559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them./ c; p9 q$ p* t7 T' V( s. F( N1 f2 \+ e
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。9 g3 B& N! A" U7 x" u5 T( }
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
; p) q9 z0 ]4 a' x7 b- X 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。# w5 ~9 ~; Z. u
561. This was indeed the case.
/ ?7 J; i( h& Y* T4 ]5 G 但事实上确有此人。1 ^7 d( p& H2 ^' ]# y3 {: ^; E! M; K
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.4 H9 m& q: I% R1 l. V2 g
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
7 |2 ^9 @5 g: B) I) [1 f! s) 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.
7 H0 y5 f1 H. q1 D O 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。
/ M9 n& C. E; ?- a564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
4 X' F# ]# p% v6 W 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。5 C2 p, E4 w! m$ J. o" G* ]$ \
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
2 q# C# w: Z, X5 R9 m 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,9 J1 K0 B) E6 q: W* _$ t
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.. ?! [1 p: U3 g* o5 H6 ^" _$ X
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。8 A0 t- L1 c9 J% I# n
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
) ?7 _9 z6 W D2 F% q 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# d3 |5 f& n( u568. 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 A2 Y8 L ]6 S: J1 H0 O 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。
3 ]+ M0 l* n. y! a) o569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.% E. ^6 D8 E3 a) Y, f! }
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。9 a9 i5 {/ o# t; K+ {0 ~" t! i
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
9 r w" U5 q- v* [! w 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。, U& ]( O8 _2 j z+ b
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
" b4 G1 j C4 _ [9 ~+ o( V9 F 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
0 ? F {; K2 `) z7 F- l1 i+ L572. They did not even tell their wives.3 S! \7 j0 N0 w- H8 u( C
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
7 P# `2 B' N; @* K7 ^. ]573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
7 b; Q1 I7 b! Q) L9 U 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
* h+ s* o2 P+ _/ C- b574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
9 X4 D! a1 v+ U ]% s+ y4 d$ c1 m- K3 R 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,0 j( V7 z G2 H2 E4 z, w. o
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.& Q* y. r6 U f/ h T/ ~
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。
6 {* d7 ?* f2 ^576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.$ d, ]& p8 c( _+ l* c
他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|