 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死
+ X$ n) h* m ^4 p9 {552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
6 e* W, Q- d+ V 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
2 j6 f, h( Q4 o w8 h. W) R) M553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.6 G) o% J" J+ h9 d
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
! |# H! D# L4 l6 ^554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
5 r1 }4 e4 @" w3 i9 c6 k2 U 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。. V! X! T8 h5 H* v2 \9 B9 |' M8 u! G9 Z
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
+ e( ]- V8 m/ _! } 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。9 t' _+ p9 `$ [4 W7 H
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.# |$ L2 N1 S( ?3 a) d
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,9 G( C$ i" I/ j% i9 L& Y
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.9 s6 x" y5 I# m# ^3 `7 o0 k7 X
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。, I, E- u- T& t3 n! m1 z( k
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
4 m" ^2 A. m; ~% ?$ G2 p9 Q 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。
. K2 H0 a5 X( w7 \1 w8 q0 f! B559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
" u. h0 [4 W$ C+ k8 _ 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。8 k/ b- W1 n' D8 V5 I7 ?
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.9 ]; R0 a* m0 k1 @/ F& A/ t
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
. R M9 K+ C% ~' B561. This was indeed the case.8 i- |; l6 c H7 P/ e% g
但事实上确有此人。# d" M* Q2 ]" w
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
2 o m6 U4 G1 P9 a/ a8 A. y 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。, M7 p5 r; D. n5 i' K! f; t
563. 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 b* O# w- _# L7 x! B ]* X& P
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。
3 B! O, j8 W! v0 X% J f' V% B' U564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years. W0 X& {+ s4 p$ 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 J9 G Y" C. m+ s, H565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.& n8 b7 I a& S4 |) A
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,& a$ D: |1 e( R8 E2 o0 K4 w
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.+ D' F0 f7 d4 O8 v( \, K7 {
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
/ A) L/ r1 a* C# F. _$ I567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
9 y8 o: |3 e; J1 q: p; Y# e 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
2 j/ {9 w3 D3 I. w( j, T5 T568. 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.
1 ~2 B/ A8 ~% p I 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。
) H9 O, {. i; ^+ o7 n' U% ?( @569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
6 O' ^. F3 T3 r# t- y/ m 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。& U, e2 ~ N' Z
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
( x2 ?! J# l! Y o5 Q4 U 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。( G( k5 V3 G0 i, X" U
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
. b% t" r* d" n( h3 f" ` s 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。; R" w" o/ K' ~/ X3 f+ |
572. They did not even tell their wives.
* g5 f5 A, Y$ }) g- r1 B 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
7 d& s" l# }" G/ E573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
* n7 |' j2 N% k# V 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
+ a* Z; M4 T& A8 U574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.7 c- h4 Z. D- W% k: c/ c
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
+ F( t0 N6 E( k1 j. E7 d* I+ a, ^- }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.
- r5 w9 Z# C% G2 h) y/ a 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。) X; a/ Y/ l0 L" e$ ?
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
6 e5 G; U8 G5 R9 q; p 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|