 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死
7 K8 @ \; Z1 ~+ b4 r# s- U' t552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.$ A. Q6 |! [' O. E, r
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
?6 x& G' `. Y7 m4 x553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
5 o/ m- C' f& F" O 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
- n" ^% H2 H+ P% K554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.- G" O- _0 B: l
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。8 ^2 o. z3 {8 ^; L! B6 N
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
( a( k' y. D/ g9 d; |6 K3 p 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。! f" G, H$ |5 k+ v
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.5 R1 T' f5 D7 F
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,+ i+ ^8 w# k! n4 |/ \# }2 {6 Q3 Q
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
: W& k5 u% O- M- Q 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
( r* C/ x0 }. G) ]558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
7 @8 b4 R8 R' I( I/ \ 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。" i t/ J6 f5 @8 g1 o
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
- R6 G$ N3 E3 ^+ X* | 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。
6 z' @6 c' y k9 ?* t560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
( W' O1 T" Q) i! J 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
: _2 u- ?% T8 C" u; q561. This was indeed the case.( n/ a2 h. t( _+ z# Z
但事实上确有此人。
; F+ z" I. ~: M3 H# ^562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.7 C& P: V2 n9 s0 C" d" J0 i: i$ e
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ p" e$ z j4 m4 `5 W2 |' C563. 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.
5 T( Z& A9 _" g6 n9 b) j1 e7 A 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。
7 l6 _/ `5 _& _: V564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
9 _4 _6 t* c8 j/ w% j6 d! K' _ 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 _# K R5 \9 i7 S/ O6 O
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
* }* j% E+ [, u. T# Y# E) B0 f- z& S 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多," i: T; u( k& r1 z& B
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.3 R+ `0 |& ?; c8 X) d
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& _" p$ |5 w9 }" R# w7 E567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.4 l: J; N" R N- R
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
7 \3 X8 z( ]- y568. 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.! Y: q/ L1 M$ j( @& q* S
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。+ I3 V. e8 a% S4 H# {
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
$ N; r4 F% ?0 P% S 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
. U( d2 }6 d: J2 J5 M570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
?7 V# B" ~+ N' l I 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。/ s$ F, ], n- ?% D* V
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
6 U! R" N2 x$ S9 c: v; F3 K3 V/ X 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
' Q" V8 C' |6 m3 w" Q2 s572. They did not even tell their wives.
. l6 v$ K- e; ]4 B 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
7 a) ?& d+ F' N, G" ^573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.6 ]# I( E# ]4 F/ Q1 ~1 R$ {9 n: @
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。0 ]) `5 I0 n2 D v
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.8 C9 R9 Q V6 X4 o
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,2 B! ^* s" l/ P
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.
) [) u2 C1 w2 C2 E5 h 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。* |# ~$ ~, w) E( j4 K
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
$ f& Z$ _. ^2 }+ c+ V/ m) a* e 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|