 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死. ]3 M' U, ~/ H% ^
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted." o0 c3 Q+ {% c J
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
5 E4 E( A% t( ~) L) g/ n553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.1 h8 ]: H9 S* d" C G
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。) Y8 d/ u, b1 X4 u9 Y
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.% T9 }: L5 }2 l1 h
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
3 F4 k, ~' m T" L4 m555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
: D" u. Z+ a) E5 n C5 l4 m! A' ? 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
( P5 l+ }0 A) s) a. y556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
) _9 q" f/ J1 @1 W2 N3 k' { 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
9 o/ J2 f. S1 {; }557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
/ C' j" `2 H" G: T8 b 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。/ N' \/ Y( J# w& n& k
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
; H% q% R2 m. y; o. ^5 V 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。
& Y& e; ?" F* e- N559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
! U1 G. {$ f7 C% q3 \8 o5 M' C 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。; |/ B" v9 w, B7 F7 U
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
8 u) G; `& M: [, D) K9 [& H. z 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。# V5 I: {. c* j) T9 C: Z
561. This was indeed the case.; l1 }1 X, @) Y; ?
但事实上确有此人。/ P. L6 K% d5 l4 [
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
0 O3 h/ M& [, z( C$ Q0 ~& S 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。& U. M y* N; M* f
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.6 o6 |7 y: r# v# {% K
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。
. x. D) f) P+ p" J7 Z# G4 W; x0 _564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
9 i. h: t( k2 n4 y. T# [ 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。' }) M( D! l K
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.0 p2 m; _5 a# A$ ?; e7 I1 W
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,) p! s& d+ g7 @" l- J
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
0 e' x6 w! N, M# M2 ] 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
9 x% }5 G5 W. B' b, q; ?: _; ]567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
( K8 F- b$ C) Y4 g* ~$ C$ m 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
* w* c2 b- M; \0 ]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.9 Y7 j: w1 J2 s" T5 g! y0 r4 |, 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。
+ R% i2 \& @& P9 n) c, u* [$ Y569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
6 G8 B! J5 o% _5 i/ ] 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
( A: S& l" ?+ @4 Y570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
8 C3 q8 _% \" J$ H3 S' \+ L 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
: ?" u. O; T5 j; g# c571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.5 `) j) W4 C" X7 R {2 e
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
9 Z6 p6 W0 a/ |1 M* c572. They did not even tell their wives., C" c% R2 q P0 p& ]: [+ a
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。: V* u( B% _ o: ^ |
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
* y3 `' f% w& B. T- F 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
# d) C- G; u% F9 T2 P574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
" ]1 O) e% {, F 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,9 y5 t5 { C) B" H4 e! w0 }; {
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.0 {. \7 w. t |& O8 f+ w# m& S
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。
! K5 c( J5 E# L; u) Y7 C6 B576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
5 M, h. G! r! x! a 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|