 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死
! z+ a8 z( U5 a552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.0 p# @ Y: n0 C+ b4 t
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
2 u" x; @$ g- v/ e0 E& |+ W& Z553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
* X2 N! r0 l; l. E' P$ h5 T 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
1 O* Z' Q6 B4 w) R5 k' H554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.; r# W; d! S" p" P
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。; p. h J$ ]. A( E1 ~4 W% g+ ^
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story., A: g8 z5 |# J# P) {
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
+ a6 i3 i" e' m x4 c g556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight., H( K! a5 G4 E9 Y6 T
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,) d; F3 Y6 K0 ~
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.: y) q6 Q3 l; w, j( }/ Q5 I: x
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
9 X+ ?+ z* r& T8 G& ]9 E558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
7 u; A0 \- E9 ?& 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。
3 g( f& C: s8 {& m' ?1 ]) j/ Y- _559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them./ q. ~7 v1 W7 u9 q
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。! N9 c% e$ y& B N" \
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
7 k% j9 n& l m; L 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
. c* k# V% J% f; e561. This was indeed the case.) Y, d }' s- _( L
但事实上确有此人。
5 W+ o* |; l' D) r, T8 K9 v562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
) `6 t+ M) ?# Q- J5 @ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。 u( N3 c G4 v5 S8 X7 Q! i0 D# E
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.
7 h2 g: g9 q% F1 p/ d- _( V 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。. M0 T/ `# ~( A' z o1 S. n4 J" G: @' A
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
" h. S, E4 p E) J* h1 U 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
) w7 ]4 K2 L- o0 v/ |565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
2 v+ O5 y# _6 E+ T 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,8 B) o# v3 i. T g
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.- e* t, p. m5 y$ Q: u8 }3 i2 v
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
: \! a8 ?/ a0 `3 U567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment." Q7 V( k% R2 c' O6 G: s
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。, V$ A/ D6 i) T, d5 m- q
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.* ]' C- @( f" 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。0 S4 L+ @" [4 j/ y; I8 L
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.0 X: c: H/ V8 K' A6 ^ o
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
# \% R }, k* D$ t4 \3 r570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.: f, ?; E( M7 o( X
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
5 d" M/ P. o7 M W571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.& r8 S0 l+ q, G: B2 X; b L
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。1 r( r) T' C# D# o
572. They did not even tell their wives.; z' Q& `# c: Z- o q1 y8 J
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
1 v, r/ }! l, m7 j {* g( o9 i- p573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.! C; A1 z# T1 t" @
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
/ J2 s+ X6 H. n- P0 y) A574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.3 |/ q4 m, z+ a# j! r. T1 G7 t
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,# T+ _# Q, V6 |0 [, X
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.- j2 n, G& Z: u6 |+ e
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。
c% u: I/ s) H; e4 W1 l576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
$ S! W, W; p, y& n7 z 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|