 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死8 l/ J9 s- B0 q S1 x+ t6 `$ f
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.7 c" G* z7 x1 N% ]$ a# o( r
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
: B6 i3 y6 }' v3 l! x553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.* B7 u3 _2 @7 O9 U
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。3 ^& m8 S! y; Q& v' [" x4 c
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.# r3 x+ H9 S2 R! h. m& f$ k
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
5 ~% i! c1 G! Y9 X555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.& c7 L" B$ c2 J- @2 P5 E
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。; _" T4 Y/ `/ e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
; K3 L: M# ?, v( {, X% M, X 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, _# k, b; [% O# H+ I4 o
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) ]0 ^2 G7 D2 r6 \. u6 d! t 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
' Z& Y2 R% ?& G+ q7 l" D6 o# Q558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
* X0 B, e, R$ G0 J0 f b0 g' ` 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。
( m, S! s$ F' u( F+ ^3 j559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them." L; `: ]' { ^4 L- F6 S" S( a
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。
1 @9 E4 }# I' }8 D560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.$ R2 t2 c/ d. ^4 i
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% M; h/ a/ d2 ~& `9 _! W" y: E
561. This was indeed the case.! X& z0 `( m! _" ?: l# u, r6 X
但事实上确有此人。
4 \4 Z, d# b: A3 C6 g' A562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
; w" f$ S/ M1 {1 J" O9 c 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
( s- x2 U3 p, t563. 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." K" u) D8 K1 R8 ^. z3 F5 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。: w6 E1 c& Z3 R
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.3 Z* O' j! r2 [" @* M
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
/ h6 q7 H! }( R/ P+ P" d. [/ T G6 J565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.$ U0 P" H9 E% h: S" |9 I
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,* H+ l- u1 A6 x
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
1 [8 _5 J, B8 J 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。/ b4 a8 _0 x; p8 Y4 r
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
( r$ W- ~/ l& s. w/ |- C/ K 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。4 a. W2 g+ I$ O1 b: P/ @
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.
' _6 |3 V+ E1 a# L! t9 v 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。, F5 W) e, ]4 v0 E+ U# p M7 p4 h" p
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.+ C8 j& j+ \0 [8 L0 p+ q Q
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。3 T6 ~* C I% l9 @
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.* i- [$ R1 g. j+ ^/ |9 `2 i
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
! d+ R+ ^' t+ \8 N; j571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
$ q9 [0 E( ]" P$ T7 ~& \: } 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
+ }: o" B, k" A# b572. They did not even tell their wives.9 g7 B( E3 l. ]# e0 N: k
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。% J, X8 j5 V7 U( E5 Q$ p4 m' L: K
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
; O" E& Z( U& s$ f, k 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。# X* \* Z0 s! ^
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
% o% }- Y2 T" H" ~ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,5 m3 w) B) s$ f8 y7 D& D, 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.
! |7 V( K6 Q/ R3 l f 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。: P) b* g* R! P; o$ o% D3 k
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.5 f) X# A& G# j/ p& {: b, g
他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|