 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死3 X! E, u4 W4 [
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.* ]% N+ u. S, ?0 U1 F9 V; s9 ?4 C
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。6 H- c; [# O, g; |$ W2 l; p# ~$ B
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
5 N0 v0 T; T# U& T7 p 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
7 M" i" ?5 f* i6 l3 d2 Y p554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
0 p4 D" U- ~# r) u4 ?* \ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。# H2 ~& M9 {/ X: p
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
! I8 y0 y* h6 h* e3 l 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
- N U2 |5 e: R% b% W556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
- H7 k6 o/ y* r 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
* V9 ?# _7 t1 n% _" G( l557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.1 M/ I' B! }& N
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
c4 P) n* U x; }" j558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. k2 S4 {$ V& E) _. a5 J
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。# y7 m, O- ?6 w( t- r) h
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
6 E* t7 v* E% V& j% S 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。0 A) V5 `* ]: n- q' v
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.# V2 ?* C/ I2 n6 f
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。- W5 r, B3 F0 F7 c% F
561. This was indeed the case.2 X i( ]( Y$ n- R
但事实上确有此人。7 A) N% }# |: M0 z7 e4 N/ l$ H% I; X
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
) C1 z; u6 W! [; g1 B 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。' i, e1 w( A. T! R. o2 V- U) x& }
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.
. v. T6 `8 \; Y( O0 U5 ?4 i; 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。
' a& m, \0 t" t' n564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
+ ~' g7 F3 p3 F% O+ x$ ]: f 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。) l) t2 b- p/ z% }
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.2 G4 \1 G# b. f
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
2 p# x, k' o8 d) R566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.& D' v1 {1 U! \# B
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
' ~0 W: _/ @" v k" A567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.# D9 t1 i* n% r7 q
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。3 ]7 {, i, G" K# d9 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.9 E6 }3 [1 y- u/ B' B$ W, H
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。
& S9 N+ y7 Z S6 h# n8 X569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.7 F: p, \$ y( f0 s. z/ W/ g0 R) J
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
* K# p+ s2 Q7 ~8 r8 X570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.0 o* D- g5 |" D
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。4 \1 ?+ q/ S2 `: ]- c2 ~
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.! e' W x6 L$ z3 {3 {* e" S( t
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。, g1 i. [$ M6 s$ q, n8 r# m- M' l
572. They did not even tell their wives.7 k$ F! n# K3 _3 K$ d1 A# U
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
8 I5 b, V6 Z; x7 L# B' {0 }- q- B573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.# a( [5 v" s( P" v4 n
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
8 ~7 a0 q# x9 C7 F574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
! Y5 w* C7 C$ Y. `, p# O. o 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,; M; t @; D, K, g% J/ V( ^& F; 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.
5 n K0 z8 x1 N! \2 ~- q- ?3 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。3 k# [. o6 G: M
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
' b/ S. ^! d4 f 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|