 鲜花( 0)  鸡蛋( 0)
|
课文30 幽灵之死, N: k! l8 Y4 }. [$ I
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted. y8 ~# G( {, e- |
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% g( J* o6 C8 R: ~ `$ w5 p553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
* R6 z$ {4 O0 C 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
& t* ?8 X% j4 p! R+ o8 ~554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.9 ]8 u# P0 [& s+ v4 y }; U
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。3 R# Z/ O: }9 B: N( g' y4 c
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.: C; E/ l& E+ E* \5 @) R/ W6 k
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
3 d5 {$ }* z! D556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
8 s( Q% Y" Y1 A( V( | 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, ?8 T5 G f# ^/ x, d
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 h {" s3 T8 y( F1 r 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
2 S7 G" A. r/ J& f% `558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
. W( R3 f( v8 P" p/ d& Q$ B 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。# F' \' l. [1 s' H3 I3 v/ y
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
. n% v: ` i5 a3 U) b7 } 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 H; z& S/ \ a; {2 a5 f! R560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.. M: M/ q8 P; n( a
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
. _& k+ F" r+ [4 e2 d) r* p561. This was indeed the case.
; o( g P" F( j# x 但事实上确有此人。
6 t' v0 R4 x3 W: R/ M2 a3 P; A562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
j6 d( O- [# O* ~0 V 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。# V+ o& _( c: a, J1 \' P
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.
1 g8 Z- M" k. L: b9 f. q9 o& Y 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。
' i+ S8 m4 P$ C; ?0 C564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 w2 A" j" q8 J8 k- `0 U& m' Q1 @
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
( h2 p1 P5 A3 A1 q$ e1 [565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.9 A/ C) d) |4 i
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
0 Q; p$ I5 o4 K566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. Q4 J" A- J, y& @
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。* [6 U3 \8 c0 U/ s& ]8 x ~4 q) d
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.; v# [. m; r ^2 V1 I4 o
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。1 Y8 ]& _3 i a$ v
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.
2 f0 Z* H3 T! `& d: p* r 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。
' v, ]. r9 X f& R5 }569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
! b( [6 D2 N- F) Z9 D 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
2 ?, `5 _8 S3 r570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.$ Z) B; ]4 C0 ]% H- e
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
1 R+ _7 D+ g. `: m0 z# t0 x571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
. x- U2 J- l6 _ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
( m3 Q# W1 j( g1 l572. They did not even tell their wives.4 n( J; R+ w( E
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。6 S! o v$ E# Q% `
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.; ?' {& {$ ^0 Q$ b9 J6 ^
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 v L/ [0 Q: q$ t! `8 L% P, r
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
" v g3 d6 y9 |! G 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
) [" ? W6 ]/ {0 j: T' s2 n575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
) v" ^+ |& N. r0 L6 o, l' y 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。0 B4 x2 }- k7 o" l6 J
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
+ f5 @9 E0 d+ q 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
|