Step 1: Intensive reading.
Try to answer the question below while you’re reading:
Question: Why did the two brothers keep the secret?
Vocabulary:
labourer n. 劳动者
overnight adv. 一夜期间
hay n. 干草
corn n. 谷物
moonlight n 月光
conscientious adj. 认真的
suspect v. 怀疑
desert v. （军队中）开小差
regiment n. （军队）团
action n. 战斗
recluse n. 隐士
Passage:
For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was haunted. The farm was owned by
two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was
willing to work there long. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same
story. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done
overnight. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned. A farm worker, who
stayed up all night, claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. In
time, it became an accepted fact that the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost
that did most of their work for them.
多年来，村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。恩得利农场属于乔 ·考科斯和鲍
勃 ·考科斯兄弟俩所有。他们雇了几个农工，但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。雇工们说，常常一早起来发现有人在夜里
把活干了，干草已切好，牛棚也打扫干净了。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。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。
No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been
seen. This was indeed the case. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn
that the ghost of Endley had died. 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. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over
fifty years.
谁也没想到农场里竟会有一个从未露面的人。但事实上确有此人。不久之前，村
民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。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。葬礼之后，乔
和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达 50 多年的秘密。
Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers. He
had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. As he hated army
life, he decided to desert his regiment. 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. Fearing the
authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well. His father told everybody
that Eric had been killed in action. The only other people who knew the secret were
Joe and Bob. They did not even tell their wives. When their father died, they thought
it their duty to keep Eric in hiding. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse. He
used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had
become the ghost of Endley. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible
to keep the secret any longer.
埃里克是这家的长子，年龄比他两个弟弟大很多，第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
他讨厌军旅生活，决定逃离所在部队。当他了解到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。由于害怕当局，埃里克战后继续深藏
不露。他的父亲告诉大家，埃里克在战争中被打死了。除此之外，只有乔与鲍勃
知道这个秘密。但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。父亲死后，他们兄弟俩认为有责
任继续把埃里克藏起来。这些年来，埃里克过着隐士生活，白天睡觉，夜里出来
干活，一点不知道自己已成了恩得利农场的活鬼。他死后，他的弟弟们才觉得无
法再保守这个秘密了。
Notes:
1 every time (=whenever) 作“每当……”解，引导时间状语从句。
2 stay up ，熬夜，不睡觉。
3 In time, it became an accepted fact that…，最后，…… 已成为公认的一个事实。
in time 作“终于” ，“最后”讲。 that 引导的从句作 fact 的同位语。
4 none other than…，不是别人正是……。
30.2【阅读理解】The death of a ghost
Step 2: Comprehension questions.
1 What did villagers believe about Endley Farm? (They believed it was haunted.)
2 Who was the farm owned by? (Two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.)
3 Were farmhands willing to work there for very long? (No, they weren't.)
4 What did farm labourers find in the morning? (That work had been done overnight.)
5 What kinds of jobs had been done? (Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been
cleaned.)
6 One worker stayed up all night. What did he claim to have seen? (A figure cutting
corn in the moonlight.)
7 Did anyone suspect that there was someone else on the farm? (No, they didn't)
8 When did villagers learn that the ghost of Endley had died? (A short time ago.)
9 Who was the 'ghost' that had died? (Eric Cox.)
10 And who was Eric Cox? (The third Cox brother who was supposed to have died as
a young man.)
11 How long had the brothers kept the secret? (For over fifty years.)
12 Had Eric been the youngest or the eldest son? (The eldest.)
13 When had he joined the army? (During the Second World War.)
14 Why did he desert his regiment? (Because he hated army life.)
15 Who hid Eric until the end of the war? (His father.)
16 Did Eric remain in hiding after the war? (Yes, he did.)
17 What did his father tell everybody? (That Eric had been killed in action.)
18 Who else knew the secret? (The two brothers, Joe and Bob.)
19 Did they keep their brother in hiding? (Yes, they did.)
20 How had Eric lived all these years? (As a recluse.)
21 Did he use to sleep during the day? (Yes, he did.)
22 Was he aware that he had become the ghost of Endley? (No, he wasn't.)
30.3【拓展写作】The death of a ghost
Step 3: Composition
In not more than 250 words write an imaginary account of the night a farm worker
saw a figure cutting corn. Write in the first person. Use the ideas given below. Do not
Write more than four paragraphs.
Title: The ghost of Endley.
Introduction: I noticed that work had been done overnight. I decided to stay up all
night — sat in barn.
Development: I fell asleep — suddenly woke up — went to cowshed — it had already
been cleaned — went out to fields — saw a figure working — rushed back to
farmhouse — woke up others — we went out — no one there.
Conclusion: Sure it was a ghost — decided not to work at Endley Farm any
longer—told story to villagers.
Key to composition
The ghost of Endley
When I came in to work one morning, I noticed that work had been done
overnight — some hay had been cut and the cowsheds and other buildings had been
cleaned, so I decided to stay up all the next night to try to solve the mystery. (I didn't
tell Joe and Bob, of course.) I hid in the barn and waited.
Obviously I fell asleep because I suddenly woke up to find that it was dark. I
went straight to the cowshed and found that it had already been cleaned. Then I went
out to the fields where I could just see a figure working; I couldn't see whether it was
a man, or a woman, or perhaps a ghost. I was scared, so I rushed back to the
farmhouse and woke up the others. We all went out to the fields to see who it was, but
when we got there, there was no one there.
When I was in the fields before, I didn't know what or who the figure was. But
now I was sure it was a ghost so immediately decided not to work at Endley Farm any
longer and handed in my resignation. When I told my story to the villagers, many of
them still didn't believe me, even though they knew that something strange had been
going on at Endley Farm for years.
课外练习：
1 While farmhands stayed at Endley Farm .
(a) they woke up during the night to find their work had been done for them
(b) they often saw a figure working in the fields at night
(c) they did not have any work to do
(d it never occurred to them that there was someone in hiding on the farm
2 Eric remained in hiding after the war because .
(a) he feared the penalty he might receive for his desertion
(b) his father had told everyone he had died
(c) he was afraid of being sent abroad by the authorities
(d) he was fond of the life of a recluse
3 When did the identity of the ‘ghost’become known?
(a) When the villagers attended the funeral.
(b) Fifty years after the outbreak of the Second World War.
(c) When the father of the three Cox brothers died.
(d) When Joe and Bob felt they would have to have their brother buried.
4 Farm labourers said that on waking up work had been done.
(a) to find
(b) they would find
(c) and finding
(d) they had found
5 -employed a conscientious ghost, most of their work for them.
(a) doing
(b) to have done
(c) which did
(d so as to do
6 As he hated , he decided to desert his regiment.
(a) the life of army
(b) life in the army
(e) life of the army
(d) the army for life
7 Eric had been killed fighting with his regiment.
(a) while
(b) during
(c) as if
(d because
8 Joe and Bob were the only other people who knew the secret their wives.
(a) and did not even tell
(b) which they did not even tell
(c) who did not tell
(d) yet did not tell it to
9 , it became an accepted fact .
(a) At the time
(b) On time
(c)With time
(d) At times
10 He was during the Second World War.
(a) recruited
(b) conscripted
(c) armed
(d) regimented
11 All these years, Eric had lived .
(a) out of this world
(b) a secret life
(c) without a companion
(d) the life of a hermit
12 He used to work at night, that he had become the ghost of Endley.
(a) never realizing
(b) quite misunderstanding
(c) quite ignoring
(d) never accounting for
答案：1d 2a 3d 4b 5c 6b 7a 8a 9c 10b 11d 12a