---
url: https://gaojian.site/new-concept/book-3/30-the-death-of-a-ghost.md
description: 新概念英语第三册：The Death of a Ghost。精读、词块回忆、双向译练、句法、逻辑与FSRS复习。
---

# 幽灵之死

## 课文学习台 {#study}

### 第1段

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.

中文理解：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。

* **gave up**：放弃 / 让步 / 送出或泄露；先辨认动作和对象，再决定能否替换。

* **woke up**：醒来 / 熟睡 / 摆好 / 返程；fast asleep 的 fast 强调熟睡，不是睡得快。

#### 这一段的读法与用法

注释：\[原课文单词haunted 拼写有误，感谢读者微博@Archergy 同学指出20170523] ①was willing = wanted, was prepared。②labourers = workers。 ③claimed = said that, maintained that。④In time = Finally。 ⑤an accepted fact = a general, undisputed truth。⑥conscientious = extremely careful。

### 第2段

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.

中文理解：谁也没想到农场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50多年的秘密。

* **A short time**：形容词与名词一起理解；先结合这句确定是在评价位置、距离还是经历，不把 good 一律换成中文“好”。

#### 这一段的读法与用法

注释：①astonished = surprised。②none other than = not anyone else, it's。 ③revealed = made known, told。

### 第3段

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.

中文理解：埃里克是这家长子。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，决定逃离所在的部队。当他了解自己将被派遣出国时，他逃回了农场，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，只有乔和鲍勃知道这个秘密。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，一点也不知道自己已经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。

* **used to**：过去常常 / 习惯于；used to do 说过去习惯；be used to 后说已习惯的事，别混用。

#### 这一段的读法与用法

注释：①action = war，另外action 也有“诉讼”的意思。②unaware of = unconscious。

#### Summary 摘要

Eric joined the army during the Second World War, but hated army life, so he deserted. He returned to the farm where his father hid him until the end of the war, and he remained in hiding after the war. His father told everyone that he had been killed in action. Joe and Bob kept the secret, so Eric lived as a recluse. He slept during the day and worked at night, so he became the "ghost of Endley". (79 words)

#### Composition 作文 The Ghost of Endley 恩得利的鬼

\[1]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.

\[2]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 Felds 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.

\[3]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 I 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. (230 words)

### 第4段 · 原稿补充

Persistence can produce a miracle! Unfortunately, very few people can persist long enough to see a miracle happen.

中文理解：坚持真的可以创造奇迹，可遗憾的是，几乎没有人能够坚持到奇迹的发生！

## 学完这一课

保留原段的推进关系，换成自己的经历，写或说一段四五句的话。

[Nce · 本册复习台](/new-concept/book-3/review) · [三册选择地图](/new-concept/)

*译文与解析据吴应时、何景霖整理资料及本站首轮审校稿；词伙与练习提示为本站学习设计。原PDF第100—102页，2022年2月第3版。*