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课文30 幽灵之死+ X) I3 ?1 p, o6 ]
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
3 B8 L) [0 a Z 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
: {1 G% }( f9 ~/ \$ m# m553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
/ a( K& X8 m7 R6 `2 d, B' v 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
" x( f& _% k$ q% m# e; B554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
- M2 } p. A) k4 s2 L* X 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。* w& V9 v: ~8 A) n3 l' w2 c/ w
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
* k8 t1 A3 l1 Y0 t 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。! X4 [1 \# ?8 G" L* }
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.( C5 w4 E9 K) v4 Z: }
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了," {/ a, n) C+ N0 X% C% V% G5 m
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
. b4 H3 W$ p5 I) P5 ?; w1 C$ O 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
/ y7 B2 }. q' e# `' e c) B558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
9 n+ z% V) E% f; n5 Q- D 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。
2 D+ J, Q3 ?4 o# p7 Y0 {559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.! g( k2 [9 t$ J' E. m
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。
y, X: K: M7 x) s- S560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.' A7 U. l( X1 d6 C1 l
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
+ c# \6 g5 d: W5 J1 g- E( C561. This was indeed the case.
) H. j. C0 C3 Z$ o# M) Y9 |/ R 但事实上确有此人。* b3 |% T) w$ E. v# d. [
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.4 {2 B8 Q1 U, P7 P' Q1 C1 M/ |
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
% W# K' u" [# l% Y% o5 U563. 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.
3 [* A, _1 r! `$ ]5 Q1 m+ P& j6 q 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。
3 K" ? i% Y- Y0 h564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
; k8 z4 d8 G$ u& \% ?- `8 Y 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
$ s9 C5 Y/ J* }1 ]1 l7 @3 t565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.# f. M: s+ L$ F5 }
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,- ~2 Z) E( ], y& b8 U7 P+ q
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
' c! u8 f' N, m0 [ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。! E& O$ ^: x9 A9 R$ n S2 {6 V
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.. c$ b3 a& m0 \/ [0 H
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。. r# y* m( _0 {3 d/ O0 p/ L& q# B
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.) s7 M9 i j: B
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。
0 c7 g! k C2 S/ q% A9 T! t Y# h7 B569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
) d) m1 c% T) M 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。8 E. R- |, Y% i0 C6 R( [
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
# _2 q; ~8 |* j" o+ a 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。) |. u) U0 X( _7 F/ L; e2 ]
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.$ {+ i8 N7 B8 K Y
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。" f/ D3 c' N. y
572. They did not even tell their wives.8 m6 U4 j4 v, V; Q
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。* a' o# |! N" U
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.0 r% w8 C! w/ o0 I, v' J, I u
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。, ]2 m5 @( u" ?4 \ o& D' B- Q: z
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
/ f& i; K* a- ^" z 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: P0 [2 U3 X" v9 Q
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 P4 k9 }# Z' ?5 @8 i
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 _' o+ l& @; S' W8 I* @# Q
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
3 ~+ M8 z. Y( a2 ^" n 他死后,他的弟弟们才觉得无法再保守这个秘密了。 |
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