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课文30 幽灵之死
- ~ u7 p6 _# t: u t552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.! r' m# X3 n: {) R- s
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。, H$ t8 I3 i- Z( E# {3 V
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
* w( O8 M) H' E e0 i! m6 A 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
( I" p! r- T4 `% ]! s: M8 ~- S554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
. c0 U) J+ H, ~6 s! \3 ^! Z" h% c( Y 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。& `2 s: L& n f9 O$ w1 W
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.! q+ g& ^0 g7 ^9 f3 O% L
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。/ J5 C4 ^, }8 x6 r: r7 i
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
( p. s5 p6 h, Q# K( Z+ }+ ~. s a 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,# q* ^8 `0 ~1 r$ E
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
. w0 ~9 E0 l, ?" u( [) {( Y4 W 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。7 W# p5 c8 y! t1 j$ N7 q
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
: ]+ w7 g+ J8 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。# F+ i. S/ I+ N, l" S% B: W
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.1 X: r& f8 ]* q- h
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。( _$ v% B3 k: N2 F3 i* K
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.; N4 B8 P3 m8 [, E) \
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。( w5 K0 T& _8 [6 c
561. This was indeed the case.
- J3 X+ M! V4 D: `, h 但事实上确有此人。0 S$ q2 g4 Y$ b$ W; N, F
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.4 |5 f' p5 j! q) e+ z- a1 y
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
M! D8 g2 {* r+ P563. 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.
" k* x1 @* F' T7 A% v; u 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。% d. w5 l) ^: D" H7 H4 T! @) v* u
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
' `9 H3 o5 B, A4 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。0 j" f6 F) g+ }' V- K
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.! T; m, q% v9 z) K0 j+ j
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,. v7 i. K' N% i% w3 Y+ L
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. d9 ~ K1 G7 {
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。: F0 l7 d$ i# |4 D9 y# g
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.6 r% j! B7 ^3 }/ M( o3 l4 B
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
! {% j3 ^# |2 f- U' R+ v+ B568. 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.( \! n% F; M! ?7 u6 j3 ]: x
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。$ W: M& f3 u5 Y. z- B6 j
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
! x( @- {6 t4 Z0 m& J 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
6 F( E1 w3 q7 z4 X- E570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
5 L$ Y4 O5 `) l6 d 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。# n _( H1 R6 {
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.8 N0 t6 y$ ?7 x, q2 Q) r8 A# Z8 U3 X ^
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 R- S2 f4 ]7 k3 V9 l: Q3 U572. They did not even tell their wives.
( ?5 w- ?. r0 i: h 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
8 ~! g1 O7 n: w% w* P573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.% Q! U+ w& J9 ?9 ]) h w2 Z- }
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。$ J {( I P2 E
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
/ u5 H2 ~$ o6 H! W3 o+ [; N' q2 d 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,/ ~5 t& R! K- ]2 o( O$ N
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.
- k! e5 B( d$ I: \; S 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。& |7 c! K' \/ ?' h/ _) X
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
/ x5 E$ ^" U4 S! M6 i3 C 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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