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课文30 幽灵之死, y4 [: D. J& Q% r
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
# |( U% Z6 b% h/ W2 Y0 g 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。: I9 V% w% k- Y" F0 y; M, E
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.: j/ x; ]2 }& |7 Q( b$ {1 l# P
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。) |; R# ~3 |; f* P3 S+ y
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
/ }4 C0 I2 N0 w) ^" { ? 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 _7 Z) \' U5 ]3 l! |% ]' f555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.6 i; s& m. ]9 p5 u/ A. t: U
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。& o g, e% e, p- _6 \1 m4 _
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.! T1 \7 P' y* X4 t
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,9 a: G3 {5 g7 I7 E: V; Y/ U% j
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.$ I( Q8 W% I$ a5 [0 K7 y
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
& v3 ]7 ~+ w+ I0 t( e- c558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.4 F3 {- S1 `' ^5 D: u$ M- C7 A
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。
& O2 j$ d v8 W" E2 [" X559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.) M0 i9 |5 `+ {/ k/ n8 C! V
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。
; N4 B4 n: l2 X" n9 i560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen./ ?, q* M0 r0 u, a
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。1 ^7 z) g6 |9 q9 `6 x. R
561. This was indeed the case.( J5 n5 Y8 v4 ]. g* ^6 Y
但事实上确有此人。
3 Q2 g) ]' B+ I4 M9 L* X562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
- k% c, {4 y9 T$ |' x! q/ I 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
. X" M5 U% n. {' a563. 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.' B- v4 f% X! a; n$ Q2 ?) R
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。# n6 `$ N3 M* C* K. d9 ~# W
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
4 N! |0 L! \- S- ?9 I' }/ J( A 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。8 ?5 s/ l# @0 h# K/ d1 a
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
2 b. a' ^- Y i G, i 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,. ?2 y6 q" t8 H% h- i. d; K) W
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.3 a' b g( F& Z' V) N; v0 v
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
6 i% f' ]# y" p( ^3 c1 W9 J6 D567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.( d* S8 e: y) b" G; A/ _
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
/ Z8 Q. Y) @) X' S! i+ Y568. 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.
( H1 F7 G+ E$ i 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。7 V! r& s0 M Z' _
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.& z: P7 S" c# H0 @
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。/ @1 c0 K7 |5 [4 f
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
+ S8 N4 M0 D6 `* L6 y 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
& M& U" e) j9 b. z3 d" E$ f7 y571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
# T5 ^; T2 r' a6 @0 c* g: O 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。6 R) |, H# t& P# ~6 R% ?
572. They did not even tell their wives.: ~; L; W/ x* t2 ]9 r# O5 k& D- W
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。/ A! _( N2 I5 W, s+ | }* ^$ @
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
i6 E( e5 J7 r, U% ?4 W 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
) H S2 Q" @) x& a574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.& P6 C1 N! U# C0 L! D* v+ F' M
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,1 _! \1 y) s8 K+ P( @
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.
7 z4 j7 C" e: @' H5 z& b- p& W 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。9 N3 o5 X- `7 |; ^0 B0 u& D
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
& ^3 q/ \5 n I, J2 m3 S; t 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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