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课文30 幽灵之死* g- N0 A- s L& k
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.( ?2 r9 U# X7 g9 K& \: B
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。6 t- T! Z8 E% n. w/ ~: M
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.8 R3 F; [0 p2 h
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
3 E2 p# Y6 v) D& L554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
4 W# `6 D2 L) ?. ~, g7 e8 X: B+ \ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 Z7 V5 L- f; L( D7 E1 W0 h555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story. O% w6 h6 a' k
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。; z. C0 @+ ]# n! Z2 r# e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
. x) }( }/ T% [9 {% D/ ~, j* P0 C$ O 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
3 G7 V _" g! P V557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.: s2 r. W4 X2 E; D: u
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。1 F& y: y1 |4 y' e
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.1 G" R- t4 Y( S
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。
5 m: A# H" ?8 m" a559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
: i1 H) G8 @; r6 I& B2 @ 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。5 ~' w& D6 y/ l8 \! [
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen., `) Z" D5 [9 s9 O- \; L& l
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。/ ]' v4 v& _' I: D
561. This was indeed the case.
& V3 z" M" ?" R: v' F& x 但事实上确有此人。* K) r& H9 @' a. q7 q5 n
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.. x' }, g! M. Y& M8 L
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。5 c' D, p6 p6 l2 ` u1 {3 C9 t
563. 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.% N H* o! U0 \ q8 f' |' O
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。
4 @4 w) }3 ^8 U1 n- q2 q" A564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
- ]' T2 V! P x# u- X 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。: i0 g7 |; p0 m
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ w j6 Q- {% B$ x7 D* I
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,0 s* K, h: E3 l% N7 r
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
0 \) [, @% T" b% Z5 B+ |3 |2 d 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。+ Z% _- L5 B, o8 g" u7 X1 w
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
: O, V! s8 ?; k' Z% `3 \ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
2 N2 \! s- O. ?3 D1 p3 Z- l0 T+ o568. 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.
" s9 e- A& ]7 i; z5 w2 {* E; f 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。
& D# X! w ~& j" f6 D! T' @569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well., g4 y5 ~, H4 Y+ C: q8 i
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
9 N0 g* l. I! {8 h570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.* _" u3 v/ [! M5 H% v- |
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' J$ K' k8 ~6 G571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.( ^) q6 \4 ~& @
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。1 K; H* A y1 A T' V
572. They did not even tell their wives.3 L+ q6 o5 L; p! J* S+ g# H% r
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
: T; M5 Q9 {* M5 n1 F) ]573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
2 V* p, J) a* y6 K% S" z6 F$ W 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
9 Z" G5 I1 d9 G$ s" ^574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.# w/ e$ _# F% m8 N0 L
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,* x1 }9 }& W X" g7 @
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.
" b5 O3 R; U7 f9 B/ F, K% o 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。
1 k/ N) h7 A. j f% e576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.# n, G8 x! n( m9 r. J
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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