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课文30 幽灵之死7 n( t3 O0 L. z
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
% K. i/ O2 ?# f' Q 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
1 d3 l) k. O; c: ~: n553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox. H' ?' J+ B8 c& |" q! f
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
4 x5 _; X4 m9 u* k0 }" @' B; e554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
; D6 z1 E5 m- l) u3 ]4 p7 W 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。3 H+ X8 D( _7 G0 L% }. y% f1 T7 c
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
, H6 a6 M% O$ J3 l% J2 P 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
0 Y7 b8 _+ m, K e+ Y2 ~556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
8 ]! U+ ]9 ^& w2 v 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
1 r4 \5 V& N4 }557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' f$ {- U" \) d: { 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
+ n" L( O/ x6 Z2 s558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.' Y; h A0 a& M2 \6 p# `& U, T
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。
( B. t9 R) r& [1 Y! v% L559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.) }. _* Z, p( T7 J+ @4 G; S* d5 i
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。
. X, i, L* J; U2 E2 f1 w560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
& ]: |5 B& A/ z9 F+ j' u0 z 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
0 K: n# y& ?; f" Q7 U |561. This was indeed the case.
) \$ C4 g% v9 d- ~ ~2 Y4 s7 b9 ?- ^% h 但事实上确有此人。
& X% u2 d# C4 }, g562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.( M7 `$ N, m# D6 c2 s& t7 v
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。1 T% w$ z' M: Z$ ] l
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.
, y" D+ R, `- c, p 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。6 D+ o" o `. r: \6 G
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years./ i3 P0 c3 g& |
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
9 w+ N. O6 @/ d( Z5 B ?565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
$ H! `! }1 B9 f5 y- U3 o, p 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,) L; p! J& J2 m1 l" D4 g7 d
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.+ m2 y( x* {( O1 d a. j" ^* c
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
# m7 q4 d# L1 x5 D/ F$ @9 T7 w567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.3 r3 U8 {0 W- U: G& F& T" D \
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。7 P+ \9 i# g* q% A0 G+ }4 Y
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." d _) l1 l. S' y8 e# z
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。
4 v. y$ ^: e/ Z569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.8 E0 y8 u3 ]( T6 c
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
+ P& k$ @: _0 [% R- t R- W570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.+ b- Y$ m2 A+ T$ T9 c) k
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' M+ ?5 T4 I4 Z2 z$ y8 Q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
' Z) d) \( R+ _( T9 X# S 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
. k& |& N, `1 b4 {9 G* @) R" ]6 i572. They did not even tell their wives." o% q7 e- ] p9 D' `6 V
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。' P0 `" n: V7 n& s& X
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
8 G+ m* J+ h9 o* l: e+ N 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。5 J* \. _+ f* s; S( G' M5 c
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.& D# g1 o9 F- Z) i- r
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
+ a O; N4 @; O! J d4 {0 a* _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 B5 i& G* T4 W6 y, i& r 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。
: D* ?8 B7 A+ n* Z+ [576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.4 k" u$ y, S* Y" d7 m0 C- `' f R/ Y5 f
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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