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课文30 幽灵之死
1 `" D. i$ r$ v, C$ u0 c4 a552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. o6 T- p: |" W. Y G
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。$ I- f+ P9 l& d& @
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox." z m4 {( L; T, w" W6 f
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
5 V8 K5 z* v. y0 G1 k g1 q554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
' I1 w: _* v2 w" P2 y' r7 {0 W 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。& t _6 ?+ O4 B. L
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
5 l/ |+ y2 p7 g+ _ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。: b; @( _3 a5 w/ |' N; q- e) h
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.8 u8 f M) d% O/ P; f% M8 C
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
# |' [& J+ T: Q" s+ D1 u! q$ f557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.6 f9 U2 N# k! O6 B1 L" [4 `
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
, M0 i9 I# o0 S558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.7 C( F% i3 ?5 L
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。6 x8 U- u# K8 O7 o2 [0 J: ` ^. T; t
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.3 W; G1 z( V6 B% }3 i7 }9 r& Y
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。9 i. e4 u h7 ?& m
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
A4 w! |' i$ A( F0 {3 }, e6 A 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% c8 c$ z& q% ]
561. This was indeed the case.
5 Q/ j* t" e n# v: P ]* R 但事实上确有此人。
9 N. _# N+ i+ o2 t. ^562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
! K" A3 J" \- f 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
4 V) b0 Y* L8 g& ]" r563. 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.
& L2 z; f u( F, A' E+ V 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。
5 q/ j! G) h9 B( i564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
e9 e( K% z6 C1 z5 u4 J 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。# i* `1 {* s6 Y& H" C3 N U
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ S1 C) u7 O$ q, Z2 z/ { 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
& D; g: o( Q, z9 ?2 t# r566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.8 d! {, z7 ~3 ~/ h
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。& `. S0 r8 G8 H; m6 r
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
6 i' v5 G3 j; F1 z* W$ [- [! r 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。6 d% x q @* l# c; V: G9 Q! v. Z3 a
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.
; H5 o6 O k3 d) r 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。1 m: G/ w/ B" V
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
, D7 J: L8 }) j0 c4 m3 @ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
0 }" d- ~1 e- i& Z8 \1 K# e570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.9 @2 }& @+ z' H9 ^; ~
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。4 c: x6 Z, R# p$ l
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
, Q. Q4 j! }) `& S 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
+ g. _& A# N( `572. They did not even tell their wives.5 w2 v/ U6 ]+ P' o3 ~8 S
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) P9 s9 Z# e& z! N2 N# [' a
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
/ V" e& n& v$ y q 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 @$ p* p1 j6 s$ y9 q
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; K# {* r& i$ {- v( T: D
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
: k2 e1 X, K* k( w, f8 K$ m1 _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.6 t7 Y8 U. r7 a) t" 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。* I0 d$ U( `* q! `7 }0 ?
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.+ a) |1 G2 V( l$ r' x
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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