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课文30 幽灵之死
$ D: N% \* S' l8 j! S5 i: V552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.# t) a$ \: m6 q D! a
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
; `( v' u5 P5 h+ T+ G553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
9 z+ f* u" S1 d 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。/ A, s5 _8 A: }; c7 ^) }8 M
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
- c) }: l& d) A8 A. ?- U5 \. P 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
; V$ h! ?8 z+ w) f! A; G4 ~555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
7 a- u4 W) d9 r 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
0 `2 N5 O8 Q' }7 C4 O" L, f( G556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.1 \2 [0 r8 [8 R; _" {% A/ f
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
6 g2 N5 d; c( e- ]' j5 ?557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
+ p. B9 B; S0 F) Q+ I 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
: @& O9 g% I" _2 {; g# K558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.4 F6 O( k$ E/ w% {
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。
7 L6 C- L+ O- {( q+ {+ N& m559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
/ C# h O1 z) ?& ?8 V/ @ k 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。
8 S/ L/ @* ?+ w3 o! e560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
8 m, l$ z/ U7 U: k# m! z 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
& Y7 M5 Z3 O* Q6 E9 X: g2 `561. This was indeed the case. p N, Z0 V: m3 n
但事实上确有此人。+ N* H3 S n8 l+ I
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died. q9 E+ a! ?' _. |) W& K! U
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
+ t7 d2 X; a- ]$ t/ x/ H P! w563. 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.
+ h( y) b {( Z1 c9 B: D* e 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。' C( l Z7 j! \: C% ?7 d
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.3 N6 w7 I; x1 \) {$ @9 E. ~
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
" ^5 a" i u' V( E j; Z9 j565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
7 h g* u7 d* w% { M' K0 H 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
& m9 C; Y7 f7 l; ?566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
* t$ r8 ?: ~$ }" r 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
' i0 `* b6 Q9 x, y& L567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.* h9 M! h9 o3 ^' S( h1 k
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# \. [& s/ w: H8 f9 g, O% w568. 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.
0 g) |0 s) ^4 h5 q. 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。6 V' K) Q0 Y- S1 S/ l" N
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
1 O! o: D4 Q: }7 }! t 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。2 ^1 \. F* K. _) {( Y2 v
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
" J v* w5 q( }9 l t+ j 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。: {6 r+ B$ W- l! L8 f9 ^8 s7 C
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.; z3 T/ R! o4 `" u
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
& L$ g8 h) z' u; K' Q/ l572. They did not even tell their wives.9 U- F+ Y! i& ~. X) I2 E
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。 m# E' p! E# c9 v# z8 ?3 b4 k( L
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.( N" w& P _5 P: G
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
" y( f4 h+ I3 u2 L; K# \ `574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.) f. B" ?" N4 A2 ~1 m; B, Q
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
7 p1 R2 Y0 v/ P9 C7 c. a2 a9 g575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.& v0 H, L4 q9 ?3 J
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。
0 v7 G2 r" g \# a576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.7 B1 D/ L3 N( H# g
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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