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课文30 幽灵之死
w0 p" T9 a X3 B4 p# ~552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
$ p3 Z& y, @3 M S" B; X. J1 Q 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
* w4 F0 Z9 I: E/ d! M553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
, k$ H! Q# X3 ~: U1 [ 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。 J: S' I' i; D. R5 n& o
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long./ Y! C: @* z2 I& J0 h: l
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
0 [% e6 z- n1 N8 x" \( v$ A555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.9 i5 c8 H2 @) b3 y# |. p8 [! z$ o
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
6 ~1 c9 H& P {! P$ o! P- f; |( d556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.: U6 h. b+ F4 O5 x: z7 x
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,: e1 ^+ R& z. V' ?+ F6 n( k
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.8 T' n" }) T7 R |5 o" ]& b: D& U
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。$ {) a7 I5 @ k
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.: h( c/ q. W" v. O! W" z
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。/ Y' q, ^5 I7 F0 R% c/ n
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.# ?% I. S& Y1 d. V8 {* ?1 ]5 N1 w
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。* P' H9 Y! z: O6 O" }% ~! g! L2 \
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.% ]3 A/ [6 H$ b& s& z
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。 L2 A$ x/ w: M1 E1 r
561. This was indeed the case.) ?. d# w" h k1 k% f) I3 U
但事实上确有此人。/ E) w( Z: }% G6 W4 K/ R) N1 f9 s
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died." f: t- x9 M. d, G
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。. ]: B1 t$ y& I& l) t$ l4 H
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.- d2 y8 @$ P6 d- 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。5 u/ D ]$ h' d) t- I. U1 P
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.4 N9 H2 `( h/ C" H7 [, F1 A6 S0 S
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
( R& r; M2 U( `2 N- g: L( y565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.9 b& ^! u0 D) q9 Q A
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,* {3 s B+ h8 `8 R" |
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. S. y1 y; [4 l( O V1 P
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。# [" S7 S: J L" _' X# F
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment., b+ L& `- l+ q- J7 e
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
! V. M8 N* B$ i! `+ [% i568. 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.
) R# a/ U- x* s( p 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。9 \9 M l/ Q- p* ?8 r, |! R9 n4 _) d
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.% @) |) s) E% l6 i
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
]2 u- L' f$ ~5 n% y570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.5 Q4 o- @* L- @4 ~
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
0 E3 u& n$ ? z9 d6 x% d# H571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
6 o8 c. `4 O, W 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
: t9 W7 g- ~1 e" z, B+ Y572. They did not even tell their wives.' W5 w0 {/ V1 L! B" k8 U! M; l
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。& k, r* f$ N2 H( ~2 r( u
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
* \0 `1 ]8 X! k- d3 ` 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
# T( Z I" M+ a' g1 d574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.$ [0 H `+ R6 Z6 I u
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,3 h. [# P% N0 b E% i ]& S
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." \$ |' d, D& j8 V& t3 } o0 p0 V
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。: I' u Z9 ^! m& \
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
: z4 Q3 @2 y7 y8 Y! U! u 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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