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课文30 幽灵之死9 z" K* }3 ^& V8 Y4 D5 O3 E: x
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
" c4 `: B, E7 G! I: R# c 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
" Z! x% ~6 J; a553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.0 S- Z$ j/ e5 k% R" ?7 `6 g; X
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。, k; P; ~, a1 v# S' f7 N
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.+ t! ?( P3 {4 r" P) `, B, k4 w* L
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
6 D i1 j. }; k+ s0 ~, K555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
# A8 {1 ?( t4 X& \, Y 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
8 m. w* S* g7 R556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
+ X5 E. ?# u) k, T 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
% \6 A% i. N* q* m# o# j! n+ X557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
, Y% ], D2 q! @3 a; e) G$ Z' t 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。6 ]; o! Z, V% F1 S( E, D" E, `
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
8 P6 l8 G5 p5 V7 g* 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。: R% J8 O8 R! e) z' Z
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
o( r @1 y+ C2 i0 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。
8 W x: {! K% u( p3 [0 x2 X560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.' D* o7 D, F4 ^* a: D4 f. Z
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
0 j: C' R, L" M+ V: J: F/ {1 m561. This was indeed the case.2 M. k9 x* S7 M: j# k2 u
但事实上确有此人。4 W. Q" k2 j: n" N/ p. u
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
! T h! S( T2 q8 \; x 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。3 r4 O# h: l6 W8 d+ f
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./ ]3 K5 O6 z, J( U4 a% y
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。$ d# Q1 Z% d- X0 ^. G
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
8 F) [0 J; ~3 I4 L& S: z 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 d9 t" }8 Z; N. u+ |( }# Z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ p: h3 o* n1 Z8 {* e
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,4 ]% d; t. B8 U7 h1 o2 V
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
& t7 x2 E" C, \" ]2 N 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。" D4 Q9 ^" K2 ?: r
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.+ Q$ G r a. z$ s8 P& x+ e
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。1 }3 R1 W0 J) R4 j" K Q, c3 e
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.
" b2 p4 g" A3 H O 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。. P0 N1 F# I) F2 n
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
, S9 m& t8 W- G% h 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
0 C' c% R$ O* k570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.% L) j L# Q0 W% x7 |: {
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。: i0 j. [0 z, Q
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
1 J1 x4 b: e* z; m 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。 T7 T) A# N# Q/ Y- R
572. They did not even tell their wives.
8 n1 ]9 W) C. _' p# _ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。1 H8 p9 V T1 G& c* Q4 Q+ B
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
( y; y, a- x% L3 ]! {& c2 _2 v 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。; Z3 _8 }7 I3 P
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
8 Q: D# H0 v+ r" X 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
8 R# E9 E) O6 F% g! |2 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./ @. M7 k! p" x
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。
( u! E. h2 H- d3 g& M* Z7 P576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
- t, B; L8 S- o0 R 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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