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课文30 幽灵之死$ k6 r3 e2 U. ?' W2 `
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. E* T% f) y6 G* ^9 d b+ B1 P) j
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。8 b& ?! {3 @7 @' } @
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
! R6 k" }6 c+ W; D 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
- F, g( E# ^: ^2 d7 F8 s( v554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.- L0 t, L0 r1 I2 A3 E# |' s
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。' X2 d5 r3 n4 g" W
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story., u" I2 q' A2 d( Q1 Y, E
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。' X8 a/ Q3 w# n* Z
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight." n2 ^" ]# e, E: Y
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
: X4 S5 @) X) U* W% k7 f- v! G3 @557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned." y/ I. Z' h' I g* r: _
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。7 ~' M* F6 j0 U5 j6 P
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
- O; p# b; a# T4 A- g# b 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。
+ ?2 T# {1 o* v& [559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.2 S+ d! `6 H& b$ D/ [, v
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。
$ m$ t7 a5 e0 I8 f# Y560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen., G6 q* s, z* M
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。, _3 C/ U9 r# U1 |( f8 R& ?
561. This was indeed the case.
# c: ^$ j: H1 I! [3 l, \0 ~8 x 但事实上确有此人。
! { R6 I) {" `8 S- V+ Q" X562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
7 ^5 z' \' o. z- F' P, p/ n4 ^ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。( s2 ]" z$ ?4 w% Y! F% C
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.7 A) L2 v- p, e& z
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。; v+ W$ b" {0 M" a8 I+ H1 H" T# r" j+ \
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
" j3 L6 B% X) q. 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。, a, j; y, K& m5 D
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.8 N1 E) c$ ?: ~' \
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
8 @' {1 R9 S% Z" N' W& K0 r2 _566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
) ~" x/ M1 |( Q7 j% p! N 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。; X. h* g! x" M
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
2 g& P0 M. K1 F) w 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。7 e$ \ \: P6 M, x1 D2 K; x
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.; i4 K, {# |7 d6 G
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 ?3 ~$ p! z7 A" f: ?
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.$ u/ t/ T) P, }0 _
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
0 y% S8 y- N3 v% _+ w, O. _570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.* _4 {; Y, u6 V4 Y9 o8 O/ K
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。2 g- n+ _& Z8 o, u
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
! r& Q; u. D7 i9 l" R 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" {! @& }5 k7 ~. v572. They did not even tell their wives.
' B" C: V; G4 Q# l( X1 p7 E 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。- O6 F8 s5 Q0 X0 V, P# Z8 O
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
, g% g3 [* A. x9 Y 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
- B2 m5 f9 k) I5 y574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; ?9 t5 I5 w( ^
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,0 x" n! b+ [' L8 G4 q
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.
" E: S) a) @. g% Z 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。
3 `1 D$ o# [. q6 Z576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer., j6 ]+ K, 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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