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课文30 幽灵之死4 N- R; @! N: F7 e# B- z5 @5 F, f
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. A+ p5 [( U& P* t. M
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
' K6 N @6 {& u: ~ ~6 ] h- h( ^553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
6 i6 m; P, t k 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
) x. k- t0 V5 y554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.. r+ _; m, y4 k& x7 r
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
! o$ N% ? o" ]555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story." x2 P/ `6 c: [9 O% S0 j
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。3 @+ j- j( M, _
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.- v+ T' c* ~8 ^: z( r' _
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
& H. y, z- L- m$ Y; j' L3 n( {557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.9 l; l5 t# r1 ?2 \6 N
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。8 N; G+ s1 G( A0 ]
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.3 o" B+ u) B0 E0 J7 f, O1 D
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。
, Z- s+ h# m) d* C5 H559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
+ M) ]2 {& P/ 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。
, d4 q4 a& F3 G* Z. C1 ^1 d560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
* s9 n# Q) ^2 w6 c 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。/ k; c2 J. L- i9 A
561. This was indeed the case." X- b$ s3 N I {- C5 b
但事实上确有此人。
" F: }" t7 P0 G* I562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
: i' P* h1 R1 J. f+ v 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。" a% K( U9 j- y& L6 k3 l
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.
9 C1 V/ s5 C P$ j: ~: 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。. k. O5 k f) X4 u7 T, R6 ?# |
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
8 W k9 G4 m4 S& k7 O( C+ K, 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。6 B( I. P; o; b# t( [1 ~
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
$ x3 v) y8 O$ j5 r8 M3 Y2 B: Y; X$ k 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
! t3 ^& h% [, e9 a% S) }& Y ^566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
! W' R/ ] O5 U' M7 G 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
U, D# m8 j+ e5 w( P- J$ j567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
% w/ ?3 E1 Y Z S6 y8 y 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
6 m+ {8 S/ e4 p0 |$ I: f& ^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.
! ^ b& p+ V% }- |" X. @: x( I 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。) Q5 y! y- g S! t1 g9 l
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.% _' `# m# C! ?3 r& k$ n# v' u- d
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
o) g. H3 {/ U570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
& Y( S$ r9 b9 s7 } 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
L1 A, a6 o. S- ~571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.5 s8 }+ s- G4 X% R: U
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" N9 g2 p1 B% M: R- j D572. They did not even tell their wives.
( y, y# _" f5 g b2 M 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
" r% r$ ]$ W! D1 J/ C573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 ?/ H& Y- S. v& a& R. C5 [' f* ?8 v
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。+ L& B9 k# Z" O2 k
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.7 E* v! y" I# |, L
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
% ]; F) p4 @; J" G/ {+ _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.4 ?% I9 {% j0 ?0 ?4 Z# S- q
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。- M# ?: z, O# e
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
' L, c- ^1 O% 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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