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课文30 幽灵之死1 e: r* N. U' }3 G3 P w8 E4 h8 _
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.$ p9 n( b) E, i6 L
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。4 m2 H$ a0 S! T) T p* q
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.* m# k) F0 F/ O O! \
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
$ k2 h! K y1 G& T% k3 p! C554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.# |: o+ N3 }; j, v' q+ U1 G
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。" |! }% `- D- E# q X6 }3 Y' r
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
$ G* Z, t1 f6 `* G; R) x 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。, F* ?1 j' P% j2 L% j% T) u* M0 _
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.2 ?" y$ L, Z z: h1 m o$ n* u3 N
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
0 O- @' c6 A' |8 J$ V6 J' y; g' U( f557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.; ]4 { r0 N5 e- O
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 q* a* t% h3 t+ |6 l0 [9 K3 w558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.9 O$ U( r; i* n. D1 y; g" ]
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。
. w3 Z1 a% v: M, P" E% C559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.* n3 l- v2 b* t1 W7 L* 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。7 z% F6 a6 q3 i' P
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
2 e; N! p/ [3 t" E* X& G 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。+ u8 `, s5 N( ^: z& P9 w5 a
561. This was indeed the case.
! d! |6 ?4 L% n8 A 但事实上确有此人。* U3 K4 F7 j$ ^/ _
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
0 h2 n t4 U0 O }$ \0 g 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
. N% J# l( r" j2 j563. 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.
5 e7 k1 a* \+ _% n4 T1 ]- S 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 d5 \+ N: E. w& d; H564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
( F$ Q& D/ n6 f7 V( ~4 ] 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。 q9 J, {. S. H7 N: R* z
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
0 P- o3 `; k+ l U6 y' j0 ? 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
2 T$ s+ d$ e/ X' k9 m, H" I- w566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
/ _( w! c1 S! @: @( ~ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
: y8 l0 ~* E6 a% L* F7 p567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.' d3 k/ l. Q7 H' o! g
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
; {9 ]2 \, u7 b8 A/ T568. 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.
+ e" b: I! H8 D" z" 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。
" h0 j" z" ]! n# S569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.( N) ]! j! r2 n: E- s- S$ n
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, I6 S$ G7 F' Y- W6 @, X W
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.: Z5 z% f7 f! r" ~: s9 b7 K+ F
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。) w, s- d5 _2 [/ t
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
( M3 C) [- e) K" q 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。3 p; B% _- Q- t5 D- @0 s: b) O/ l
572. They did not even tell their wives.
6 b) u# |5 X' r& {/ F6 P+ F 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。3 |9 Q i) J! e; S2 b+ P4 q
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.' q) W" b: v7 W, T+ i- j8 ]9 l
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
* Y! B3 _+ P- B/ o) ]8 N; ^574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; Q h( w# O4 j6 x# ?
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
# i, ~, }$ y, p( U+ b6 c" _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. I/ r% D6 H8 s3 b6 g
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。% k' c, R+ I9 ]9 A5 D
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.1 A2 s; H! O: o) m
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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