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课文30 幽灵之死" A* u5 x: T& P5 r8 G8 ]- _2 B
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
& w/ ]% @8 S8 s" J 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。. b+ ?0 K, L9 h [1 d0 Y
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox., ?5 k0 B0 b3 X& o
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。0 H8 u" w/ \ x j) d
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.$ y; y2 E& L5 |
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。- w5 t& J+ L, t1 G( S4 [
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
s0 W. k# y0 O5 q0 y 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。, f' {. a4 b) \, W
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
9 I$ ^" j- G1 R7 Y8 M: Q 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
0 o8 c4 H# @ m) a! c557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
- M3 m9 f, |# l; i 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。1 u6 G5 g3 g" L% n
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.. x) o" B5 N m, ^7 v
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。
+ q* [; |7 n/ x Q, |1 F7 l559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
- Y6 m1 H- d7 e. r' p- _ 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。2 o* @! k3 @. G. V, ]0 }- i6 ^; }
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
% l K; w7 E' Z( o3 B) ~) T, \ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
' G* W; @' v$ @7 K, D561. This was indeed the case.2 T# C' i4 w' b9 Y* S( f* T
但事实上确有此人。
; y9 N! e$ W: ^ Q; a: K562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
& q$ b; a/ R6 k% n" Y 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
; K* I: c" d, Y2 a8 O563. 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./ S! ?( ]5 j. {) g5 W. ?
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。
% [* G- h* H) |) y564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.; V: [, ]! V2 n6 @% E
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
. Y8 _1 H# h# R# {- v565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ J- A5 B, L' `* `0 ]+ E
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,& e H! U# i/ h; P' I6 g! j
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
( u" ` P9 H' J4 c: Q 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
t; e& f* ~3 b" W567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.- l$ x" g' y- O; v% p
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
7 X7 X* u- @1 S1 G ^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.( q/ n& v& q7 y+ |# m3 W1 f1 L# [
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。
+ X2 m5 W5 P; z9 S0 n. \9 O569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.4 q' C& S2 o. s4 O
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。6 q- h1 y: l5 d
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.( C2 t& R, _0 b( ~. K
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。- [2 b0 L0 {% E) s7 I
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
0 C7 W0 l" A- P: ^# Q( A% s9 O 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。/ j# K6 B, [7 W) V8 L( X+ N) g
572. They did not even tell their wives.1 v/ `" }, N2 K* g" w6 `
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。7 i/ ~& V; T: y) M7 F8 B. e- v
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 C: ~ S. v- O
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
: B6 _% n& i* C4 K i( `, O" I574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
2 E( u, X: x3 N! y: ] 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
) ~) c7 {+ } O4 t575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.$ _* y2 E/ B$ U. K9 T# `9 Q/ q& f
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。( s9 p: U0 [8 B& a+ N6 C- T/ E4 z8 }
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.3 B N, p B1 k+ W
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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