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课文30 幽灵之死! h% f& R, t0 B- C p
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.2 C$ m4 T& ]7 o- g; c8 b
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
- |$ Q9 ~; @5 w* b- w1 U553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox." [/ v; _9 d5 K7 S; c6 b
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
( p6 v0 s: x r$ F554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
4 t' l y4 y3 m7 j 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。) k) o( i* F, ^) a1 l, w4 K
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
& i2 T' @. a+ ` 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
0 U2 l7 e+ u5 `556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight., Z. x8 I4 c% ~$ m ~
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,: T" x: ^8 Q x$ k5 D0 T0 T% [; C
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
: N1 E! G9 S, _( a& N 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
9 _1 _1 p/ { Z' w6 g558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
& U4 J) Z$ x( @/ c. D+ b) e 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。' N6 E e, s' ]' {* L7 k: x9 u/ E
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them. j6 j8 r' f2 ?# g8 w! c/ 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。
+ K# v9 P" { v. C9 P" n560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
/ D3 S* Z8 |5 I2 E/ a( P z# g9 r 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( P& \7 S4 ?) c9 s3 Z5 ?. N561. This was indeed the case.
, X6 x/ k* W. G& H# R$ x 但事实上确有此人。
" B: \& F' n# C* V+ x+ R% R$ L- p562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.) _$ M% W0 |7 B2 `* Q
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。& K7 {, S5 f! t. r
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 y4 I( `8 H" Z: p* S* v5 V! ]
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。
, U# i- j9 k! {564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.# L/ K' q J6 a! P6 _0 M$ d) F' d
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
) \7 k) d$ c6 c% ]+ F565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
8 \: K8 w- i9 V 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,+ c# A* T# t9 l9 k" \
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
! \8 u& F( F& d0 N K. [3 y 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
% z6 U0 n4 b4 D2 c567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
6 v3 C3 D$ @% D! m* k 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。6 t& _- P* |6 B0 U9 |' j+ P9 f% o
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.
9 M( v) ^3 `$ F! N2 Z# g: u 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。7 Z8 H( g9 H I+ S) X7 Y/ q+ z
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.- L( S# m+ b$ V A
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
! x. A3 R8 I" }# ^0 M, v570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.$ \. k3 ^+ w0 l+ `
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。+ u" i1 n5 W# ~3 C
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
( L. P& m; k. ~5 p; l1 Y 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。0 j+ u' f. a9 ]+ C1 F0 h
572. They did not even tell their wives.' u/ [2 z# `4 m6 G# o
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。+ h& f9 `4 ~+ l# P+ |
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.: K. \0 ?: s6 J1 U
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。1 S+ l( p4 q. H! I" i# z# @% K
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.$ s" T3 ^7 [% U' [4 P
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
- v4 ^4 d$ z: Z3 O& }! x" F575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
& \2 N: O7 j, }/ N! H 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。! | D; `' }, B* ^, \1 p: j
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
8 S1 ]0 S G+ 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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