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课文30 幽灵之死
& h+ V- N. A* h; |552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
5 R$ B2 i r0 b8 q/ L x- p 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
/ j4 g, v% J" o2 w# @553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.& o) w6 u4 c1 z/ O2 E6 J
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。9 [1 T* l1 @- D* E1 l0 H
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
% N# J7 N# G6 b2 G' n9 [/ Z 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。- X+ ~9 p9 S3 r. W7 V9 W! P: m
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.) a1 {& K* z$ m" U# ~; \+ p) f7 u
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。6 s6 V6 b( [! }
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.7 t- Q. M. u4 h( p7 h
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
( u3 y: P* |: o. f, K$ v3 u& }557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
* X0 Q, ~: ~6 p+ \4 {% R 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 D, K* F0 W+ L `558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.; [! R( g' b2 R
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。
# r1 D T$ C P0 b0 I559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.( W: u c2 f# y2 R! ^
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。
3 \$ k' M6 F7 o* ]" u' u560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.% c2 x" N: `$ [7 e. S
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。8 ?7 i. k$ ~$ F
561. This was indeed the case.7 ~- Y: v& [2 g1 [& w/ w! J
但事实上确有此人。
3 y8 b6 ~- V F8 `562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.. i2 J7 y! F* v' K9 R$ U
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
+ e. ?# ^( ]+ 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 P$ O( _& N8 D. C6 R" J y% a2 O5 m 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。' f, p0 a& D' R$ m
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 u" Q! N: ?* G: a; i
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
9 I" Q/ c3 W9 o% X565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.0 n R. _! t1 E' \: [
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
! g+ z" `7 o$ t7 i" Y8 a: T) F566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
5 C& G& p0 ]1 f ^7 p: j7 p 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
3 y/ u1 t- v" e& q( p& X! r( `567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.! n( ?7 I2 h( H. n+ V9 l/ ~+ z
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
5 z5 c0 F7 v z' a0 @" |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.; I7 }* {" n6 c& k
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。
: Q9 p# K( E8 r' g2 x569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.2 b8 Q% m1 c& a7 B, y- f0 F. X* O' T, N7 a
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
8 N; a) z$ \2 d570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
! h7 u; U7 s# R, z 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。' v; k6 `; Q+ Q3 A
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
' I; z6 v% n3 q9 j m3 h 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
7 n/ C) I! \/ R572. They did not even tell their wives.
( [- N8 `7 @9 B$ k& F* a 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
; b% o3 u. b* C8 Z573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding." x, i8 p+ |3 j: R" F+ Q3 }
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。& O5 u8 R1 j' e3 P3 f& f
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
5 M* n& y4 c, U 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,' g, j: C# _; p% Q( M6 M) s
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.
9 N* g# t/ f6 h8 J 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。
, h# f7 Z4 B w4 J576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
& U9 \7 W% {) @! G/ V3 [( @ 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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