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课文30 幽灵之死
" l0 u4 X' _) S& {552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
+ p5 L- A d+ P) C, Y 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
4 d/ g6 C$ b! K2 c553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
: }. [3 G2 P q2 W" q& | 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。$ p& ]6 }( j" l0 N! u' ^
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
& y& |) p" b9 c, \3 W6 G# w 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。8 N1 n, s5 k. {5 {2 ~
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
7 X' d$ S; ]! x0 S* O 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 A( ]- S# Q, \$ G L0 G
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
" o: ?0 b9 r# {/ b+ S3 u9 Y 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
) |9 x- @ C$ W3 C557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.: m9 z0 H! | q' s' L+ K! s5 X; ^
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。- s8 m/ E+ U. e4 y% w$ A! f
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.% m6 X. K5 G9 P- Q6 t
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。% z1 o$ Q' G i- w# i5 p* P
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.1 p: s: t, ]: a* J) m: M4 z
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。- N4 J7 y$ c; H! k
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
" Z3 H3 c8 n$ I3 X7 }" q 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
* x f7 \3 D/ }+ o- F561. This was indeed the case.- w% p7 |: b+ o" ^
但事实上确有此人。
7 v% R/ S! |% e+ D7 p$ m/ c+ _562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.* k# C* I. Z2 K6 Z3 o
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
5 Z% C' `* ~2 Z563. 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./ E9 w, H6 |, R! |, r1 f( N
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。
% [6 V3 \9 ?, N$ `) F) z1 x; d) K564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.' s& i( W; _* K# I" 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。$ P, d4 r/ a* V% \# s
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.% S$ ^( P" _ S8 s6 \) N
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
# k6 V7 w T: ^566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.8 t. E+ M e: S. I
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。# h( t8 f3 [4 i1 z# U" F1 n5 P
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.% J2 w+ f9 S4 Y+ Q0 \- H4 y; B$ n
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。+ W) U S. w+ 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.+ i1 h6 C% c3 L: B. D! M( `$ w$ [
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。( w. p8 b5 O! A! G, I* D
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.' l- O. H+ Y# P$ ^( {& `
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
. o; O) n4 C& U3 c570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
2 M; Q: S- p9 _( | 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
; b; k( H+ x! s, ~8 O1 Q+ F# h571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
+ i7 I0 ?3 c: j. u' j+ |* a 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
9 B+ p! B0 e$ h572. They did not even tell their wives.# Q6 }. }1 N. S1 J% m
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。; ^2 A' x1 c* p# k3 m2 B
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.: Z7 O# w' d# r) I% n+ \2 l
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。5 B( h$ q4 Y3 m M, s2 n
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.: J: |, _: ^8 X) S7 N6 a/ y
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
H* y" U, r3 T: [. B5 I5 u575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
7 O9 F' k; ^/ A! V% d0 A/ N3 H0 C 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。8 b( d6 K9 _$ u2 F f. M1 F6 |
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
% Q0 d) u' q V" a Q$ ? 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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