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课文30 幽灵之死
7 p! f! z! b% e3 |552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.- @% n& p& x/ y! x
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
_+ W; J' S+ O+ `% z3 K553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.) ~( u. \0 H" ]& ~ y" ^6 H
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: v1 L) F& }, W4 D4 i J7 s
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
Z& ?4 `' Y5 V, N/ A/ a 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。' K/ q, P# }( ]4 \3 B% Q
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.0 g: L, i) _1 Z- J: I# l
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
: q& n0 @1 h' M& X- @! Y556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
. u. z ] d% g# J 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, O- l# e2 G: u d0 J$ T
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 j9 ?1 M% a" V 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。6 q0 j; ?5 D' ?5 [) i* G7 z8 r
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. O6 _! ~0 T, t8 ?& N) B6 g6 z5 M
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。: j$ B$ f7 v4 p7 O L
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.9 b! K$ y& Y1 e
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。5 Y- _2 H9 \" J8 S9 ]# K% a
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
8 o, E* [% Y0 a, j' O+ u 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% U3 j* O T6 F1 n5 @
561. This was indeed the case.
5 X4 O9 ~5 J: ^* a+ l 但事实上确有此人。
& [% q3 ^/ ?. U6 n2 p2 C562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.* z1 z! J, h$ v( o& O3 c
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ `; `! [5 }' B4 N563. 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.* {- W6 c- O- r( R- G6 w1 y2 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。
, {! L' t" O9 F" ~* l3 `564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
# x3 m- O1 ^$ U6 O6 B5 { L 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。 \' o. R; J0 k i! `, W) d: G. N
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
8 f! o" b2 h) w 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,: M" y+ V) R: D! x& X; Y% s) l8 y
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
, E: _" I- x8 G. r 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
0 Z& F2 m. w5 ?9 B( p567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.5 J/ Y; ~* b8 P' H" t+ G; z2 g
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。3 A# `: Y3 b: d
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.
, w( g' J: y% ^; `% [$ G 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。
! C1 O( B7 f0 B# a569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.2 ~2 _: U- ]. Y0 N
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。 u( n7 r. J3 Y3 c' I4 g
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
( q' P. n% R, [! Z* I9 @; ^ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。& q: r2 l0 r' v& c
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
/ f# }) U9 w3 [8 ], l 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
1 F* T$ X b& W t4 a) x3 I7 n572. They did not even tell their wives.
1 O; @: x" p8 X% n% K: h 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
8 H: ]: D& v8 z9 R" G1 M' H573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.8 K. j( L$ Z5 G) B
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
4 v5 ~+ d% v& S3 h4 H) }* C574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
6 V) k1 M! s4 s 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,$ [5 q8 o/ j6 p& X) W" d
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.3 v7 N+ ?$ I- P4 f( l; X0 E
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。6 N0 x6 G; |; g: D; b* ^
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.) _/ }* S; d- x3 _- g
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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