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课文30 幽灵之死* G$ n1 T' d5 W* f. S
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. @% r' u4 {; Q8 ~
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
( P! ~ i$ k3 z5 _553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.7 {8 A; }% b4 v
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。! C, M2 Q& ?; J7 {1 j% J' a
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.8 t5 @* r$ v; ?8 p( z; R! V( C
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。( R: C- A* L6 W
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.1 p( K& \4 Q7 W0 ^( `+ o) t
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。. \, X2 p. M. Z& g8 O% F) s* ^
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.* }: N$ f+ i) ~' y
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,- G) S$ X( c/ i' O2 s
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
* W8 D8 x5 Y# w# i" V! R* ~, t 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。, c( u* P K1 r% B0 X/ j8 H' Z
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
# F! ~) [: Y Y4 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。
+ _" O- H1 u$ v% g; j" \6 Q% i( _559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
, z* b1 c7 P* }" ~3 J) g* 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。
0 Z( r7 B$ ^6 p3 d* Z560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.% v! Z/ \! b& e( j0 _# X
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% z# E# R+ l+ Y$ H" {( e( L I# E
561. This was indeed the case.2 J5 v0 b, \% d4 J3 [
但事实上确有此人。
% Z2 L `. q. x562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.. z% I* i* D. T* ?9 @4 O# d
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
5 Q: q2 T! {* I" [5 T9 J- s563. 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.
9 O. i- _# j% P4 G$ b 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。
% c( d. [$ W) g564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
& f6 Z: t- G7 ~9 Z1 f8 k5 B 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
" |4 g% X% ?& }: e565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
8 @1 \' k1 ?# ~2 L! P) s/ F 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, j( N% c# K, Z: p6 W: V5 g
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.: R- T7 P# s# h$ Q1 ]: ?- n* G4 K- V
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。. J2 q& {5 J* N! `
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
' \9 O8 O/ u. u) j4 k. l 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。; ]% ~1 Y" E1 |- N2 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.7 [% H0 J7 S4 r3 s. S- N* j) m+ s9 H
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。& l& O6 P. z( [& a" k
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.# b- s. S- W& s8 W) K
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。# p2 t6 W* I8 ?0 K( M. i5 D: |! R
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
6 `4 D# K" [, S- _ y! W- x 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。; U( i; t1 _) Q D/ }
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.9 Q7 }- K* ]# t) ?
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。5 `# G: k9 K! }* b e& i
572. They did not even tell their wives.
I8 L, n; m& a# m# m- k/ ^ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
1 `, O0 w* {9 U* u6 \# V573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.3 Q* f: s+ }6 K6 r
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。9 P0 Z9 X5 h5 K. L) r: ^: n
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse./ U% ^; ~: c8 @, x |) k+ o5 W) u
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,/ `: ^1 o8 R4 d3 K* g; `
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.8 L2 X$ ^4 Y: Q2 K
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。
/ _% f; R; p9 Z# A1 e0 P. M576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.1 o4 s$ k( R$ n4 |$ m- d, C) x% C
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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