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课文30 幽灵之死& k* Q3 T+ ~6 }) v
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
) n( ^. d, I3 {/ b 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
; a2 f: |0 f! m+ A553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
8 ~ _: D i) S8 f! |" L 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。" l2 `/ Z" O4 j2 O8 ]7 f: ?
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long., z/ t& l: `6 W F1 _. w
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。4 f# G) B( [4 E4 W+ a
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
% Q" H. |/ F) c, s+ X 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
}: X* x1 h% I7 q556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
8 [. B- d6 A6 @! K8 O$ H 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,# M! p* }1 G4 c2 C9 W+ R
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
9 o3 D2 Y7 G/ a0 N- b 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
: f3 p U- C! ~: \558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
+ Q9 c- \$ r& N6 O3 s 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。5 L( u z- L- w' X5 z$ T
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.( `8 g8 A, x7 k3 E" 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。* x: B" ~$ E7 G! [7 p
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
' S" Y* ?; L% [& K2 w5 L. g 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% o- e$ d+ v z0 q
561. This was indeed the case.1 F- d9 X1 A8 j, w; ^. x( t% `& Q6 ^, D
但事实上确有此人。
4 T+ z" G! z3 a, B' J8 s. k562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.6 d& i- j+ @( K# g' i Y
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
6 s) V1 c+ s0 d0 ^8 f+ |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 o( Q- C8 T7 n3 q6 V: G
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。9 Z3 R+ y- j; h7 [! z- g
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
) c7 I4 @0 |$ c' C 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
8 F% c7 U7 W$ ?565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
* @8 O7 C: Y4 }1 \$ E* q3 { 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,. F" y4 X1 N! l4 @! ?' Z
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
3 N4 ]; W T3 L3 L7 l: F y 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。) v3 m7 Q$ P5 f) o U6 ` H
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
* j+ |9 G% U$ B4 w 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。3 d1 b, ]# E, t; n& 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.
' n8 `2 A4 S; S# R 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。6 S# Y# T1 f7 |0 ^+ `4 w
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.% {7 h* X+ v' K2 I* t K
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
: N$ Q( t" B5 v$ E570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.4 X: E5 F; |. e* y8 L
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。) p; P: i: K- I# j- A8 y
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
/ ]. J5 b' M; c 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。+ f9 y$ B; E/ }. h% W9 ~: ~
572. They did not even tell their wives.7 w D" |8 ]4 k0 H
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。6 o8 \, Q+ q! W8 Z
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.1 r8 N2 v( Y5 A9 O) W% B4 T
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 B7 z$ T2 n5 [
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
. {; } d& w' d; a q 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,7 z& }' M0 g V! F5 T6 C* A/ w2 J
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.
6 M: z, V: I9 Q" y7 ]% I7 S 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。# b7 c& q0 P' R) A& `5 o
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
# G9 S! S# s% M, l1 W- A! C4 z 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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