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课文30 幽灵之死
' t' X8 ~/ d* U0 L2 B552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.' I5 A# G: h, l0 k
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
4 [0 V, c s* a3 d, T; P553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
7 k# T; ^* G; W# c9 k1 Q x 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
u! e+ ?* H s5 o$ M. P554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.! v" ^9 t- k! M) T
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。5 z6 n0 O4 n6 ^, l4 t
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.9 \- O5 g7 U3 v/ U) |4 H% |7 U% s
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
# `2 z& _1 ^% U$ G) W! N) v! l556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
* k5 j6 {% }0 L% }# j( a: M 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
+ ^% A7 C$ L$ u3 @( }5 K557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
2 Z. \1 J8 ]$ O* f7 Z 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。+ E2 v; W. s3 q9 y* }. E: P
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
! k9 e- `% i; }. } 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。
* H% ~7 m. s( |$ B559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
) d4 Q1 a' t, A8 t 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。
% O2 B4 _4 A* i# S560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
( z! W9 r2 G0 y 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
) _0 V% e8 P! Y& j561. This was indeed the case., H3 U- @2 g- u9 H+ O+ ?
但事实上确有此人。
- B5 `+ {$ ~, J& Y( o3 I1 W6 q562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.' a" J7 b, e/ ?5 z& k; r3 [
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。; F0 o$ C% ~% Z7 F# C& v
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.
) T4 i3 `6 \ O# 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。- \/ a0 W6 i' B$ a& S
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.: x' C$ B6 V3 F* k, 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。$ S" k7 W. C* J9 e' \' o$ a
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
1 b/ N# Y( `- T% w8 {4 P 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,) r4 v- y4 f- Z/ }1 ~5 C+ v
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.! M8 U' }2 d4 T, S& _( y( ]
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。+ P7 R, B' k' G/ ^
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.% ~7 V$ r+ ~* ~4 q! w8 z1 b
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
" U+ z4 @- A& }5 _. V568. 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.
+ k/ b: j7 y. F k7 s 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。: O! k0 ?: r- E9 c
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
& G8 S$ ^4 G0 v7 V" U8 b8 ? 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
/ \7 Q: J$ {1 b570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
, A. V+ v9 `8 O2 ~ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
4 P7 F: A- H9 F7 s q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
7 @0 e( ^, y* u( V3 S5 E( y 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
2 u& X& e. J5 s9 A( E572. They did not even tell their wives.: b2 @0 W. P" k' c" [" p
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。8 ~8 {8 |: L F; K
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
8 l I) t) Q1 X 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
& U' i% v6 F, E! o574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse. L9 k( E$ L- f# @8 D L
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
& Y' T; u! c. B7 M& ?! H, {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.& h& P; G( Z2 h g" s; [$ 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。+ J3 b+ j4 M$ |
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.& V! h0 v: G: P: @8 c7 B( J
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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