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课文30 幽灵之死7 Z. j- I+ R/ Z: k
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
' C2 b# s9 x; K$ S 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。+ D( p$ N" f& b$ O! y6 _' t8 W
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.0 p" Y- i; o6 ?* Z' O
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。7 A$ K: b) r# K6 b- p2 [7 A
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
+ B3 K8 `- m5 s7 D6 z 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。: a1 L2 X8 t; V* S! ^
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
" n% f6 b, ^% ?5 W 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
: l' k( {/ T V U4 e9 X556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
0 I! n s# P1 T4 U6 E. W# ^ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
( b) @4 t1 r! I: s0 R! u557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.2 q0 y" _8 ?- j _( @
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。6 e8 ~( r- r( v* |2 P) C& H
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.0 \" t: B' l$ ~+ r" w# T' p5 c) y
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。+ j9 J, J- ], p2 z
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
# E# E4 @/ Z7 r 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。
" |( t# m' r9 P) O y560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.7 q! Y Y, g3 Z9 W* x+ _
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。. k1 v& I% ?; U% ?% j
561. This was indeed the case.: V; o. a t; y# h
但事实上确有此人。6 I1 P% A Y( Y" r7 I1 h+ \
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.+ o4 N& g8 a" ^
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
( v! b) J+ _; d: y* x% h563. 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.1 r' r6 |" g7 A! l0 c Z% y3 q* L
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。
& O$ [ w2 {: [4 y5 s$ }564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
5 `+ o: _- h2 l9 O, _! N+ N" ] 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
6 m9 P1 r- D4 u1 J, b565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.3 m3 d4 s5 m0 t" i1 d2 O" o
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
1 w7 U5 |7 K' `9 P* b/ N, z566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
3 f4 X3 _; B+ z5 c) d 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
) b9 x3 j1 V, ~2 g567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.* ?4 k3 `- A# i. N
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
7 M) L7 X/ Y$ s# }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.2 h5 s5 x k5 R3 P7 l! 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。
. D2 L: s6 q5 b) @4 s569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.9 d8 x. R. S$ R! i m1 m: R: U0 g4 B, f
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
9 t2 n0 w: j9 O/ f H9 ~0 i* M4 G570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
( s3 V* |' l m0 N `7 f r- f 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。( Z# g- P% l. B! i( l' I9 L; \, s2 i
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob., o2 K" y0 S& \4 i
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
8 c6 X! j v8 j572. They did not even tell their wives.
$ _, U* d7 h, S% m y 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
$ F) _1 I; ^& `; J' T5 ~4 ?573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
4 s* W6 s* j0 Z' |: t 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
; h- L8 F5 a% C' Q6 C) H! p574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.4 M9 K) U) e# d0 W# w& Q( T" x
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,' W9 h# [' L5 _- \5 p# H* _7 F
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.
. d+ S) m# l" n3 K7 n- I 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。
2 |8 b6 ^* g2 f576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
7 N* V) ]. w% L 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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