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课文30 幽灵之死4 T/ ]' r- @2 Q; W" {
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.+ ]% d; I J3 b- Y3 O" a. C
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。- v6 E: C& E2 R6 u, |0 j
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
" X1 O/ ?+ f7 a4 } 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。 ?8 N" i# o; |3 }! A
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
0 O2 x+ {: R+ v* |$ c" f 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。; v" a1 _# a6 Z9 B
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.; V. H, T+ o4 Z2 V9 P1 \6 _
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。7 O! U' Q6 Q0 n
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.# w: [% ?$ a% a
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
# J7 e, z U$ y N9 U* k557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
0 j6 h3 P' a: I0 P% q4 Z2 e 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。% Q/ c$ b* o- S* r8 B
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.8 w# m! b; ?! X @
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。
+ j1 }- M. O: ?5 X0 k559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
# j7 A4 D! s4 \3 H) x 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。- F0 E2 a8 U* v x
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.6 H6 I# ]* k1 P$ d# h$ `% N
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
/ L2 H; ]7 o6 E561. This was indeed the case.
. ^' L' q5 _: c, I; _ 但事实上确有此人。6 L4 T. K9 ^0 h$ M/ T1 l
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
: o& B* V; _0 T: t7 u& [4 v0 g 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。0 c$ s p/ @3 ~
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.
& C; ?8 O1 f: U 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。 r* {& d& U% F# {& Q! S7 }
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
, ?9 G$ e' ~* G9 y7 S 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
G8 c, P8 o" R* d8 |3 W/ F# \, N) F565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.# m' Z0 C/ ?# J6 P* |0 c. \, j
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
! k" `$ ~! a! E- V k566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.1 Y) @6 v1 Q9 i+ m/ L( h( ]
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
; T4 J- {/ N$ G/ F3 E567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
0 U: x6 u; _1 l. e( d 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。& C4 ~6 L3 ^( d5 b
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.8 ?+ n$ W" M& | Y2 u- p
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。, G- _* ?; H$ N) A& ~. c
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
( `6 O# ? x# E 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。: p$ p. L2 g" W" D/ f
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action./ M! C' q N; B/ [; l5 {. I6 @# u
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。2 g+ P; a' |' ?1 c, l3 T
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob. q0 k/ H$ v/ M$ \5 H
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
# \% B1 B0 H J; r' n" O572. They did not even tell their wives.3 W6 M$ c+ y. M) T
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
5 M! T9 U T/ g* L573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
, G/ [' O. ^7 i _( A2 ~6 ~ 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。) W- R; t/ |( O: H+ m
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.4 H* }3 g2 e3 h
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
% S8 g: Y% B! M5 c1 ^9 x575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.: Q. r. E7 Q: C0 A% F8 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。0 S! @: l# z* `8 p; z- h% ?
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
. S2 ]. Z5 E, _! X" Y; h/ k 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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