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课文30 幽灵之死) y# C( _9 Q8 H% D4 L/ Q
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
$ U. t% m. J9 | 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。7 Q% E; N; l/ k3 d# e8 C9 p% {& ^9 G
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.4 H. C3 n8 T3 m5 U- I
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
$ ]. }6 r1 p- @: Q* J0 s554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
6 H+ S! c6 c! n8 B+ [ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。& o0 z) Z+ I8 ~) _, _& [
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.4 O6 p: j% _' r; \$ t
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
& x' n5 s* I- u5 Y0 h$ n2 Q6 F556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
! ?9 c! Y5 {9 b# G) o0 H6 S, _7 ? 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
' N6 A( e/ m3 q/ |4 d" `557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.5 Y' D- x: p( y) {
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
& Y+ o! x, B; C" ~6 H9 i" d0 H! M558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.0 q" ` n, S6 b6 u( ?. S. K) F
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。
! Q6 i6 w( E/ f) V3 E559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.+ h' \1 f$ I: V/ d9 u2 X1 a5 e' 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。; I1 T z. v% d1 x6 C
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
0 E( _ ?3 [8 ~/ C! f1 ?, } 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
! K: p8 f8 F( X4 K% E0 X5 d: ]: q561. This was indeed the case." K: S, e; F( U! B$ e# E! |
但事实上确有此人。
. N) y4 Z( [8 k& Y562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 h- [; `2 E# a/ B( M# J1 w. F4 U
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。( {6 z% U- c% t( e* @* k3 a# D
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.' @; N9 @3 ^* y/ t6 O. X5 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。
& n* N$ ^6 t7 V8 f" A, T564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
( K7 j6 e; C$ B) N# A* {- Y& I# b5 J 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。& G# y' D b: U$ N: e% u9 S( }
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.; l h/ F' b, M- I1 u
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,2 t o, o; R' Y2 s" Q7 C. X4 H% r
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.$ Z# e% {5 B. {1 _9 b
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
; _" b7 J( x, |! W567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
! L; s. W% r( `8 K 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。, x+ I+ U& }5 F
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.
, D& f: |6 O5 \. ?9 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。% z0 ^, e) d3 q; }' Q3 O* |
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well./ [% Q. g G$ q- Q% `0 P) x3 A% @
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
; K1 U+ S2 Z+ ^' b. {570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
; T6 f9 A/ t; A3 q, @4 g 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
9 j U" K: A2 d; w+ ~: d571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
! T8 C) p8 [& T/ N/ N5 N0 V5 M 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
5 |$ g! [- [; N$ Y# c- a4 h- v572. They did not even tell their wives.1 R, h4 {- Y3 I; [7 l' ^% Y! W# ^- }
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
! i! f c# }1 @* v* C. g7 H573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
: I: g* I$ K6 S8 ~( e) Y5 }' N 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 b2 I& ?% f; ^" [4 M* q
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.6 X ^$ Z7 |5 S& Z& O& F5 t
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
~ q0 u, Q# A- G! U F575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley./ `! j' _& X) S! g: C# Z
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- N! e- e$ Y3 s, i7 H* N o
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.7 U" H/ V2 {) I w
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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