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课文30 幽灵之死
* ?% D$ q2 M8 y! n ?552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
- U# ?5 t' h. j0 `% d' E8 t1 @ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。+ B- i+ j' q% m5 W( N7 ^1 Y
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
% ^4 [3 u T* A7 h& }) t# ?$ | 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
+ v3 P1 t: U1 x3 K554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.: f) o5 N2 t- g2 Z9 s; h( |4 R
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
' W( V) b) u: m+ B4 M/ e555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.+ ~- Z3 i9 ~; N
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。 N( g7 W+ g. F8 M8 P' M: p
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
9 X3 a) c7 L5 e 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
- w; I X3 o9 H# n6 w557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.3 S& j$ T$ R% G, H
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。- E" X1 w8 S: P4 N0 [ N O* i
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.6 c. w4 h; v0 F! w
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 m" j3 M& P$ @4 O0 a# k559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
5 @2 j; m" t$ h& P+ q 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。
7 l* ^8 H* |, y560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
; }6 F2 P/ j' @3 R. R9 }' J/ g7 `+ v$ A 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。1 [( x( Y9 @! m8 ~; e& n; {* q j
561. This was indeed the case.
. v9 _& V: M/ Q% q3 R3 ? 但事实上确有此人。$ K3 F9 F, Z4 g
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.3 y; E4 Y+ p1 ?& z# f9 Y! t8 p
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。' H- a2 s9 [/ W8 v6 K
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.0 A, X& p* Y. G9 S% 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。, s7 x. i9 K9 q" U- w1 a
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years./ s9 [; ^: P" ?8 D- p" H1 q' v& ~
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
/ r, M" m' v) d/ S! U4 n# @% f565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.! m$ q% U+ A2 k9 K9 i: x; ~6 T
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
$ F# o0 \. w! h; i4 C! L- l566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
( m6 |% T; \* Q: l 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
8 V! f. P* o. H, B567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.' l5 N5 m4 n4 n8 D
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
% ]' D+ E3 P1 H- ^! {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.# s& ?& g) t" m! w0 c
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。$ L8 P: K" Y w+ s0 a K
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
9 }% A* j0 Y( ~" Z& R8 }- o% W 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
0 L8 d( \8 ?- v6 R3 [. R9 c& W570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
) g1 Z: d9 J4 C: k/ r* ` 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
% L. W5 V! k% p6 W( y! m571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.5 _* w/ L0 j$ i ]) G: C% R
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。9 R4 u5 B5 O; Y5 D/ [/ I
572. They did not even tell their wives.
$ k- A) U6 ^: Z# C" @* ?9 { 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
; N& P& j; j0 a+ J7 z573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
' N; ]# b1 _+ s" R! K6 J+ m 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
! I6 [2 d! e; h1 }' `" X574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.+ _( |" Q) y' q9 G% T, t& ?; @& i
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
9 |0 ~+ Q' @* I0 I9 p575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley. y, o; S: e2 q) k" Q- u T
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。
9 p" } P; `2 }# n7 d3 K576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.3 ~, R5 Y! j% E7 ?
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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