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课文30 幽灵之死
' Q4 [6 u( N( _6 z/ I0 h+ v& e' x552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
; W) ~0 P; {7 k) _, @( Z 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
' `7 K0 J9 u6 p! k- _553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.5 X4 v) r& Q: ~8 E
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。$ g0 z! ~; S3 ^% Q! S
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
+ [) o9 [4 I6 l% f* W/ [; P- m F! q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。: f8 \& V, }' x0 V0 U$ m2 w( t9 I
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.4 J! W, t% I0 f5 H
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
$ ]; Y( p$ C3 o9 s- s* [556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
8 w- s: C+ O9 Q! T 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,! N4 L" _- D0 B: W& [( |
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
2 I7 w0 N. Z+ k# u 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。" s& M1 }( u [# Z
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
& Q; E: u' ^- }6 a+ 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。/ p( j6 B! D% ^8 @; R& G. [7 T
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.8 q6 u2 R; m3 y- T1 }/ A
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。9 G5 A& j% k* c$ R/ c
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.3 I1 W$ e: v- s! t5 v- r
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
4 S4 c- N. t0 B7 M& X2 _& z561. This was indeed the case.
$ x1 r; V; j7 _6 A7 F: ^ 但事实上确有此人。
! M" R3 h3 Z- C" n! Y3 v _: o562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.3 T1 l% q8 Z2 t2 U" M: z+ a
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
# W$ X7 C1 i2 _0 Q$ f4 k. q% O1 Q563. 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.) o: O/ o2 r. x3 u; G3 s
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。
; N7 Y+ N& [/ ]8 U% J2 R564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.& a; t# V0 Y a: D- w! m
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
: [( v# e( |4 r5 i565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
+ h/ H5 o; g4 ]( e& }9 @ 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
0 W( S- V3 \4 k) K4 k. \6 k5 i566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
7 }- u7 s$ N0 s9 A* e 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。2 u4 g; S4 E( K0 p
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
5 r( ~5 l% Z% x2 n( { 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
+ u. G* c" s0 I568. 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.& C, x0 a% P6 [9 \9 \5 M
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。" B* \ Z9 s6 K: _& T$ I8 d
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.$ O7 f8 U( I; t: ^5 H2 ~- V: ~
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
" C# N4 P" t% l) ?570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
c& V0 W' e( L; @5 Z# H5 I 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
8 P& U! p$ `3 j: L5 M9 c571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
2 t& A% q3 U9 n. S# C$ z 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 ~- w$ ~4 l& [5 S& O% k! i) b572. They did not even tell their wives.
6 G3 n1 O- S: M6 R' _* g 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。6 i- H8 U1 u1 J) W! O
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.5 d+ K* e9 z$ k" \
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。$ S. d' K" g" y# A4 V% ?. L
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
, j! ]6 k) F# R# c9 n' B 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
* z( i/ D7 m; {6 k& r575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
& A, ^3 q$ Q- W- w- w' U6 t j+ ~ 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。4 U: s0 }/ i* _3 ` r
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.- \/ y. {) ?+ T
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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