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课文30 幽灵之死
7 g; }* l4 ~- _& l0 }552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.: [6 n: e5 d1 Y+ }9 T B
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。/ F) ?9 @* S, {5 C, K8 d% p( U8 x5 Z
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.: @+ S; |' I# ?
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。2 F) I# L, j- E3 K0 l. X0 L
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
V: b4 X# u5 W& ~( T 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
! P/ M2 r. u" ~: H* e, U555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.0 O; f) d. u% \8 Q: T {, j# D/ V
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
$ p! u! v4 b. |. M# d! e556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
. M9 r3 ?9 G& l) [2 S. w. ^ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
( }; o& r8 G( Z557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
# h7 J: h$ \# v# @ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- }3 K& B1 H r" \3 _558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.5 t4 J2 l9 [$ C1 u
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。
/ C3 e9 i% p2 |! y K! J; u559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.0 m6 g2 G3 i! J$ n
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。
4 F4 X9 m9 n2 `/ ~3 s560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
! v2 `- H6 w4 s 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。2 E; s7 k( ?" k" w" d* Q5 \
561. This was indeed the case.: h% @& f/ e8 o
但事实上确有此人。/ _/ X. [ J `+ d+ Y
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.5 Q+ J2 Y8 I. @% J) ~7 Q2 L
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
8 v; x! e. m7 L563. 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.
; v3 t# ^: x. Z; z 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。2 a/ s. y# H! T2 J+ A$ s6 M
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.% G8 H# @* ]3 Q8 x0 }/ 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。
( l L) h2 |' |! `! A8 e9 d, q- C565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
+ d# l$ ?6 E% [5 x5 u/ c 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,9 ^/ S U, n: j' J1 \
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.& F1 l' [" V: F$ e# _* R t3 K" V
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
3 a( z% i3 [, U8 }567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
8 K" @3 e6 |3 ^ }; U 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
b0 I1 s7 p& O# D568. 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.
9 S2 t" e" \8 g 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。- `3 G, X9 o. C9 ]
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
3 g7 h& d, {, z$ f 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
% v( X `5 L5 I+ u) I, A; |$ o3 s- Z570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.1 H- F( T- M% Z. e" r
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' f% l1 S- }" b1 D( r571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.8 @1 j1 Y4 u! f+ ~6 g
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。! g/ _2 R' K' G* @
572. They did not even tell their wives.
; u+ P. p4 b: X! v8 a 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
5 {: m2 p: S( s8 m, `4 d- {573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
$ y$ L2 }9 t0 q/ p0 F$ r8 B 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。0 @ r3 a5 Y! v' z! D; q
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.1 J9 g5 j4 E- r$ j
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
- q" f9 |+ o1 X f2 t) w0 K575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
# T' O+ q- F! J6 E3 {$ f 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。
, P. @4 A4 q1 n% M2 ^, K576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.+ Q' _/ e0 r$ A: W' Z- t8 ]
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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