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课文30 幽灵之死4 z5 J) F3 x$ E& e/ }; b% w9 e( R
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.3 c( q9 p. v" h0 i6 y2 a0 ]# f. J
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
' h4 j9 T$ W3 e q8 |2 Q8 ^553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.& M, p3 p: ]6 d: w q3 a4 U
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
( B9 J5 f& S) `; m5 d1 [554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.# l: u: M5 U0 s! `
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。% H2 ], ^9 |3 P# Y
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
# Z* }! V. `" l, ^ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
3 C# h7 A$ w: [: a3 {+ B556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
* Q E' a% y9 M( M' b 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
6 q* ]" j ]9 ^! i6 E557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
3 f8 Q/ X3 n+ G1 {8 O1 }0 A1 X 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
: ]! \- {9 N6 B558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.- S% a, G5 z4 T* R
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。
* k/ F) c. P8 N1 k$ v, G559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
# S, w7 `& b# X) E; ~8 Z5 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。
; [+ C: c- F. ~# S% `6 u560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.# K. n& Z6 j9 o6 G0 a. a
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
" F: F0 k: y% Q+ ]3 ?561. This was indeed the case. D [- L3 A5 @$ a, c
但事实上确有此人。4 @0 L0 u- T+ G" o4 w7 ?* v8 \
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.- S# t0 v5 M# x& g. W
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。6 R! W' z+ s# Z+ ~& l- o
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.5 Q1 y( ]# E- c( M/ 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。
/ o3 e7 ?* C* E1 ?# I2 h' c, h7 m1 Y564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
# D+ y0 k+ W k 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
9 m$ W3 Y( h$ \0 | n# k- h! j565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
. B2 P0 C( r3 ?* d y/ C 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
9 N3 H' g: w0 y8 W566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. l! w4 o8 m; }* `$ J' k
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& `. r/ H$ F& j @567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 w" v" [9 [6 I* J 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
6 G* W0 [% l0 M0 |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.
3 u1 P; g9 v7 p; g" b- F, } 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。
9 a: e# _3 e8 _7 Q5 w9 g569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ b6 ]! a" t/ y5 [0 g3 }# F 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。% k( n+ `( j& h: [7 @. g# ~
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.( x# q" v4 T% v' _
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
/ p2 i# T/ P3 m0 K) I571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.% {/ L1 d. [9 y1 n) S
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。2 K" T/ q8 J2 P+ {" h1 V4 ?
572. They did not even tell their wives.2 @- F1 {; h& M8 O1 S
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
* b3 F" e' |) I573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.- I, b, ]9 \/ S4 ?0 g/ ?
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 C* m1 m0 u: [$ l- o% A
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
4 a* S0 P$ ~: |+ n2 l t" V! R: w7 R 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,3 Y: U% r4 h( e4 V7 F6 P! f: J) i& W
575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.# n, d! ]4 a2 A& ~0 [1 ^: x
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。1 _- a, R4 b/ n
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.% l o7 i' B$ o2 X5 e- @1 J5 s
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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