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课文30 幽灵之死* {( ]& c: G% [) w
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
: D0 a/ J: A! h# v+ I 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
" A8 S: d- z+ X5 C T553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.. E3 S- I) O( V8 G8 l! e
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。. o/ W! B' u1 G! K6 [" {0 O
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
* M) F( N# i1 E, M$ J 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
+ y O) f5 J3 g* \' B0 k; j0 l555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
C, Y+ P( f# T( k# N% n; g1 K- U 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
- J7 X' } j- ~) o- n& ]556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
4 H2 d6 x' k+ h- j+ c' d 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,$ d' C3 T) \: F
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
# p4 W+ F4 C7 E; X+ \. _ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。3 c: S! |9 t' F- p
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% G) r9 M3 A; H X5 l+ T 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。
! r' ]; A, [4 o- [9 {559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.% J/ H3 y) ~$ w x" i) g3 k n* P
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。
% r& I: w- o. }9 l4 J* o' q560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
9 v9 F9 H: A0 o" l# z 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
6 S, I) B4 ~# T% W# {; `. N561. This was indeed the case.' i& I. f5 B" }4 h0 o* m/ `+ u
但事实上确有此人。( m4 ~. l! a: V
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
! w" \6 k# l4 F4 s, S+ f* h7 I 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
6 N' u8 H% u7 @8 t& F# J4 i K563. 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.& m7 {5 h; i/ Z- X" ^; `& x
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。
$ O5 x4 m% _4 V; }, L6 G564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.% Z2 U; [5 `3 j5 A* G0 ]
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 U7 W0 [3 a/ E0 t u! c565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
* ]. \( R" {* M/ g" n 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,1 i2 j5 T- T+ u- N
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
3 j: x. h! w" v1 m9 U3 O# @9 M 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
3 Q" g/ _7 \- z! N567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.( r) b) K$ [; k
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
t! m7 o/ w7 k* _0 ^! o568. 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 k- ^* ~6 @- E- }, Q; 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。
) |* f7 S" c0 S( i5 e) Z4 }569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
2 Q5 B+ A$ J4 U5 B# K# ^3 z 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。2 `( I# e0 e$ o! M
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
; _0 H6 j! Q. }8 M# x- G6 `% E/ ^ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。% Z& [; Y" b; m3 B
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.9 ^7 J% M) k% r1 r
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
& ^" ^0 a% l- C2 R4 n' L572. They did not even tell their wives.0 q, w% |% n) ^2 |
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) K; L! X8 T% ?! l& H4 w
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
1 C& |0 w4 I2 P& E& [ 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
% R. i5 N5 v! D% ~* ~574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
6 k! s2 S4 s+ V) a3 M) ~6 b 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,& Z& a1 W8 M1 q. o/ Y
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.$ _+ @. R+ `3 |. |/ A6 P
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。
" ?) |8 P( G* @6 Z, `+ V; r4 v576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.9 _/ q$ d9 _) M9 ?
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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