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课文30 幽灵之死
* [, `( p% H' f3 h1 U, k% a. {552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
6 J# Q' r* s) P) W4 @# e/ f 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
' d* B2 _. p/ i/ j7 N% Z t553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox., v: ]3 x0 f# G; l7 S& Z
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。2 [2 y5 ?5 x- I; Q; \
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.- Y- | l+ B! F5 F9 Y' P
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。" i' r; `2 R/ o: ]+ F9 |* }
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
# D* w/ P; J0 g L" A! ]( P7 t 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。& ^& h# j# w$ X, p5 v$ W+ K/ Z& u
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
% L' |! b0 |) k( R/ Q 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
) \2 O* ]* p2 T557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
& Z5 ~* G- t# |& ~( n 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
5 U* W0 z* }" f4 `: V" g" c558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.- G7 z: z" g' r; ?1 S! L
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 o* R8 {# ^% N; D d& L$ D4 C
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.4 |0 a$ M" _2 R0 @- s; l. V' s
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 E& x3 S/ _; p4 m
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
( j' e! L1 G6 q# W& m7 f 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
& e5 J: z4 \ x# P$ |4 h$ j3 W561. This was indeed the case.& ~$ }9 I$ o% f+ G
但事实上确有此人。3 H8 B9 k- V* p8 C% h
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
. J P, t0 P) M: Z: i% y6 A 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。2 I, `" {& r4 T4 p+ L5 f
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.
+ p; |" ]# i0 k 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。
" A$ ^0 I j& z9 `7 `564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
: p. P! j v4 g( j; f$ }/ ^4 b 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 z2 e& }3 V* d) r! D565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
# D3 S2 m3 f( O5 L$ G6 Z 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,1 M& r' ]- F6 O$ X: e) Y
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.% b8 J2 H# t: C7 \
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。8 D* f( l+ H' v* J3 }
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
+ R) y0 u; g! d5 A 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。- `9 b9 f9 }6 G4 x3 I7 L
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.' g+ m( }$ g( r7 z8 R7 O
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。5 B5 P4 B/ X o2 B# ]4 P6 G8 R
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.; i4 |+ w$ k( z% m
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
4 _1 g6 ?* a9 @ p3 Y# H570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.6 b' ]$ A! W$ i+ j
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' w$ t: A2 c2 m* l( D571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
$ _) `, j$ d3 l0 }4 s9 s 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
1 H( J, z9 v1 p1 Z2 i572. They did not even tell their wives.
: r( u5 y. P5 Q/ R. I' v% S 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
6 W& X' F& k( X3 O% G1 w- T9 z573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
4 H' q K# m- o& Z 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 ~& |4 t' h6 }0 C
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; S! Y1 T1 E" j4 R
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,7 M. E3 A. `& D! w9 S0 b- R
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. n4 m. F+ E2 n8 L" u4 ^
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。
0 X/ G( b9 v1 p6 ~6 n, X( G6 N576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
4 L9 v8 V+ J/ 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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