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课文30 幽灵之死; L& r& c3 U) B: H0 |2 E) g
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
; Z3 T+ E" Y6 \! |3 t 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
+ {: b1 Q5 D) S8 g: u6 b$ v' g553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
4 C" r. \! H8 i, } 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
; p; s6 d' S6 P+ B" o* Z- r& O554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
7 m% [) a9 o3 B! n% I& f 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。; K4 V, o' ~' O. a( G) \
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
& G+ Z5 ]# p( R, F7 D2 }% g# { 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
: d8 k+ R7 p! N! y556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.+ Y, x% S# ?7 g6 Z% M U
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
* A* F7 L7 s2 l+ s! \7 p% }- c! b557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
3 v; g% S+ M9 e/ b1 n 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。) w& H |: Q0 i2 R
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.9 `' }4 b" H) q) F" f! W
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。
# o- y9 i+ @, ]7 t, d% ~559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
$ z6 L; r- e3 s2 [, L* H" N3 k 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 C% l5 Y! ]; z8 c560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
' C8 {" L# d9 }* d) I' u) V 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。* S& @; R: V( ^. w5 }
561. This was indeed the case.
5 ^. V) p1 N8 t, X. Q 但事实上确有此人。+ o+ |( U; l' A
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 o, i) @# ]5 l k1 Z4 _
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
" F" h. c, s/ k5 s: j563. 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.
0 N1 }6 Z( F' 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。* G* s8 Q3 {% e; \$ o
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.. k# N) X$ W1 r6 r5 t) [% R! a
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
3 ?# n1 @7 [' C8 O' I565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' M- \8 S5 R$ E8 f% m9 {
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,* [% Y( `) ^4 j- R6 r3 E( w: X& Y
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.4 ?8 ?0 G4 K/ w' j( w, [
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
) w$ _) v# n. k, V9 b% s567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.# l o8 t* e! l" v# m
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
8 d- G2 A% Z! \4 K7 N, W* d5 F568. 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.
1 H$ E- X% [$ u; b7 x; X" q' w 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 X- E% W; u1 f. u: g6 R. @' ?
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
- Z' K# ]7 z! `. ]9 L 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
' X. A0 b. g6 C) u- \, ?2 h* c h570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
9 M$ f3 E) d& s: U, P& ^ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。3 P8 ?3 D5 z: d! u4 h c7 k& o
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
: e8 q( j. ~- b2 E$ r. M3 J 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。' d5 s) G% `9 V+ i; B; H7 A
572. They did not even tell their wives., Q+ ]% z% Y1 \; d
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
! x, o+ K1 P2 _3 }1 S) Z573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
2 n$ \# m/ T( q! H3 z: } 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
. B; l3 P: Z2 Y8 |' M- I! _2 W. \574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
" i3 c. R* r5 D) C' _ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
3 n6 Y$ I m% L7 x( w6 x575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
* k& X' i, r) M7 b& g4 B 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。" F$ {6 `+ y1 G& n3 p* N- G
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
^: d& K+ K. X( R3 p/ ^4 Q 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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