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课文30 幽灵之死
# D; j! b# u9 d9 r/ C' D+ m2 U552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
% c. L5 b, R, d" G$ R! V& ^ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。% [* u. Y! y Y+ X. `1 `
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.& {) J/ B& i& A/ b. y/ b
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
+ `* R9 L+ _$ N4 B554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.; a9 Z! i! n" U- }$ C5 T0 w
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。5 ?6 j, H3 l5 ^) V
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.5 o) P. M8 N8 g) P( Q- v
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
" y, N- V, B h, t& t a556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.8 P: U& e* `+ d5 j$ R
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
: Y! x/ j; R; \- `9 f, g# h. z557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
$ m! G* Z9 J# G 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。+ K3 Y# t0 v7 V" V; l( L& | c
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
+ z; ?- f W# v' C* [& p& V) d 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。2 ] n6 t! u' l7 ?' r- C
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& `& J% n! b4 O: X$ w: j+ 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。
: O- u. @0 c9 k560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.7 S* h/ M' Z6 _! t$ h
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
; D. ]4 H/ i$ A( p561. This was indeed the case.
# D! t+ U @' F; T/ c2 _ 但事实上确有此人。
# `% V3 S8 I. U; H562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
( q Q& h, h$ J4 ^: d8 X [ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。$ I8 x: n" y6 L
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.( o v* d( ?% J" A0 g
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。+ c) L5 `5 @( G
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 w$ P6 h7 S4 e Z, @1 ^/ D
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。8 L# H3 N0 W! i7 H
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' f' V8 V( p$ B* d4 Z& A
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,) a8 G2 p# _' W* s3 H5 m
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.; ~' ~8 |0 N) o" _
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
! `, \# s; x! l* |- l5 P2 }567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
& Y/ @: N5 x! I4 @ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
( Y1 r+ @8 y/ k3 ^: }: E1 R568. 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 c) Q+ u9 _: I' a' y
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。; M4 D* ]$ K6 J8 \) N% F2 R
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.+ W. }1 q2 H; y2 T7 x
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。9 ^7 L1 h$ T7 V4 R9 N1 I3 E4 O
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.2 ~# ]/ H" x4 Y" R( z9 K
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。' S" D5 D7 k5 z
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
6 E4 Z* s ?1 r2 K% [ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
3 w% H* ~1 t$ w572. They did not even tell their wives.
! w0 i5 s. B- R# v9 D0 a 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。1 v/ e7 h# a. h$ T, r8 E
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
6 ~6 S; b- ~8 F9 H 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。* ?( k* ]4 v& |' a1 n3 B
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.) g( ^/ x! n& q$ Q
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
& R/ V! W- S3 K! M575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
7 w7 {* m( v# X6 u6 f+ j4 @+ Q 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。# D% c: L* l0 u/ b$ b
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.% ?# V5 I: i: 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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