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课文30 幽灵之死
; d; R2 S. [4 g& i" F552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.5 I. e5 }9 Y/ c4 _2 w+ K. e! Z
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
4 V$ ~& F. ?0 W553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
' `$ v3 G8 K3 {( Q: l+ c6 U6 I 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: P' ]( I- g& w& H2 i% P1 |% F
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
; f; W3 C/ [" x n I; H( B- K 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 J" c9 p; S! _- L5 A+ m8 I555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.0 U0 q! Z1 U2 T7 P" b/ e; A) y
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
. H4 \) T7 _2 z556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
# k) A- |) _- U% Q# d* ? 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
4 C6 d* M; x0 ^* c557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
- D, D' e8 J3 R9 j8 ^1 S, d 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
7 Y$ X3 f T! Q3 i. ^4 [- r558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.: K. h- A. p$ {) ?* U) 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。
' t4 L2 n7 B0 i7 f F- Z6 W559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.0 y) A, _7 B' M2 k& b1 i/ m1 O
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。6 a$ E- i* r( D8 ?5 k$ P3 U: t
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
7 w* a& o/ L, T6 | P 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
H5 m5 }6 `% j8 y: j2 v" [561. This was indeed the case.% l8 [ f; N: V) P8 ]6 ?* U
但事实上确有此人。2 N9 C( q) F% x# e+ S
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
/ t, ?: g' L9 X, i8 a* ~6 u* J 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。) s7 o' y% C% z6 i* P8 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.- @, ]8 \5 M5 a9 l, o
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。. E0 R/ o0 z, r* a! X
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.$ d8 s8 t! {1 Z& J0 z' S1 r
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
X' j1 x Q+ e u2 X2 r565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ Q$ Z; r" \# O! ] 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
/ Q6 e* ?8 N+ H3 @2 H0 p566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
" y* f: `# U: ]0 Y 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。$ ]/ c5 g) Z; v. `) v- t
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
) |( z; N5 n( V G% u 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。6 W l) Y! X; c3 v0 u, p# U
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.
8 ~, v @0 G! F) \" }- ?% U 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。4 m2 I2 h/ M+ }* ?
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.8 `, o4 [, w- M; P' f8 d8 D- Q6 F
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
( ?' ] r0 D G. H) S570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
! N) {! c( k9 v 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' r! w O. e* ^) s L0 D4 P! R: k571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
; R' l2 M6 |' M+ e1 _ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
( P2 l* y- _' q572. They did not even tell their wives.$ Y M# E8 V1 L" E# v5 }9 @4 M
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。: ~! E7 T: \2 L8 K- `# S$ S
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.' a# B# \4 _7 j* j4 g" T
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
5 g# w8 l; y% V4 F. x6 @574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
0 A' O& i/ E) Y, [- { 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,( W4 \- A; K6 D% z7 G& r8 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.
2 L3 R' m1 t5 m& O* ~( | 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。6 j- D( G/ X; Z" X% i0 g+ [
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.& `* O* @+ N, i9 ?# {7 B! A
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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