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课文30 幽灵之死
; |# q6 S3 {: P9 x3 ]1 b3 L552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.& c1 l8 H0 W2 Z; B
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
* t& q0 ]$ g. P" q553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.0 L$ I% @/ a+ x
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。! B# C# k6 W6 ~. l4 j A3 \
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
$ x4 e, _6 z: G8 G: s 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。; Y6 E U- [4 l6 J. Y( i$ N N/ N
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.( U0 E+ n3 z% Y
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
( E' a8 c: v" y ]3 B556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& t3 h, ]7 G! O6 m, v K. I0 L7 f
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,6 N5 [ P/ {. o3 [- i- s6 g+ i9 x+ ?
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.; Y( ?" ?5 q) y% w- X/ q; i, e0 @
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。! z8 v6 u% p" s: F
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) t2 n+ j4 _5 I
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。0 |9 i; p' M% [
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
) [. r! R3 v4 l$ ~1 E- s! W 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。" ]- f/ ]: @0 r" c- ]
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
2 ?# g: ^, _5 O( @9 Q 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。9 S2 v, J& t0 G5 X% h! g
561. This was indeed the case.; O0 i+ [+ H s" k! S
但事实上确有此人。: Q' o* {+ j( f9 c* m$ E
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.4 H J7 ~: P9 f" W% Q8 T
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
: S" Q$ e" a% W# o a. T$ ~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.; z. l( y0 \$ G& L
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。$ d* @/ \7 h1 u2 ~7 Z
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
4 u, Q' y% s. Y' D# M* C1 V9 m7 X 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。0 \# ], C8 t9 |0 V- F8 h
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
: G# t Q B! o- k. W 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,. i) M, M# P. U) X$ m. |4 A
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
5 O/ K! V. @) @5 C. B 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。! v- v; u' Q1 O+ @
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.2 @" s6 y; o- P0 x0 G6 y" d
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。/ m' n; f; x- O d$ \
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.) q* b2 {4 U/ M" Z5 s9 D) z n4 L
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。 v9 t, F7 A" ]9 g R
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.; K1 r; [; K* H$ ^
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
1 @" | z7 c' o4 I9 n0 ^! Q- H570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
% I* a9 Z+ h1 R# @ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
5 ^6 O7 u0 w& r) a8 l571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
% q" k$ {. Z8 D( M) U 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。! }( h1 W: n/ s8 t Y% j9 O
572. They did not even tell their wives.( q" [4 ]1 K# `3 u
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。. a$ h. q6 C' d h
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
V1 m5 s4 @( O) x# ], g9 ^ 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
% n4 E7 g$ m6 b$ i574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.* G( D& c( f1 z7 |, D" R9 b C
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
6 J4 E5 p4 ]1 [! o+ [$ S0 k575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
6 B0 s) ~ i: S. s. b. t p( n 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。
% a# a: \6 S9 U+ x576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.4 ~! K: U% I" o& R# ?# d5 x- \! I
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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