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课文30 幽灵之死
' @. ]+ t* h- B9 @2 s5 H552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.% y8 Q: A) b& {( _ H+ `
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。: y8 T. O" G& t' N. K2 R: R
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
: D: c2 j' m' D5 s6 u 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
$ a' C# [+ ]" G- Y! q: y554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.0 \$ W7 [2 V/ T u j
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。7 F; \3 w! G" \
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.) n9 K: j3 f3 r1 [
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。1 \# ~+ F: j/ C: R N5 F% z0 l4 m, C1 ]- v
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.) N: H) u1 t, s; i
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,/ N- V( V# ^9 s! W$ ?
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.1 u4 U: W. N q
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
& j7 l6 k1 n8 S) m558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.6 E7 R; Y$ ]) M+ y# w5 r4 Z
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。
# q- [: X$ v0 G" {1 x9 Y559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
! t+ \+ ?* A" U) T: H" y2 _ 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。
0 Z/ R" E) _- d: F, U3 p560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
# }5 B( y# b/ D/ o7 `$ k2 G 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。- ]6 @" @# n- K
561. This was indeed the case.( e$ v% k) ]# e% r0 W, C
但事实上确有此人。
: ]! N$ q( `& {0 L: `* D562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
: o4 t8 v+ _# A! V 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
& A* x$ F7 P: t8 w563. 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.
4 k& e) C* j, e! [ 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。
% i; s5 K& N( S0 B: G564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.* |" ]' L) E6 U9 ]
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。& T, m) p# ^4 f* g7 G/ ]# x
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.8 \6 w3 C0 o+ t. p
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,' t' b/ L5 o l& X
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.. u; n4 s' `# @" c/ D% |* F' i
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
- j3 X$ {% p# y567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.5 ~ k* N) i" t/ J
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
V2 m) M1 j6 r( H1 G- H568. 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.
, E+ G- r b4 g6 ]# b 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。
* ^2 m/ r6 S- F' u& E569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
, A& l1 s& n/ O1 a5 C: T1 H 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。( L- q& [3 i, {& P
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
1 H* N7 w: q5 q. F1 H4 X$ ` 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。 m" V4 _3 ^4 f! o: d
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
6 B$ y& s/ t; } 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
% R* Q8 I1 c5 Y. R) w9 [* X: J572. They did not even tell their wives.' d* Y9 R0 ^; ]
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。. ~* y! E1 V/ x% A" d1 O( k4 y
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
, y T3 Q# E. U/ j r% T* N 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
1 l8 G: J& @6 C& v# H$ q' K574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
V6 s( z/ o7 s8 ]. A+ ]" h/ j% Q 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,5 D1 R% m, _3 Z) u J
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.
9 y' W' W- o! o+ 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。
/ u6 @0 S+ H$ z% m5 N! H3 J9 X576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.5 L, s' ^5 I; `# c
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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