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课文30 幽灵之死
! Y( c3 P- M# H: l9 P4 y2 U) X552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.# e. \6 C+ |4 |+ `
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
8 Y' ]( c$ Z/ [, q o7 D553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.3 J: q" B& g0 X. Z+ N
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
+ @ X, R' j7 Y" v0 K% v554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
" m! r! Y/ Z3 o' w5 p, |+ G 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
4 O+ e1 o1 K1 D0 m0 E555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.- T3 p; B0 Q! B7 D2 K" c: E
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 D) T3 f) N; D' r8 X" ] ?, W; B
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.+ a' T1 ]" V+ C7 l$ j
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,) @. E7 o7 C d0 Z# |
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.% r1 `/ N" F6 q2 k
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- ?/ o! I& D @4 W558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
: }6 O1 P l0 @+ d9 ^" d2 O, y 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。9 K& {- [; m2 B& b V2 z0 u' h4 u
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.7 f8 n; {* H; b: e5 g" n1 `
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。- w. \" p* O- g; A, Y6 i8 w5 s
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.1 ?- D: k; s& t" r: A9 G
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。* {7 t! q0 B; \# U7 ?
561. This was indeed the case.' A: \1 _( v+ s! k! u" m/ h
但事实上确有此人。
; O' A3 q" I: _/ t2 s8 u: r562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
8 l1 {9 P$ {# ^& i- {2 h, @ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
( C- o4 i0 R0 F% M563. 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 P% s K5 j& V 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。$ v* \* r0 A* \; N5 v
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.! V0 q/ ?! m! V# Z b, [
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
$ ?. p" d: U: } K# p565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.! |1 p9 E/ C; G' e5 l
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,4 R2 H5 S* z4 Z# P e1 j' a
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
) }5 Y, d1 U0 t8 q0 w 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。& Q; y8 N) y/ m, t2 f4 @( [0 P
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
6 l; n4 w$ I6 o0 y/ ^ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。* N0 o, `4 ~7 j% [$ I1 R9 C1 o) ~
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.
' U0 p4 o8 p3 \/ T" e8 N9 \ 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。& _. a% ^& } _, i
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.; u% ~, p0 y$ N/ j5 X% r; y4 U
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
2 s: A+ z. C6 {, \ p: ^3 [570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
; s5 H, h# @; ]( f% c6 G: V* U' d 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
6 j8 K0 ~5 |+ K3 H. F571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.; O0 L: f9 D! n
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
* _: u) A4 f1 b' q7 j572. They did not even tell their wives.7 @! l( j( W/ ^ B
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。7 I- R2 s" t3 ?: G' g4 m
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding., L' N4 j+ b' g
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。9 f: _+ I2 h: H
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.8 K* x9 T _0 G3 r
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,0 {' X, N6 [ _2 w; D5 a2 H% K
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.
% ^$ [; p3 E+ [- O8 f/ @ 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。; O( g- H1 r! ^0 [1 v8 G4 o9 }: s0 K
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.+ y" m8 D. c6 k2 s3 S7 Q+ 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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