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课文30 幽灵之死3 ]' X+ `* @" Q/ j+ l6 }5 r. J
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
3 F' P1 }" M+ o; o6 w3 Y. S# d 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
, Y* X& Q4 F: c# O7 M. S0 S553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox." u7 D5 {7 y! N8 M! R# j! o
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。3 X7 A, a8 Q5 h$ Z$ f% _
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
: j' E# g, T9 _( \/ N' W 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
U2 |6 P/ M1 \% w: f: u# g555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
9 m/ Q/ z, |/ ~/ p 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。# ~' q. f" K9 i9 V+ T
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
8 ^* M$ {# F: K 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
5 }2 h$ p% B4 h6 o/ R+ R m557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
5 ~5 {1 j$ @- M6 S4 R 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
# O% s- L+ ~' k& b+ t* V# R558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
5 S8 A& N. b; O. W3 s+ b 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。
' n1 T5 c( B4 p/ D559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.2 n w0 ]5 M$ d% c
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。
5 c$ `0 M+ N; Q1 r" t- [5 ]) @560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
. l$ A9 c+ l6 v z* y 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。4 b% d3 z m" @
561. This was indeed the case.. a. R0 X0 Q5 `; r2 g1 c
但事实上确有此人。; Z& x) R+ H: }4 E1 H; l
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
; k$ q. e7 r( _9 h4 `: q 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
* ~! z x V* u, M9 c6 a" f563. 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.
) [! C$ A# _8 _4 A 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。
! W* j, H5 [( Y l5 }7 ?564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.5 v' q N: j; Y. e: F& F
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
/ |# @ G7 y G) `: h7 c" F+ ]- A565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.- b* F- q$ s5 D4 f% w& i# t
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
( N7 y% L* I0 q- C0 W566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
1 T! N, p3 r! [4 J7 W3 W7 Z 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
. y+ A* _4 ~/ z' ^/ m) }567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
' _6 s- d+ f) `* g1 n/ M# Y- z 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。2 `! w) `1 }* E. S
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.
0 L! b6 j7 T6 f1 }9 I* _2 Q 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。0 O) f9 J( k! b$ D3 k
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well., W. ^8 ^- {% b$ k- I5 p
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
+ B- g! N0 t8 t: [9 R570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
6 k9 S, G9 s; B8 x3 _% t0 a, ` 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。4 y; z# z2 ?& Z" g( a6 A
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
1 g/ m4 T7 N- z* l) A! m 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
6 q2 g- T; I/ \6 \5 ?! N0 ]/ p& W572. They did not even tell their wives.% S4 S5 {% H2 H/ Y- R
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。7 \+ U5 O* e" C" l. k
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.+ b, |* \; ~, V8 A; j9 T
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
9 v$ h1 I* Q1 ]574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse. p" b7 A" O( [
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
6 e5 n2 |+ C* C575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
: Q: o2 x; v8 I5 {* ?3 C+ \ 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。
0 ^6 P& D; Z5 g. t3 Z576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.5 H' {1 s8 ?8 O: U- j
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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