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课文30 幽灵之死
9 V& U, y! m4 y2 o552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
/ p+ a/ Z Y6 G: J 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。$ d: k& k+ h. o; f; V5 Z& {
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.: y- }. B: J) Q5 z, Z
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
! q, n. R9 f) [6 F554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.$ M7 w8 v0 {) U& n6 t
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。' ~% ` p2 L5 E5 b
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.0 F( s" d4 x, s* G4 c% m
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
6 F4 W+ r1 I( }' f556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.% G0 j5 b/ k9 ^; _# j9 b
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,- [5 e. E( O$ g# s0 R: \% {# T7 u
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
( R% d: U0 d9 R! t8 u4 W3 h 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。. n$ M. s4 Q- }1 Z
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.# S# s" h$ `& m3 z+ a, q2 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 c* _5 F' f3 S+ G$ z
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.1 L1 |: `0 a1 n' x4 Q/ ~
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。
# x( y; N9 A' {7 i! E560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.# q9 ^: @& w! R1 \; |9 Y# J6 d
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。# z& ~1 e+ m) ]
561. This was indeed the case.
6 G& b9 { g3 Y" z+ | 但事实上确有此人。$ H9 M. o- i# F2 I' c" a
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
' `2 p+ a) Z- e6 a9 f5 }( ? 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。 Y/ |. k% g: Y3 p+ E" _# Y
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.- k+ y/ z" N3 T1 N0 h
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。, B5 e% u+ X' S1 p9 Z3 `
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
* X2 M2 H' @( E$ e, F, v 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。! ~9 Q4 L: V! ?# z; n
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
0 U3 F: l3 a+ \$ d+ f: q 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
$ t" ]# N8 {3 s4 K- _+ @2 x& t. e7 c566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
2 K7 h' p) g- B" V9 F8 H 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。) F2 ]. t# r" O$ u5 K
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
; r5 N+ M0 D* G$ v9 Q 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
6 X' E/ S, p& K: B( e' f0 r568. 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.' {, X3 t* t1 K* E/ ]: x5 e
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。7 f! B8 N& `" M. F% U
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.3 T2 N: f2 C5 K) U
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
( _4 C' e; f7 ]' N570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
! d) [" m& G$ b4 w# [9 h% b# ]/ u 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
) O# d4 T6 Y' K8 i" B6 E571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.5 j" ?6 E% h- ?+ i$ |$ c
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
( e. S! }" e2 K572. They did not even tell their wives.
' n9 {9 H7 r6 Y* B) s. s) g 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
9 w% S1 g+ Z, U+ s573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
4 }7 ~1 K2 R A! r' n' y, J 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
. z7 P# [9 q1 N- t7 s5 v3 Y- l574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
+ f0 K3 r# K' ^( m* S) @' K 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活, s5 M8 K; |0 K4 l' O
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.7 J. h0 R4 D4 r6 |' p K2 J
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。+ m; |+ S8 ]: n9 s' A
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
' g7 r" |. e1 V 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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