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课文30 幽灵之死
. {$ V, [7 R: J5 z# D$ a552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.% V# r! |* |; b. p
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。/ z2 \' }9 k$ P7 j
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
8 D* F) h/ \5 J6 x: ^ 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
9 f' m" A/ i& A554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long./ G/ g2 ^8 T! P+ d4 x t" J: M
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。, @7 z6 v+ G+ k- e- K9 u
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
* x+ S' g. f: F 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 G" D2 G% O" r3 x3 H+ b
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
- {/ ^/ L) P" |4 W8 V 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,) N, [" {& \, q
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' W3 Y1 ^; m; `; H8 C% | 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- g J" o+ `( J* L558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% F0 ^8 C0 g" A' {" s 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。
; W8 {6 _# F2 I+ A1 U559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
' l5 N1 M6 _( A* e 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。" E3 [9 y n" B# h
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.. Q3 {* X, M b/ W5 }. \$ [# c
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( W! s* B5 y+ Z8 j$ `' m/ Z2 \561. This was indeed the case.; H% I1 d' }- }( l! T9 R+ A
但事实上确有此人。
4 y' b; K# o+ o4 x562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.1 Q( C B! i$ A
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
+ ?7 ~5 W5 Z/ H8 N* w8 Z+ 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. K' w7 l2 ?: z3 f2 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。# i* f+ e: j3 V n1 j
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
! s" c& l+ ]. \# [: I6 j# ~- Y 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
' u1 C1 x+ g2 X8 I% z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
. @2 [; |( ?5 Z: }( l4 r% Z# l6 n1 u 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, L# e1 G* i8 g0 y% }6 D( f
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
. P* u9 m2 G* ?/ r! Q 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。+ U) O& b& Q( u
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.9 Q/ z) C. f: m6 c6 b
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。. n# h+ ?8 ]* t& o0 F8 S. L
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.
& F$ D: e4 o. L* }' }/ @9 Z/ O 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。
. ~- b. f: {8 |9 a+ F569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
, A( I, m1 P/ r) m+ G& q 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。0 I" G7 \9 {. F* f6 l3 @6 x
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
1 h$ T4 O/ T! d+ n, l0 k" J a2 z 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。# I' M3 Y3 t1 p4 p
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.. |2 v" B' Y9 ]% r
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
5 f( w6 U G+ I# x0 [& x572. They did not even tell their wives.
, B, Y' L2 `$ P7 P0 M3 a8 r8 d 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
. j) \+ ?& }1 w' Y: k5 G4 H# D573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
3 [. L# @4 g) k5 A9 q( O; a- Y 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。1 a" R' t" M9 c
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.- x8 r2 }0 M% |9 q7 ]
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,$ W8 j3 s1 f& r' d9 W+ t1 u& _7 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.2 o7 f9 C1 j$ U k
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。
$ s- ]6 c# `3 H' M576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
" T. `! a5 {0 z 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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