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课文30 幽灵之死
# j. B7 N$ S; e; ]; W) r552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. f0 V/ I1 j( h$ e3 b% |3 t& f
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。. i7 b3 ?! i. G1 B
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
& q$ j; x3 T4 K% T2 o& W 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。% k9 V9 m v/ S( \. x" i) `7 W! |, a
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
3 t& z4 b6 q* w& U6 V- b. m4 g 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
6 s7 s" K4 o% \" ~4 N# k j% L" f555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.& @7 y2 ^$ h! S" c0 S
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。+ _. v/ w: ~% Z3 L" o. f5 g
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
6 R4 c+ |5 t9 F, p* Z3 W$ X 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,* [% y5 }# F; ~
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
$ C1 t: E, ?; L& p 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
5 c+ D9 U$ M; J" w0 ?! C- I0 e558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.& `' T! A$ R$ H8 H
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。
. c" R, ^0 X" b559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.6 X4 v. H5 W% n3 ^, N
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。
$ S. Y2 H3 S" |3 e. Z560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
$ o0 l* ]8 _6 ~/ W( Y- z! t M 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
8 g: ~+ ?( K7 a" ?- b561. This was indeed the case.
0 \" h4 {$ a( T# W% q 但事实上确有此人。, Q$ m' }& t, U+ l
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
% }, I" j5 D2 |+ {; W 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。& R/ J7 Y. T: u3 L# B/ ~
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.
0 p0 z. F8 U- q9 U. K 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。
1 N' @3 G' X& g4 f( r564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years./ v( A, M' k* R) q, P
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
6 F0 o" k" b( S* A, r565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.3 `: W1 u1 @2 D. Y5 B
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
9 m; V$ h& R1 r+ T* N566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.! l. s X5 D2 Y. q. ~
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
l" T/ W) c: `567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
, }) q# p q: E) Z% a5 h1 N 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。/ p7 S Y3 n1 q8 U
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.- y3 Y% g$ p; ?' e6 V0 `5 r( G5 H
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。
6 f+ d$ }3 X1 a$ s569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
& @- D2 c% {3 j @( _# ?: Z 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。2 w0 ~& u# l, _1 A* m
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
3 q6 x" G; I! Q/ }' R1 W 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。3 t! J7 s! b$ r" q+ _
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.- r, I& Y) B# S/ T, g
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
' a/ o8 h' M! N, A572. They did not even tell their wives., e0 `9 S& |$ ]4 v' P( }" I
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。" y& x5 n0 H: x8 q0 y, K! y
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.# d9 j9 k7 d8 O' q/ c
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。7 K4 [ a7 h5 A2 n0 i: u' s- Q
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.6 ?) ?" n% N) X! M, O7 S: B
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,. K1 U) A6 K. K1 ^' C3 |8 |& n0 Z. u
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 |, |2 k2 y7 ~/ L' b9 `/ R 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。% V* C0 b5 f8 P: l: y4 W( N1 B) E
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.& ?! _9 {4 S, x
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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