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课文30 幽灵之死 \: G% \4 h, V# t* n6 X
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
# |- E( S7 g9 L. C 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。9 ~4 }8 O9 y5 I! \) r8 Z' F
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.. X+ G: S$ C. G# X8 \* I
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
8 R+ J1 o( t/ j- a: b) N% |554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
: o4 r( C6 ?" t% G 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
2 ^2 ?$ U( m5 Z! Y8 [! p555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
! n' P3 U" l+ {4 d% [0 h 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。: e/ q6 D! _1 H6 _" G# [& Z
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
' _2 h3 D9 h ` 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
7 c' D% t5 Y* M- \% Q557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
9 P2 N/ T' @- H 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。1 h- Z q3 l( Z
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
) N5 Y$ ]3 r0 r+ w1 N7 ]6 l( M/ E 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。
2 m7 L- Q0 u1 F: v/ T6 h2 t559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.; S* S: r) {: W I
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。
( f) z" B2 p% q" G560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
5 }* U: c2 t; {% }+ H" W9 F 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
) U2 D( I7 S1 ? B$ v) U561. This was indeed the case.; c) z/ T$ o! ~8 _1 e* X' k
但事实上确有此人。% O: Q3 W' H/ P/ U6 Q
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.0 I$ S+ Q0 x1 P$ z; [2 q' J
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
3 H! p) f$ S6 l563. 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.
/ j" U' B1 T/ ]4 b9 G5 l7 ]: K5 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。8 ]2 X# W. p' i( o
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.. ]& D, h" D! V3 Z
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
2 \# X. W. S) S1 f; G565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.7 s: ^% W% X; c5 Q6 G% W
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,8 j+ K" O/ }7 |3 P* m
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.% ]* ^) N. i: y4 \) z
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。5 _ Y1 X* Z. e3 a- l1 G* h: ~
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.6 z) ] U/ |+ K$ u7 L0 t2 _
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。 w9 M) r O2 \0 `. Z' p5 C5 |
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.
3 l' |3 |8 h5 m s: V6 K 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 G4 M% B$ O) z/ B; U; y- @569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
% U4 M) }8 V" ]7 W& J 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
" d) W* ~9 S: K' Q! k9 R9 _0 V570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
1 h8 Y8 \ `7 {6 [ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
5 [. W/ A1 q5 c571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
8 }! [+ h& Q! d9 S! k3 K) x4 x9 S 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。* K# F9 k# c0 G7 z
572. They did not even tell their wives.( _& ]% l+ p% p
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。# k9 l) C, \( S) d
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.7 L+ P; b: r% I& B( B- |
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
# A$ h! U/ Z* g" ]) P1 o) l* K3 k0 M574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.4 n4 u, |" }3 `& F
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
/ |) r# k t1 l7 I3 f% j575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
6 B# k0 b# f8 h" L 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 ]7 P- k* g/ c
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
, m9 d$ S: V" p+ v2 ?& U; ] 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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