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课文30 幽灵之死) x @/ \ U. ~1 f X$ i
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.+ T( l$ J& i6 W! {! a6 i0 l$ X
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
! }) s4 `. ]8 O% w) t553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
! ~; [; X2 L; `$ D0 { 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。2 G/ k/ a3 ?4 h9 B' u
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.' b5 J, e3 o! ?8 e! d
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
+ w6 [' s; I5 O9 w555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
; X6 N$ ~9 a. [' z& e/ M% k 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。 @% P9 E- z$ T; A( d7 B2 g
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
. ~% i2 B/ m* E6 Z2 U+ I* s% s 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,8 f6 v% u/ F' S5 i6 @; y+ x: p
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
" K. ^# |5 M+ i8 j( N" R9 U 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
8 W( p: E% k. M/ L558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.9 }4 j! m% P; ?$ O+ g
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。+ Y% u. K% m0 `3 \
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.+ ~ d3 l! a4 x3 C8 t
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。 V A. F+ i: f* N
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
2 f2 J, R5 M1 ^ g 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
: B) h, E2 i0 J* K3 f561. This was indeed the case.
% n. L# ~" Z# p% j& q* z 但事实上确有此人。
( z9 h& I) Y3 Z- w4 N, W562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
, K: f; G6 w4 e2 b8 | 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。5 L( u# @+ X) D
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.9 E" b, B0 H% ~( B' ^. D2 v& `, v
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 L& X, F. k' r, f [, L564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
; h* a) n# A" D( u2 ]5 o) j5 V; v, n 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。, _0 y) d0 E* v! e" P
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
: {7 I: d5 G9 q, ?' K- l. N 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,% f F2 u, h+ }
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.$ \. l/ s0 J: L
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
" x7 K- r* K* W7 ~567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.; c' {) h! i! i1 u% f
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 a9 b( \8 ?8 G& I5 _
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.9 l9 _4 x. g1 e# Z
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。9 o0 A V) d. }" m y, Y p
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.: a6 a" I& m+ g2 S
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
2 G7 q6 Y- c+ v' @- H570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.( s3 R8 i8 M" ~( o
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。1 W4 a% f L. |% x5 r. j0 K
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
! C7 l3 u6 S9 s 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
; |0 {; ?, n/ V9 b* U& k8 [8 R4 D572. They did not even tell their wives.
2 S B/ B* ?1 v2 N 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
4 V5 w$ d. v+ {/ E; H573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.' M; ^6 E3 L4 O3 t
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
2 \: i# H, f0 v574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
1 e: o# m9 W7 T" Q* ]9 s 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
3 _, M" E& I, |8 n {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.
& n6 a- i$ L8 f1 ~3 p 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 N( K/ {* u) S. q% x6 p: A- D+ E
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
* X, Z0 J3 t+ J' u/ |8 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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