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课文30 幽灵之死
9 ]& o- {4 R2 S552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.% U; ~, M- e: @+ K
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
/ f- ^# P* O7 M; Z6 W6 C553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.1 l/ J1 \: F4 H$ B$ ^2 z0 v
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: `6 }4 \* q. L- I p
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.7 e, X3 ^2 P3 V8 g1 P' w
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
9 y! @. k! k' O* z1 e0 K4 W0 [555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.3 a1 c: m" K' \& b
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。+ a+ e" ~+ T& \7 b4 i- T
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.$ w& F/ E$ ]0 Y
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,( ]/ S" n: i* d4 {- l; `) N
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 i! m" X9 D/ _! L' L. |. @9 i 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。, u9 E, t! Q5 ]
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight./ V2 \4 T9 W$ m: n" `
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。
# d, H0 J: r C% t$ }* C- O559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
- E6 [- g. B" c 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。5 i2 `8 z; v' T' y9 |, q- i
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
, Y7 c) E/ E7 E1 M! ~ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
% i1 O k# [. X) z- r) \/ q" g/ c561. This was indeed the case.+ Y: A% _- q$ y+ L5 |: f1 V) K6 w
但事实上确有此人。7 t+ p* U* Q& K2 p( E0 m
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.! Q. q* U6 T/ Z0 S
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。5 s( X& U1 O! k. D9 o& D; n' }
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.
) O0 S) z9 M- c/ \1 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。
8 C) X+ J1 y+ Z! i7 K) i$ [564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
" e! ]8 W# Q+ 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。# y1 A# B6 o- {
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.( |0 d# Y1 a9 t5 \" I$ U4 V7 O2 |
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,- f. _7 n8 i6 s- U
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.4 t" c4 h6 ^2 l5 w0 J
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。7 ?0 A9 {: q' D D
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.0 c6 J* X0 \1 s. B
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
) `) o3 K2 N# c( L568. 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.
- O' H5 d, a# A4 E1 ^! |" a 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。+ `) Z" Y1 C: p* [; i$ O
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
: q1 D# S) ^7 x& f& R* T U 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
6 | b0 w! q" ~6 r9 w$ T570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
, A4 G# {6 Q7 |: X 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
9 _ `' I1 T$ ~$ O571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.4 Z! B8 V; g* A0 F3 y" Z& d
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。 O2 d1 J$ K) F2 I, N
572. They did not even tell their wives.8 a8 V) A% H$ g. o& [( G" a! x; B
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。$ o7 v- x6 L; g0 P4 d. T5 S
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.0 M& t6 W) J& X. y
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。; V6 i9 I0 l" {! |" D, a, W
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
* S6 m' \ N' X/ w, F" B: z" C( j 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,; G1 O1 I* K1 B6 x# m# c4 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.( }' K, b/ T6 ^
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。
3 w( a: M( s5 b3 a+ u576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.+ x6 C m4 o) ?* A' o0 u) e
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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