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课文30 幽灵之死
( \! D# L' ?" t9 j5 y$ |' x$ i552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
# T! t7 w) ~- g4 K 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。) A. H/ T: F- X
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.3 Z& y) M& \. s; z3 ]
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
# ~, ]& N7 x! v+ ]+ P- g( L2 k554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.+ i m3 v5 P5 z7 ]% b2 D9 V; ~# q' z
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。% u" D# z% z% l, Y& n# i D
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story. ~. u# }( _; _/ }6 }5 y! \2 ~. C) P
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
7 l7 J' H3 C0 Q9 _. k$ x556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& j% a' }$ A4 S6 W" m. Z
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,. l8 M7 h2 o0 `8 a k' P+ \. x! }- j" c
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.# s) R4 l% H& Y9 P- W
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。5 d( i+ b, E) R- }, ^ v# k5 l
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.9 ?6 }3 r. ~; P* c; P5 ~1 A
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。$ `" u' O7 B F
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.( T6 [( G t0 s' [
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。. W) `% P" a( g/ Q U, S' D
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
6 h% g- v8 D0 M0 {& @. W' O 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。: g$ G- ^! |% S3 B/ N8 |
561. This was indeed the case./ E1 y9 T# V4 D' K! V
但事实上确有此人。2 M' f% g! e4 b; t
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
9 ]/ h) J! E& k 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
& B; h1 Y6 r" [9 `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.' b; D6 h9 Q f0 I
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。+ W# m3 x+ g% k4 k9 n: A, l
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 R: J+ e" B/ m) U: M$ I0 g
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。' Q- l! h. D+ ^! [
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' }/ _* R7 B7 k' e9 d: I8 C6 j& Z
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,1 K0 k' }* [. d& P" C% F
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War./ c$ [% N( B3 U1 p. S; s% s2 Q! f. u
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
% ]8 G/ U0 N$ ?: o3 d567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
. ]$ Q, H1 `! W8 t5 ]/ s- G 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
8 ]8 k# C5 j2 j6 b7 j$ s568. 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.! k- v0 m+ ~; V* C( H6 c. J
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。
1 V4 b# P% D* A1 J- r. \' \569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
* r. e! x$ c% X; O `& D; t 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
2 p1 W% X' @- u! H& }6 g8 m7 P2 C4 x570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
5 ]" i T/ c$ f A% U: n 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
8 Q" x. x% c) X+ g% _571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
* D7 V9 D8 c6 L* _0 i 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
2 f3 K7 l7 h7 i572. They did not even tell their wives.
3 e( _+ L1 Y4 i- {# J 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
" n( o' |7 K, L573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.4 @: T7 G0 d9 |9 H/ d
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
7 v' {( ~! w+ o! \+ ^574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
, r- D/ x1 V7 ?! v# ~8 ` 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,6 a! O* e. Y" y* L; I' ? x
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! d3 V9 F/ ]) `3 p; x
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。
# Q2 G a0 [9 E9 H% D, p576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.% k, a" g3 g5 w- P% G
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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