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课文30 幽灵之死 H3 [* r2 [! Y& P$ E ]0 d
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted." ~- m% g: W% o* c
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
1 M" J! r7 U' N' F553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox." d8 `$ C( d6 @9 s
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
7 l0 M" N) d2 \554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
& e$ W2 C1 `4 N4 t 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
' z* p$ p# [9 |8 [+ `5 b6 Q/ I6 H555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.& B# \ w5 C/ c5 u9 g9 B) R
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 h8 ]$ n2 L1 C9 L: A
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.) w9 O$ }- [. V3 T& _. Q& _6 M
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,; A* O6 s1 c& w* x1 x$ ?2 f( a( Q, \
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.: T1 k. C5 F! x, y
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。/ k* o8 O2 h1 y4 Q' N
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
+ h: A4 ] L8 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。
. |+ |5 a8 R7 t+ @$ Q559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
$ G* z* q2 S) y6 i9 ^, D 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。
. |0 z6 W6 p+ e. R% @! q560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 k% ^7 y, r) Q# t 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
2 ]! n7 M9 z3 J3 u7 E561. This was indeed the case.& Q+ v; g9 d7 k
但事实上确有此人。
0 L" r' j: Z2 g562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
" _" \4 T7 A4 @1 X9 P% r 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。. y* H5 C- y) d4 k ^
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.& _3 M( m. q* `% E% u
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。
) N# o" X* j- U" b564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.5 q; a" d( X/ W, ^' g6 t
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。4 x( a% j( p8 F+ D$ W; P' s/ g
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers." d6 I% Q; }2 Z; e4 y0 P& c- v
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
0 E2 c7 K# F5 P5 {; H566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
9 a3 v/ S% V* q8 v, S 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& m; g: s& T8 T) _8 K$ `567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
4 _+ M8 C; ~8 d6 \7 L 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。' o5 I1 N6 [- J- e6 p& K
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.
7 j$ l: R/ O: }6 E- A. I6 O( P 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 r [1 G* t% p; c/ R569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
5 D% G! W8 y+ w: I6 |3 h: L* M 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
6 J1 I6 a* Y2 [! ^! ?! A* l570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
' `; W% b1 {; O6 N! S 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
# g/ C+ X3 f' Z( ~' f571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
; D% d9 ]$ H- t! v+ z2 }9 g 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。 {/ H( Y: [& r( k! x
572. They did not even tell their wives.
0 H& s+ W6 b, n" J7 y; M( q 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。 |9 }2 h( t2 x% W1 S
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.( ~; z. N T* i3 z8 Z/ I4 w
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 |: \0 g9 G$ j% O
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
6 Q, d _- {9 u5 q2 C 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
- |5 f& G' `- {( M& ^2 u575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
$ l0 [; O- h/ D 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。' i8 t" k9 t% D5 I- w' t8 @
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.2 \$ y* g6 I* Q- d
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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