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课文30 幽灵之死/ w- H) P ~/ b/ V$ m
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
( e+ |3 o% k3 n9 ~4 i 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
( {" y" [* O& j* D553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
& t7 p; _% P; {0 r 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
; D& w1 k- v3 e& ?( T) Q554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
m$ d n) @$ x! q* r: `1 _% q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。- Q( H" x/ d5 K& m
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.0 n9 f% _* z6 p5 D
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
2 M7 K" D; R) C+ y- [; }+ N- u556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.( l! }( k2 B8 q
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
9 G4 s) A" ~7 ~+ K4 ?5 P0 X557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
0 q! z v5 ]1 X& g 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。2 B: c* a7 \) V2 h9 J# |. ?' a
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.0 _! U6 r, r. r" Q! q
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 n% {+ p8 F: k" l559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
7 ]$ K$ F. l% N- P) O 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。7 i+ G6 X3 j* W% S H4 K# G; W
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.! w" q4 G. y# i9 q( ^8 B" e) v! m
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
2 w+ n1 E/ B9 P3 f, \" b/ F561. This was indeed the case.
9 H$ s- w* R0 b& w 但事实上确有此人。
9 d! j3 w9 ~; l7 d+ K6 k, Q, m$ |562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
: B0 m- }5 i6 \- r- q 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
3 I! }# W7 F* z6 a4 ?# J563. 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.
2 w* w! j" u" \3 z 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。
( u3 [$ w$ l5 C+ Y& a/ D8 Q564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.2 D6 n- u4 l! i9 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。
' ^, ]1 n+ A; d565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
7 r( A9 N5 r/ F7 D9 p5 J/ X 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,; `$ k3 ?# O; I
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
' @9 `* g4 w b: l! W6 D 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。/ T2 u: o0 I* [
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
" m& @, c% C5 \+ i( P! V 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
2 ?: L1 f& e% R& J) P+ Q568. 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, K6 R! A+ v- l 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。3 j3 k1 `8 |6 @6 B
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.: M, M; r+ H" J {3 r7 n" Y0 p
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
/ m3 ~' ^1 ]' l& l; `+ }570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
6 R$ A; Q% \8 E L/ V7 j5 i 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。7 _) r9 Q* i5 m3 h3 ^% [4 N
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
4 z9 I S/ P9 G! t6 A 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
2 l5 o- I. M( q* X* R6 O! F572. They did not even tell their wives.
) x- D6 P; j8 a. T. n 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。3 }) N9 f7 i4 @+ z
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.( x0 T( w9 S4 L! Y v9 V: x2 R- t
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。% }3 _ D5 M: N. x3 t
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.0 T0 W9 i! W( x. \* X. [7 b+ q
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
( S9 a1 J& p' [6 E# H2 }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.
4 J; i- V6 c& x) p* N' 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。9 \( z% k- `5 H8 S* h3 J
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
' r% \' K/ t% M( P8 y7 n1 d) G4 n& r 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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