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课文30 幽灵之死
& k$ Q0 p4 K w2 R* y' Q& @552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
! o* k8 c) @6 y& _* u! {& x 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
- v+ Z- f" g# \6 w553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.1 x/ W* |' X& J+ e3 W4 J
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。8 ~! p* Y8 x1 f( B/ A/ M
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
" S6 Y) p# C- l 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
5 u; L; J g( O, n555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
, ?. l: X9 W& |& z3 J- i 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
# Q) G( A- e3 W" U556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
! k, g' b2 [3 [# | 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,7 ^: G i4 ^9 o9 G1 {# j7 O! E3 W2 ^
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) w, `) b# U+ y 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。5 A! @ d5 K, f" [( _1 {; W
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
. J+ Q* g2 j3 W 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。
+ [: Q' G5 r4 q8 f559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
; E3 O) P; J3 B" L, n( o$ O$ 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。
. L' E; t4 p" c" j u- G4 ]560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 J6 P( ?" B" Z( D( Q5 j7 `$ k 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。: |- Z9 X1 p8 [; l" z+ |2 v" N* e
561. This was indeed the case.0 I+ e( k, V1 w" U0 G( K! k
但事实上确有此人。
" P( V3 f8 K0 u' |562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.9 {+ a2 g3 Z8 n" b0 U7 ?
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
* I( ]9 Y/ Z- L3 a# Y6 g563. 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 Y9 z* B, M0 ?' t4 h/ M ~
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。
! B- ^% i% Z6 P" }+ B564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
1 `% A" ^+ o: X( e, 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。/ f0 a6 H- K: c
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.& I$ z# a5 N4 ~) O2 F: r9 J
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,- `/ m3 N0 N6 j# b, i. y
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.8 R2 \0 C: q- E6 Q' G5 ]
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
; @1 `+ W0 T) L3 m. V) X5 i$ ]567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.3 z9 e& C& Q! B8 N
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
" \& \% h, g6 n4 I/ N" L8 |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.+ e8 w* p' t7 s# h& I2 H1 ]
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。
; [$ @- y. Q9 h# U; G* K# }569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.) R$ s; R& u# P5 [, A& ]- y9 a n
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
6 u: q: b3 F. r2 W5 ]570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
; l* A' S* ~3 i8 p0 C 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。$ X5 B: h% f; s0 E: n1 q
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
1 B2 i5 R& h R. B; E4 a6 X& Y 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。7 \/ U# V$ w- v: [2 c. _$ W
572. They did not even tell their wives.
3 D4 L8 K3 p5 I1 ] 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。8 Y2 d6 S) X. A9 E
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
# l" V5 w1 @, H6 U 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
6 c1 a" a0 e; W3 w- @574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
4 k- b$ S2 i$ v1 @ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,# w! R; I# F. n. }+ C( w5 F
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.! q! V* q' V) a6 ]" N8 T& M
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。
" j2 K9 t; @- P! @: A' s576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.0 o; n% l) ~9 k- x7 N# F- I
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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