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课文30 幽灵之死
( b7 k0 _4 M$ C552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
; n5 A0 s0 O0 ?, O 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。4 ]3 w5 j! e* n s& q
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.! V4 N" l2 |1 r/ s+ y
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
6 x; c( K* d B& q554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.+ d7 y* t2 t- B9 u6 s: z. ^
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 m/ K- ^" f8 O. C4 P+ X9 P! L555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.* H' b3 X2 {% _$ P; ^. x4 f4 T4 n
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
2 u% S" T6 `) Z+ _/ Z4 C5 {556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
: ~" o' r, s4 ~) L9 R) [5 t& _ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,. `# V* \2 W6 R/ |6 D( R3 q" R* K
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 C9 Y7 U5 S2 w5 N! L: h3 V7 J 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。) @4 L4 @* g; s/ r9 N- Q
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
4 ~9 I" n0 m9 H 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。: g5 ^5 F( o) K/ z% k: g ~
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.$ J6 Q H1 ^; ~# Q* r+ Q
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。
2 b1 ^1 \2 \" C7 d# |) _ B9 @560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.( ~4 V: d& D% g. S2 U5 G/ k" O: ~; y" L
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。, J2 S' `. c' |9 c1 T; {
561. This was indeed the case.
2 s8 o* T b& W0 ~: B7 |* Q/ n; n 但事实上确有此人。: a* a- B3 J7 p3 O! d
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.+ `( M' B* T8 s" X. O! S
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
, s2 k G0 a; N% l563. 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.
+ t @4 P3 E! j9 @9 F1 v2 Q' }+ N 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。- G2 L% u2 K5 G# y) X
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
4 a( d: g3 g+ C: \+ p0 ] 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
# p( a0 M$ a. G565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
+ X- u5 G. L X1 e1 }* M 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
$ t2 i" P) P1 `566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.' c: K1 k/ d6 G. C
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& H! x' `/ X- J567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.- X5 e7 i6 [4 ]) V8 ]' Z9 R
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
+ T, H! R+ l0 s/ p7 B. T568. 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( E0 }, j6 y# } 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 \$ ?. T! _6 C' B' k% R569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
5 F$ M4 g" A2 m: E) e$ D 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
) d0 [/ g: e0 i1 ]570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.6 {- D7 d5 ]3 i+ i7 X
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。& K/ @; ?4 S! _0 E7 J
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.5 \4 S1 Z6 Y7 N1 i
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 N+ t& g3 |2 N6 P+ H! `9 b" r572. They did not even tell their wives. R1 D) R: K0 } q) \' o
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
0 C c, K) ?0 g, | M573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
0 W/ b& Z, F# D3 ^( e" O4 R7 ? 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
4 r! e6 _5 r$ p) V574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.* u( y& m' z3 `6 ?- U+ l
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
7 G; E& r4 V8 H' s575. 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 z( M8 A6 `' B, Q9 |6 n+ k4 R 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。1 c& t. U+ G! j; R e$ v1 r8 ] k1 }6 {
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
+ i8 F. O" Q8 N; O3 A 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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