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课文30 幽灵之死
) F. f' T( Z, m5 V2 e: F* `! \552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
0 U: U/ {$ g V! H1 w 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。7 X3 H8 g) j9 l
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.% H' S5 X8 F& E9 ^& `1 @
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
* V, i5 Z/ ?. u! _7 G554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.0 C2 _7 P; W8 q! K1 i" o/ P' F
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
" g, Z' n" x/ b: a555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.* _4 X: G" j- T2 k; L
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。- e* d( ~( }0 c( r9 D4 X: E: I, e( ?
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
2 \% Z i$ `# N8 A3 w& ~0 D 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,8 ~5 J; w% w5 G3 u/ L) U3 z
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.8 E$ I9 L7 Z9 L/ b* b+ u8 _6 D
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。% [( D( @" D4 _
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
6 f* [1 p& H: u+ K8 V1 z 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。
& ~4 ^/ Y4 S" o: p; V8 q4 d559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
0 D( j. k, l- W9 P# }5 K! 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。( I# A3 |1 W( d, H* p
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.4 k, E" H9 }, E+ q
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。( k2 L+ X' r( u- i* B
561. This was indeed the case.% L: p! y' g9 _4 n9 a Y1 a- |9 i
但事实上确有此人。. l, l. {4 T8 d8 ^& ?; |
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
7 k' h5 f9 C& Q/ b" N 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
+ q/ S8 T6 ^/ u a @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.
0 o: B- J1 F3 m* }! f* p 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。
$ z \( S+ @+ \2 B: s8 B: ?564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
9 x" v H- Y% o 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。 Z& E) u% X( j- m. K9 R- l
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
* z0 Q2 M* u/ s6 x1 q: o3 H7 _ 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
& l/ U9 w# H: B {6 w566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.% I: k7 W$ [ i( v0 W) {8 N
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
2 D# Z6 `# N! L% [" H# V' ]9 m567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
9 b- [( M3 x( I8 {. u" I; g 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
) [2 L7 w) c3 t; Q% ~$ `% W568. 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.$ o4 ?# o) j6 f- m$ |
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: y4 B! U4 b$ L& r4 A2 P569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
* P5 ?2 ] @1 S( f2 N 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
8 b% v( {/ g3 u) }! \570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.0 x& i* z0 c# D6 r
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。) N+ X! o, V+ _2 P2 J, y# Z, q
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.1 S+ M5 z# ` j( }3 \3 C
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。# x1 F2 V$ r) [, U3 h: o4 m
572. They did not even tell their wives.$ |* r) y, `; f7 G
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
" r/ X; @9 d0 |# D4 w5 v573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
5 t$ y) Y. \( ^, D5 B; {* Y# H 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
+ W- X( r, M3 E1 H" F574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse. T i, u$ Q$ q7 N" m
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,+ G" B/ ]( `" @+ X; j6 D! A- r
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.' X" v. i& i7 e. e% v
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。4 Z1 m6 n" w. Z3 ?5 \+ o
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer. Q1 i+ L( q5 l# E" P* b
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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