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课文30 幽灵之死
9 z9 e8 V, D9 X552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
: y; |$ E R' l% M$ \ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
- k! }' K- W# ~4 ]" C) `& }. [2 \553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.2 L ^) p0 Y ?/ i4 L, H
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。/ h5 S; y7 b* n M+ j
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
1 E9 s( U" R3 Q4 q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。! r) m# P3 n8 K3 k' l. F
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
% P7 y2 x2 a" k! b& P/ h 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
) P N, W3 Z# B0 Z556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.3 |% L! U3 e5 w3 X
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
* J: f: J! Q+ O! `557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' k' z! T/ A7 X( a. y 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
, M+ _% a! m- e5 H# O558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.; }6 I8 d a# f: f
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。
! U" w% m+ Z, ]* e% s/ ^559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them." N9 B. ?, y" E/ _# ?- 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。- A4 d4 S/ S5 }9 m# w
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.. W* m% ~+ n: W/ V& V
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。! J9 f+ K8 E' L! U5 l
561. This was indeed the case.) W8 o* l3 q% o( I4 w0 M1 e: p* G1 y
但事实上确有此人。/ c# O# w4 N, L% W p d: y# @
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
8 i& G' H2 m& H. f7 I" g3 a2 k 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。& Y6 l4 Z8 U# [$ H
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.( Q* `/ |3 @0 \+ }, M; e
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。
- @' M: _8 h+ ^. `& {564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
2 b5 g2 D" C3 t7 P. L+ R 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。5 l1 |8 R' w \, m
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' {0 y1 m5 q9 \# l" S
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
; v* K: c4 q& C' d7 u( Y' A5 l566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
& X' j* O$ g, A* a: w- g1 ?1 z 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& T; ?2 y) Y3 H2 C' a4 H& ^! y567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
8 M% b7 E9 Z8 O4 ?( i 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。& J1 _. D( @7 \5 p( N
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.2 }3 W* r! T( V4 z' h- c+ Y, s
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。+ m+ q- f2 p% F# E I! H! D, i
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.6 i1 z: c. U' c4 V0 T
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。& G" v7 ?5 B, R* o8 v
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
9 {0 e# s4 V0 l1 B P7 O9 z 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
9 v" m, H4 u, I! `$ J& J* E571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.' K9 P, {) ^7 Y0 p- K W
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 R" M" }, ?. `3 m# u% @( W572. They did not even tell their wives.
( M* d5 Y a, `: q i 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。- f, p% ?0 `, ]0 ^
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding." j$ x! I( E' l) N6 {
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。# c( U0 ]. h t4 k4 B
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
' r) D2 X, x$ ^( d+ i$ \ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
8 ] Z/ v" H0 {5 ^, k1 b! U2 c575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.& p L; z& u: T3 y
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 V6 P5 _1 k) N( S) i$ ^7 m
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
; D+ |/ K8 h: ?" H! u2 v; O 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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