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课文30 幽灵之死
5 h0 {" P% G: v552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.% S3 C: b$ \, M5 r6 D( Z
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。 A! b/ y6 {; B$ O
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.9 C$ C: k( B: p
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。; t0 `! d5 O- `2 R, c6 M3 X
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.; k9 Q# I1 V4 F( F9 L( Z+ U
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
y( R4 {- R! j5 a& t. _$ P$ U! s555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story./ s7 a/ j8 ^' \$ W; G3 E
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
8 a( S, J$ X/ }* v4 I, }$ g" ?( @( N556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
" y J) r; z0 Z, W7 A+ H, B 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
, V* i* t1 R! C, I/ M557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.. O' U# [7 q+ @: r5 b9 ~, t
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
) L' X! C. a; B558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
& z& e( l0 T2 ]: y0 o6 k/ \ 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。7 K6 u3 n% K, j$ Q/ \# c3 ^
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.$ c+ v+ d8 ~3 j% g1 U2 y8 ]# [
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。1 S. I, {% [( J7 D
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.' F: j0 ]* W3 V, T
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
Z" U- \: b% a) s. C% |561. This was indeed the case.
2 V0 J6 `5 _$ j# P 但事实上确有此人。# [8 a# T# W/ m6 k9 x2 |4 d V
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.( P# |# N# o2 W. E
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。* j" D" o. H0 x* L6 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.! C$ }5 c3 d- |- {6 r7 V$ q
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。0 }& O1 w; n1 o* q+ M6 _
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
1 U% }% M2 S9 N# q6 M$ M 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。/ J2 k4 f' `: I7 U" ^: Q6 U1 y+ e
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
1 \5 O# A- H1 T( m/ t; _8 t! b 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
& U& o" Z' [. u+ H566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.7 U7 J; Y9 Z& w1 Q; u
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
# U+ r; n8 \& j7 _% {8 P3 [567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
# W6 r d& x b& J 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。 M. k2 l+ B6 `, R) P6 `. r, X2 h
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.
1 W* D- J& F7 l! 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。
1 {' `) a7 v. n8 f569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.# h) _! H" P8 B G- u
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
* I; o7 _; w- d- _4 X B" C! S3 i: P570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
% \. S3 G* L; A8 b 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
$ l5 l& @1 o" z8 B5 u571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.- e* B, m# n- ?& h( n0 k
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
% V. y' a6 i0 p: s1 s572. They did not even tell their wives., ?8 Y6 f+ n4 W& F
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
" L) R/ g0 J2 x' B573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.: \/ p H$ e! \) l( `! K z
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
1 q. g* S, ]! B* R5 S9 q574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.. N3 I5 H% J7 b% A" s
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,1 X: q. w; D: B3 y2 j
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.
) E9 \& i( J" l 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 F0 b& X- ?4 c" K# W0 d576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.4 x7 { Z. O4 D3 ]3 {& H: v# w
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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