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课文30 幽灵之死
O/ E. Y5 P) }5 z# K1 B8 @552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. `' n. W, M* b) Z5 h( N) H, d
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
3 M6 B( y) U+ N5 }553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
& A j" E. I7 |6 f- z 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
# K+ k3 B6 V2 n, s9 j554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
* a% z1 r: x. ?( G3 r" v0 Z" @* m 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。! t' I4 C& Q3 k" k
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
: |2 U& f" m! \; m" x0 u 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 h! X$ |/ z) f0 `; |
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
0 Z( W! _# l+ s! F. R 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
+ F( \3 g- S% _0 A! ] k4 E557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
% s5 ~1 n& I# d' {: f 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。: {8 a0 C8 g+ }$ V9 b E
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
/ t' }+ j. {& @9 W E, }4 z6 l 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。/ p3 Y6 M. g: X. [5 ~
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
+ w) b+ t/ k' i# \$ b! \. \6 F* z 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。
: R4 S7 x: M' B/ v560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.# X% W8 e( W5 } Q7 E9 \2 K" Z6 H
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。5 C# g8 A# {, i; L
561. This was indeed the case./ r+ n0 q) X. n7 | X1 b) q
但事实上确有此人。
1 p7 u% ?+ Z" i; t! S562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.: ^6 ~( c0 P+ W1 d
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
8 R: b+ @* s$ O9 K3 M) C1 w( N4 B563. 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.
' G* z" L6 \* g& O1 O 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。+ b0 P7 u. L8 q5 A+ i, d% O! i
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
2 K2 d7 Y. O6 J2 h, q. S2 b. j) @ 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。4 R; l, b/ W! ?% [# I. L
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.7 l* o6 ^ ]* \7 b8 o
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
5 w# [- [( l' a# H: s' M% h n: e566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
- e! n& [- Z/ m/ s' G 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。. ~9 y: m) s5 i4 F" W& @
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
6 o& U# u3 {; |' M5 q. P 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# x. t$ ?6 e. X! B568. 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.
& [# R0 Y) h- R+ L: H* } N 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 Z/ f7 y% U1 \' _. t6 M569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.& d) C- w) U" T5 T v( G* L
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。/ Y# I& \8 Y/ v
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.) t. x2 Y; Q. j/ Q1 I1 U$ o* p- D+ r
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
+ N; J/ Y/ n% R/ V: ?. v( s. A571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.: K& e' R& ~/ W4 K( Z u+ Q
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
3 M" L; Z( H i& O572. They did not even tell their wives.
- @3 F {7 q% J0 d; e$ a 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
6 n; [ E1 @4 N' K% m5 u573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
! A( I( ?0 H( U6 d5 t) }3 l$ v 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。& G9 g+ g1 R9 _8 S) N% i6 i
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
+ `+ c; Q6 B4 R; s* D) t 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
y" ^' Q* f B9 k* [# y9 f575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
; @; i( k! Y+ J& N) s7 R; } f 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。7 r) O& ^" H) X% \
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
% Q0 ?0 v* q' Y9 G8 _' f y; 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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