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课文30 幽灵之死5 `1 o# X7 p# l5 s2 [% b
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
# P$ Y& w- {% b. t* E9 m 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
' o# U* [. u2 W9 ^6 a553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
: Z x9 ?3 ?% r Z 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。, q3 B3 Z- q, c. S! f
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long., I' q+ l0 w0 {, U" }6 a7 ~
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
+ E' W/ S# c. i) r% _) M8 a% l555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
( d+ g2 H# P: K. z' Q 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
9 Q( G" ~& z2 P556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight. K& R- g) m$ h+ o" ^( n" \# j
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
- i) M3 g2 E+ O R- M557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 X+ e& w1 z3 X 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
/ m3 _/ i7 g) ?1 {. L) T/ u) o558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.; l, d6 z x# l7 Q
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。
& O$ z1 Z3 b/ B% K. S559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
/ L7 h: u, Q; H* L* m 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。
n+ a4 k" ]7 |! c! ]560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
* i: d$ E! `( g+ K6 P/ Y 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
k3 w- T6 v \) F, Z561. This was indeed the case.
0 b9 X& C! d7 P! e! M- T 但事实上确有此人。: c, w/ y6 E4 B# Q! o6 B: ?
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
; F" v: Y( ?, N- c 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
/ _" W, N$ I) J5 a5 @, `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.4 Z/ @" f3 r( J
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。8 ^$ G/ }9 W- Y$ @
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 N3 N/ P& z7 l) e
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 y: Y6 L: D8 V% W( Y: @( s
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.. h# R# ~1 `1 |: P4 ^% K
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
( |/ d: s1 u2 P, `566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.; G( e, S. @! ]2 q
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。 q, J/ R* u- O; l6 U5 w
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
& {1 b1 f1 ^( g/ p/ { 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。; _( X2 J7 o8 _+ ?- N- _7 M3 x
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. S- u! j" B! @4 ]% 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。
8 U' ^! H: C9 H, @569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
# m+ k8 V2 @0 V8 i+ q; L3 F4 ? 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
, Q' a: H& C% r& C* I! ~8 X570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
4 a9 }! O4 I; } 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
8 o- f! s* \1 w, L571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
5 ~0 O& d' q% l, X/ j3 A6 T5 v 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
- E) ~7 N: g& b! ]7 }: l572. They did not even tell their wives.! c" }2 f! k% o( y) v
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。9 j E' A. M; Q. ^2 k
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.2 `$ ^) G: [ n
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
( E! i* O: G) T% p# h574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
' u. {$ C: U% g4 v( _ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
Y/ h6 @+ W9 r- W" D% H+ i 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.
+ m; L& \* p) z 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。3 Q) I5 b! W! g! n( J7 A; |
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.2 \ E6 n4 B1 k7 F
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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