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课文30 幽灵之死
" C) n1 h" |) b$ [7 i5 P* i" @552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.- C7 b# j: u) Q0 b
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
- U# G0 _6 j& Q6 o4 |' o553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.$ v3 B) ~: @# Y6 m3 [
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
# A1 r9 N( D0 ~* Z# A& X554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
4 I2 {0 E" K" f9 e8 k 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。/ e4 ]9 |5 f+ N, E" T q1 w
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
7 F; u0 M1 D( I$ K+ ?, V" w6 _) X7 x 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。2 L4 o- z8 S v
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
: ?( [5 z2 }5 ~, l! l 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
1 t" G! ] c5 |$ Q+ `557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) i, a$ n% P7 F6 Y, ^9 [" z5 O6 v1 | 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。: w8 s* u2 i3 F4 N) D: x! T3 ?: F
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
( R1 ^. F, M; a 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。) ^; R. ~8 w6 C8 ~
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
. V1 W9 _1 L. V& R) F 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。) A1 c- F% i% o# L7 R
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
7 n% d8 d- H. T/ f( V 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% P: L" h9 X1 y( S0 i' F7 t
561. This was indeed the case.. c, i, T" I) s$ |/ Z
但事实上确有此人。3 A. m4 z! ~8 t9 l
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.5 j. M! S6 H) o# T/ K, r5 V+ f. V
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
3 I2 c' Y- l _2 F& g563. 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.: K ^% u3 S7 r& w& `6 P# D
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% ?' X/ m" z) ~/ o564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.$ D8 W" N$ C0 a; E8 S5 N3 b
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
8 q: M3 m, j+ p4 D- @2 V565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
' }; F! z7 ~/ i 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,; o- O, f& @& [' R) e
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.2 l- W: E% L+ ?! Z4 }$ z
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
* O8 g) u/ `& n- |, P' b6 E567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.9 {+ ~$ ^$ r( q
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
7 n3 f4 `/ h8 C568. 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.
( c6 \( D- Y+ Z( ] x4 F 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 P; X( R1 F8 V8 W0 G% u; N6 c+ c569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
" ?9 n) T7 G6 U9 R6 C0 R; v0 o 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, t: O# n: O0 @; V9 E
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.8 A8 \% W9 o) c! y& [
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
3 P) _2 q8 ^" t" a7 K# b# p571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.& ~+ ~2 z1 h: L5 d8 j
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" k9 u$ m; S7 W+ {6 e' p5 g4 Z572. They did not even tell their wives.
% ~6 E9 q: a6 W* L* P8 g! S$ u 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
4 b0 k) ?$ D" l; {* b, |) g573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.5 h- \: `* V3 H& G9 K
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。' j6 F# K+ X$ P1 L( M, U& b
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.' Q/ v% P. T& F8 Y' K* K' C6 o
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: K% k+ [0 s& 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.
! T' L1 F- w+ Q% n6 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。: O1 G! m: r" r; I) c5 m U- D) Y" w
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
+ j. S' v! ]4 f. _2 D p9 U/ D 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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