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课文30 幽灵之死6 ^, U4 R& K7 p8 E- }
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted./ N5 h/ _: Y$ C
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
0 J2 e. v }" K, W8 L# v553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox." p4 B% G) Z _, W! H0 j; @* q' k
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。; X3 S& j3 |4 A6 y ~( J% c6 S
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
4 N8 p/ i% Q2 H# P7 ]9 d 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
# z" `4 O' I6 b5 A% N& u4 w555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
9 o3 w' h, A1 ~9 r3 D$ m% u 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
- u. x. i. d; w/ B1 p8 d1 L556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
% L+ u& i) A6 \% }# R' L! O& x2 ] 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
) c- r0 O* T! z5 A# _1 o557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
8 {/ i% {7 U3 s5 x/ ^: o4 ^# \ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。: ^" F- C+ ]. [; w, X
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
0 E. K; I' k" B3 P+ z5 y1 X 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; B+ @& q+ ] d559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
Y$ {5 ]8 Y+ m, r. i- {. w 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。5 F/ \+ a4 @6 _" ?
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen., B4 X$ z" W$ d7 @
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
f# S! j% t3 J- [) [$ v561. This was indeed the case.
/ S9 i3 s6 u! e! k 但事实上确有此人。+ ]) w! ~8 n- q
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
0 G1 {, r2 k3 n8 R- l; P3 _% v 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。+ T" Q0 A" }: Z" C' }- c r! {3 A) O) D
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./ s3 H: m) k( d! O H# H
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。- w5 H; I; L& D- c2 x# \
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.4 B$ K) Q! N( R1 X4 g
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
' ~: S0 H6 j3 {7 a1 t565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
3 K3 d# k( C# M 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,7 w0 v& u4 D6 F4 z% P5 P- V* V
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.. u f3 l# N' n. x6 o
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
# B$ r5 [6 g( m/ B4 S; T567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
& {9 H8 @, u ^, o5 X2 B9 n8 `$ j 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" \$ K/ O& g& K, ]
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.
# z" G( L$ T8 Z% E, n) 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。. v9 e! \& y$ \- x& |
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.4 D4 |( |' T4 O+ m4 K
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, |4 i# W, v0 c% y5 s- v
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
! l9 S1 Y# v3 m2 a 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
, H$ ~9 J9 D/ N/ w' X. x571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob./ j7 ^0 o# @+ v* p
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。4 X4 T [5 T* k4 P5 G
572. They did not even tell their wives.* \8 M0 ]; I* w. H4 T
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
8 Y1 v! d& c2 ^573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.1 N Q, p1 r/ c. Q+ G/ a; X
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
7 ^3 W) F U. u1 o) E2 g574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
; ^6 v6 l) u4 ^ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,; c: b* l, c" J. R2 _
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.
( `$ }* d- Y4 _ 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 r$ p7 R7 U& }+ h576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
) u- ^; b# D( f1 S! q- ` P 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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