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课文30 幽灵之死$ j( ?1 b h0 s2 x" N7 a
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
% z$ U) Z: A* B8 P 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
0 M/ e7 u9 {. ~553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.. T3 `. d& V1 }0 W. O) w9 |4 ~
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。9 _5 }# c3 o2 G/ K: s
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
! U3 l# C- r/ H& T! P 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
; i* p: u$ M" T! F% z, D555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
1 u1 {+ i0 s* @. c9 ` 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
) c& j! O) g( C' \# ?* R556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
7 w/ A% ~0 F, s 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
4 ^% z: ?4 W$ l% A6 m; t557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.. R9 f8 O/ r& p" r7 S6 y2 [+ i
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
8 J8 a* D# t- w9 a+ c2 L3 A& b9 t558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) s' b- ?1 X0 R
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。
! b6 z6 U6 t: J" t/ u$ H559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
+ M5 K. C$ ~( L" b# w7 S& I 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。: ]8 n X3 t# v
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.3 T4 \. H) k i
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( O6 Q3 N) n3 F, P: N* E3 b561. This was indeed the case.
& i+ J& J/ q; T 但事实上确有此人。* w# u9 Y- X7 I; h# K) m g9 j
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
% C ]$ t5 e5 d9 C1 @( D& ~ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。: R+ |! k9 m9 F6 O8 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.3 p1 Q% T+ P3 F+ 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。
" x' H- A# W ~- a564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.. s- B0 a2 j. T. O
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。, w, d* `, @8 o3 V
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
Y4 E) g+ x; o- ?- T( ^/ J 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,; ]( c! ]' w7 J- N7 {9 C1 U( k! U5 d' \
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
- w' C, D9 U3 `- X3 B- o 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。$ O. d, A4 g% R$ w" J, D) G
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
( r' ~5 z7 L' ~5 } 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。: G9 \9 z: M: J+ F# \2 e8 D
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.
/ w# [. ^% ^% ~7 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。
) v9 B& ~; U& |, E, Q569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
+ g7 c6 Y9 R3 Q% Y0 j 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。- C8 P# A/ |3 K7 H1 A3 q
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.6 `" Q# ~$ x# k
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。. D' R+ x7 e6 F7 I
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.9 c! j* n) _9 G7 X8 d+ d! s
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
& P. L6 W! ?9 Q+ {" g572. They did not even tell their wives.. d, |9 W3 `* S+ N
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
( _2 W6 Q( l* t1 M+ F573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
7 w" ^/ X' N, ] 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。0 Y) r1 J5 W, [; H; V1 C+ n7 W( @
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.1 s: R4 a K" K8 G" p$ `% y* J
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
9 M9 y9 }- z/ g2 q575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.+ v) i3 h2 E4 f1 g& p
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。
& V: I2 x6 h% D& A" F0 m: E# T576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
7 p& i. @% \1 b( ~- W- l 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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