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课文30 幽灵之死
5 L( B: v b" c2 D552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
: h5 ~7 |4 X; |* b$ S- h! b 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
6 S8 B6 F% s2 u f3 [* |2 J553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
" e+ ?" A9 \0 e! I4 S' z# I1 ^4 n 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。0 f% z" @0 W% c8 S
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.: h; r f9 C* Z+ ?3 y- Y# l9 b
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。. L; ?* w- a& u
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.5 }( }6 P- W3 g- U8 t
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
) h2 e+ u* n! Q0 ?556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight." l( f, ]. Z7 N8 z
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
8 Q$ l) ~$ b% W3 Z9 o' z: Q4 q0 a557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
8 p" q: R8 T$ r. B" V- l! \ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。4 b9 Q: W8 F- w. M' P
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.5 e: Z) ^# r2 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。
6 w3 ]% c! t8 t) W p$ N559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.! p- `2 o X" Z" t$ I/ X. c
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。2 W% L5 `4 ^7 X& E
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
E& c$ J8 v4 X( A* I 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。; A9 Y( p$ D# y( u3 E
561. This was indeed the case.( b* A$ O/ c) f/ A# M" J) h! l! b
但事实上确有此人。
/ _# |6 n1 l R6 h. b/ C' L! X' k562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.8 ]" s: s6 {3 t3 R v) c- Z
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
1 Q: I& T( R! b$ G5 I563. 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.
$ t, o' f- S! i/ K2 a 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。
2 S4 w& ?4 Z- O$ z/ [564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
: Y% Q) Y2 w% l" W1 ^ 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& e8 I$ z( C565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.3 g6 U) T) ^ r
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,& M4 K) q; \7 O& ~& `- w& l
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.2 k9 C- W8 c( E& Z
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
' \& p- u2 ?5 a0 T. c567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.0 L' J* V9 p2 L
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。2 I t) [; R+ B6 t
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.% A: B$ t6 d- {/ T' p9 u8 O% b
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。, Z* ^4 q f1 S- D" x1 f% C
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ [8 A A' a5 E7 h$ _' b, C0 C+ F 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
) {3 E9 z( R) P+ D; R: D% n6 p7 w7 ]570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action." C/ \8 |3 D" X# D; X
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
q. T( c; m; e5 w) L- l571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.$ A; d" K ?( k
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。7 o# G; `% ?% F8 X/ i2 e0 y8 a
572. They did not even tell their wives.
, u- \# H4 J: W" h' I) ]0 R 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。# L! n* b2 J0 J9 b
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding., O: b& T) s: S0 m1 u/ V
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
H- k: s* y5 L+ Z0 w574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
/ G$ h) U$ O2 Y 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,# w$ w# h2 B9 @8 k' Q: m3 `: U
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.
) [$ R: o! @. `/ g7 {7 R3 s( r# C: R 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。" T4 S* d c4 W/ [" t
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer." R, q' R# Y; {& m! o0 Y
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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