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课文30 幽灵之死
: \1 G8 @5 j6 P& b552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
+ {* B7 T! p/ W* G 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。$ P- ?0 y, j3 [3 t
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) s* c! ]$ ^- ]* j! _* O0 r4 R2 x 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。" y" Q4 I- C# S2 W; P/ Z
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
* U/ l) ?$ H* j3 ~- v: s( R 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。, h; f. V( v7 |: { P
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.. s1 T4 t, |5 H0 \, O4 w
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。2 d) U8 ~$ T- |( n
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight." `4 Q1 p; F; K+ G
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
5 d- m; ~' k( T! Q* F557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
5 E* K4 m4 Z. N 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
, x- x: P5 c) V% q0 W0 w558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
( c& J: x, ~, }8 b1 `. C 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。
% Q* B4 p2 { n) \) q1 R559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
' S" U( _/ @5 e9 u 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。, n7 n6 t! Q4 f2 l2 i
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.# y( Y2 Q; d& z7 Z. S. b- |
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。5 H5 T# R% M, v
561. This was indeed the case.: P, i4 j) p- m8 n# u6 ^# |
但事实上确有此人。1 U3 n4 b" j5 G8 |2 _# z
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
- V/ ~/ b( N* h4 Z- X4 K* n 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。7 _& J; T: r. Z
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.
7 E& ^, o7 a0 C9 n. m) q 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。
: @9 G8 W( f+ ^; p564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
, _, w; A6 n" A 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。6 t. a& P. y. M- L. p3 T d
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ u1 t+ f/ K4 Z. f
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,5 q3 d) N2 G9 _: F* w
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
4 R9 J7 c4 j M u: g; `# o6 t 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
' O" C4 J' l" l; N/ A3 l8 h567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
5 [: u( t' e i' m+ w4 X- ]. D, Q 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。$ Q7 | K+ f/ C
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.
) u1 M% c% I. |( n. Q1 ]( l- X 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。
, N2 P1 f( R- G" k, Z4 s7 a2 A569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well. I" P1 e/ H; X% C7 ~
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, H- K. n$ \4 E# K$ _6 T( A7 O/ b
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.) e7 a- H% E$ e1 U) ~. ~. l) A
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' _& ^; g# x5 u1 b" E; W, X571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.- n7 H3 X( {, b8 @: L* a U
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。$ e+ G# {( j3 k& M+ `
572. They did not even tell their wives.. c4 Q9 E: g- ~" K; A
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
6 C% I' W2 m1 d* u/ u/ q# j1 x573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
3 m$ i5 H$ R$ o( N' T& L+ g 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。0 P! p E$ N# L2 }) l4 @. K: n
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
, @: v2 U, l6 T8 T& C 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,% [" B. T# `( q- S
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.
. q9 g: P. d, ^+ Z9 A4 ?6 E# q 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。
& {" o+ G6 O& k576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
9 u( f7 }* c- j" @7 I- ?0 j 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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