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课文30 幽灵之死
5 N" W% ?/ Z3 z3 G( G' X9 {552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
@# X4 k- k5 c+ k; Y$ t7 N 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。! x: L) f5 L; X8 x! U
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
( i$ h+ e( Z) V" t 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
0 O# ~ J9 F: E5 h* G' _& V554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
% G9 l7 M& Z$ P 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
# L9 N( Q2 a% U, c2 B% ?555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
; p8 [" T& |; W! Z3 ]; P 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。: D- ?7 i: j+ a, k/ w. R {, f
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
' @, H( o+ U# b# z2 `3 e) R5 `1 Q5 ` 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
9 N: m- x/ {, C4 O# k5 A. W( h557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
& M2 t% d ~( n5 f 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
( i* d) e. d% I+ X/ O4 w: H$ j558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. O+ O' ~ ]! _8 m/ h: `- S% p
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。& j5 J8 s; }+ \2 a$ w8 I2 j
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
, E/ `$ K+ `- ]8 B$ o# C5 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。
* e( x7 y3 M% s- l560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 ]$ r4 B9 F4 H* {3 I8 a9 w 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。* f/ f; I4 h9 ]1 W1 B( h7 X4 E
561. This was indeed the case.8 U# k3 f! d9 C9 R. L9 \( n
但事实上确有此人。 r4 Y) s& o% K- Z5 J: q
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.+ M3 r v& ^+ @, }+ W6 a. a' e5 v
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
8 b# Q9 Y3 i- t6 K+ V7 h% t& `1 n7 Z: C563. 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.& D/ ?" ]+ p2 M# Y
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。* T6 `% j+ f9 Q ]
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
% N2 Z% p" n: ~+ _ H; q$ f- W 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。7 z; C/ l) s5 `
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
& o" D+ {- Q! Q" ^/ [3 j3 k 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,4 h9 j" G5 L3 q. ]: W
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.7 ?9 F" L) E- y$ F" R' d5 P$ g
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
; V+ b L0 {, J/ _- Z567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment." B* O& ~+ S) X1 p- g4 @
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。5 v2 y. O1 R& \. m: _5 O
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.7 `6 E1 T8 a5 ?( f. e
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。
3 ~& v4 }" F; ?' D/ S3 E+ m569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.: C; U$ y: [) z% P/ U2 @) w
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。6 |* I% w7 l" q- b0 e
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
* f8 Y4 S, i; J, Z1 `9 {9 ] 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。. s- |4 a# L; d: L7 ^
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
! S5 k/ i' O' t5 m' | 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
{) e3 ~$ y* V# M0 s& T4 R572. They did not even tell their wives.7 v# e% H1 ]5 I; u
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。 [8 d. s% m; ?" M4 M# V
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
8 O% x7 x0 m* N 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。5 L! F; q. h# W# x6 _( Y! @1 V9 O
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
9 Q0 G& f# F8 A0 B3 \' K 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
) Y k5 _( m5 d% a: P575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley./ x3 A0 k9 |1 Y- b
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。
. @" F5 k7 V3 c" v9 w7 I576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.5 ]6 C- k. }( |. f5 u
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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