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课文30 幽灵之死
/ o& ?( f3 f4 j552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
8 b0 s6 \/ f9 J3 f. s 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
* J- j( O- D4 a' v+ p# H1 l% r553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.* l, O( D6 ]$ K* w; k& |; I B
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
# v, e; a6 O( c554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long." M& p2 l, a0 ^
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
, k w0 s2 J; b3 k- |555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.! v: O& J. ~5 x2 x
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
+ H# i, O! E# b6 o" V) C1 F556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
" \) H: F6 z" r# T* h 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
) m* T5 p3 F. I: O0 h' w7 _1 d! y557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.9 j! N" V* _& s1 A( {
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
# u+ C2 Z) t. A, F/ _2 _% @. Q, \558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
A/ l. l- R8 S: R( V5 z2 q 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。
k1 C5 u' F8 P" M$ _559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.! \" ^ Q# R$ }! S* z3 q% X/ 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。
5 k( z+ ~6 S: {560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.) T9 j" w! S( o, G( S" E
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
+ Q. B) ~0 d5 [2 i561. This was indeed the case.' X% d- s% j; D7 i
但事实上确有此人。1 u: l/ D4 n( }1 L" J# l
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died., q0 z9 r, Z8 t5 _' v: C% t
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。3 b; U' a J9 F1 y: u' c. v% |
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.; E ^8 W; W8 j, r0 [
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。
/ U* F6 o7 F; X) N7 x564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
) ^! H2 Y" F! X1 b( u5 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。
" K4 i$ o E+ ]6 t565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
J6 @( M/ z) N) u. Y1 y 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
2 Q* n/ w! t% H/ u7 v) N" ^566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.5 ?2 E6 E* Z! F
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。" n$ J& B0 s2 D7 J; s/ G' Z4 U
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
! x7 Z8 O9 a: [$ y; F8 M8 _( E 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
( L! L6 u; m5 L, x8 x568. 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.* ?+ |; d( \% }! N
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。7 F3 h! K" [" e# N
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well." |% \% `, b M7 ~# o' Q
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, D. J% J% D7 ~( s# M; z `
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
. Q9 P) R8 M; S# G& G, ]5 W. _ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
( D8 y1 ^% O; K: C* t3 z: @571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
1 \3 d. ]- Q0 S2 h 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
7 d3 x# o( `$ W* E572. They did not even tell their wives.
- k$ p+ e* q! t6 V# s) q: T 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
3 ^# }+ B& V; v573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.8 Q( g- l' ~* i7 R+ L
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。; |2 ?# A u3 V L7 p- U* j
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
^" D3 A5 p% A1 K; ?$ ] 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,9 O9 k1 I& w% w" Z0 X7 e& c
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.
n+ B$ `, Z1 F4 [) w" v0 J 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。' m, W: x! R% K5 K
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.! F8 F) Y% X3 O, @( k
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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