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课文30 幽灵之死
7 ~9 F) P# V& q: {552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.* t! C5 Z, j2 ?, F/ t3 x+ `* a0 S
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% V" }' P r6 W+ _' J553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
7 Y6 U& h7 M/ K/ {: d9 W) E 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。) I. m( f8 E) M" @
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.* U7 R4 E: `; P* p- h+ i
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
/ ~9 u6 |6 n5 `2 h* R' s555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.% K* M7 c, m0 q0 w; q4 m& M
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。6 K, r( O, o+ u0 ~- c; b4 g
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
0 m5 z* y' a% m. w/ g 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
1 m x4 j4 h$ x* A* p8 y& A; n557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
+ k! o% o# {" ^% J 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。7 P- g" g4 t/ j2 j
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
; S0 D: d. I: S: M6 ` 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。
7 z! a9 N* W1 |' e+ ^5 e; y559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.; F, \( V* l2 k0 B
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。 r$ i7 ]* ?' q8 [5 @% Z
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.4 X% f, C* F( M! [. T
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
: V9 k4 R- g: D561. This was indeed the case.
v6 }4 H/ x" ^# N' o( p 但事实上确有此人。
5 `3 `& F! ^1 S3 R# j* t- y) w" c4 W; [562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
( P/ Z# v- l( R4 E 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
5 l2 v8 e; i" f/ O* W5 G# f" v: Q563. 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.+ x$ x. @7 f( g1 T R* ^. d3 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。& U/ y/ @$ k; h6 T
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
9 ?7 m8 q. L; ?( |( E 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
3 K& u" ~8 ?4 z i+ U# g* F565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.: M) W3 y6 ~/ M, W" z5 I: z
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
, T% \5 k& G; v0 x k6 k% d1 J566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.$ J! S! x' |- N4 O9 B* Z! q
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
1 J) W0 o9 M/ b$ }5 j0 Q3 U7 d$ ?1 ?- Z567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
) r' ?! J( ~! U1 A3 F 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 O$ Q- R* W9 e4 o; p/ T) @% @7 O+ u
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." D+ Z2 r& _* j( N, c: i
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。& W& l5 t/ l; o
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.# B% C( |4 t3 O+ I: b
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。+ A) z8 _2 M5 W
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.' c- o! }4 v2 D9 R- G
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
) P. n d( x4 a! \7 S571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.( O3 n& X# }: z' n1 `$ Q
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
! e8 H4 W1 v% C" ^) G572. They did not even tell their wives.9 [0 Q, ?2 T T% i$ o
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
% O' ]5 _7 J9 D) W5 [0 L573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
7 L3 l6 W% ^$ \5 P) E9 y8 {8 V7 S 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
& v; n6 I' k* C, ?' I2 d* u574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
/ a* a8 t0 _5 b0 E! | d 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,( Q& L2 I, P f) g& p% F1 m
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./ l9 g! w0 y! n$ g Q, | ?0 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。
b* \% d: ~7 u# U576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.; ~& y0 K( ^1 k3 k; B$ p
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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