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课文30 幽灵之死
- c& \ }8 R# e552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.7 |' l% N( p7 ^5 p, H
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。4 d+ [) H" H& A9 @
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
6 x+ l2 _. @0 p 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。( `2 i! N' z2 q
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
3 R, O, U* j" Q/ F0 m8 t) P, q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
2 B% x* ^% ?* R3 U555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
9 h% T7 `+ @# w5 X0 K$ i 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。' o! G) P) u0 G/ L, ^. O
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
, D1 ?9 R( Q% C! w! C 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
/ h: v% n0 k7 G2 U8 k557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.1 }6 n& q9 h' J' g3 s; Q! v4 a! [* O
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
& ]. h2 J# K" n" y$ o558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.8 N- S7 n6 g4 _! _" @5 U
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。2 l! S9 B9 X r9 p, a# |
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
) }0 l) `! o4 t 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。, z- m E5 K1 S
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
D1 M1 a, l% l: j) l! ~/ g7 r 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。. I; a: v8 l" y5 A
561. This was indeed the case.+ i2 z8 B" [8 j
但事实上确有此人。
' L7 w4 u( |) X# g6 s6 E% z562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
2 I+ V9 b9 L2 n! M7 @4 v/ w. Z5 k 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。: [9 X+ F% }. e3 v, {! 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 ?- z. g, H0 A- Y: V5 L5 @ 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。
; m1 n [% E0 y. Q9 C( C564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
( m/ p1 F% z. `* A# c& Z 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
$ O0 F3 k, D# ? _565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.- h8 Q' @& B: _3 Z' r% D' Q M4 T
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,+ v" M; }! Z8 Y, M! \
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
) E3 V' g4 G0 R2 i 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
5 t9 ~' |' Q7 c+ \8 c567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment. a0 v2 b% I5 p; v" }) u4 S6 P7 I; V
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。7 k) Z: y, S4 g- W) M6 Q4 b
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. V; e! ?3 X5 \' `( g
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。6 M [ G. D: p
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ T+ D7 J7 x4 z 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
5 k& |- B; g, d570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
3 P4 n* H* a% x0 M7 g8 P 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。; {( R9 T* S5 v. S# y
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.! ]5 x. \$ Z3 a' v( \
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
5 T; j5 n U( S4 I7 @7 D572. They did not even tell their wives.
: \& m% Y0 e$ T 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。$ k8 Q, r( R1 E" }) ]& p
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.$ w! J3 v4 o& @7 f
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
; K# v3 X% I1 _2 c574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.: B! V1 G" f* a
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,; ~9 g( U, ~% E3 e$ e( J
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.
* J. u/ f( b& a 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。5 G- f$ v g2 I
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.: b0 J5 y9 s y& {7 J) l
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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