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课文30 幽灵之死
& ?3 x0 T/ R7 G) O# s& F552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.0 N+ H* m/ e* b( h& [" ?
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
6 K0 @' A a0 ?+ ]553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
* i: I! P+ R, m 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。! K" R! S' ?# I1 X' p9 l
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
2 Y* Z4 [2 E9 L) r1 I2 L; {+ @ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
+ m* l' Q( z) P! F& u v/ e555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.) b$ W# {8 r! @ O* \8 X7 h3 {: Q3 Y/ c! w
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。6 @4 G7 V" w$ z( h4 x5 ?
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.. q% }- t2 g( @! T0 A+ \0 J5 }5 y# b
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,5 B) j! s7 Q% Z( ]% g; q
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.) T, n3 V- t- M) K1 L# E
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
$ i: c/ d0 P$ Z5 X/ ^+ H1 }558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.' q9 ]* s) u+ _8 v) }* g6 Q! h
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。6 D5 ~8 H& w) ^4 F$ _$ x. U
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
+ r$ a) `0 k1 F. } 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。 w) k6 ?; I2 Z7 T" _$ I
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.( F5 y( e- v) J. i: n7 b
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。# Y% Y0 C3 h- U! l5 o- E F
561. This was indeed the case. J5 ?2 o$ h' g3 w3 Q/ e5 O
但事实上确有此人。2 z' D& a& n; s% y! D0 A
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.. y! ^# k1 z' y8 V5 K* w7 ?/ v
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
! W$ Q M3 A( P2 p! i6 W+ `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.
" m9 A+ R; N# u H: Y8 X6 ` 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。
- N" o* B! l% @$ L. V564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
1 w( t1 Z% K3 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。+ U5 W8 k$ y; x+ ^9 [5 |
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
# v! M2 ~# s2 p, F 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, W- @9 a2 |/ ?
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.& t. ]( j3 @9 a: r: T1 e. m
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。0 @9 h1 J1 X# L1 p
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
- H- w7 K/ U3 q, ]# L9 c) U7 m) F3 v 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
( ?' w% _# U- `/ x; `- e+ {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.& _' |/ z0 h; {" 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。
8 b. Q2 D) H& Y+ T, @8 R569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
8 a! D" u( E/ z. C( i- [ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
! m. g$ t* F+ p- z! A570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
/ F% q) H. d; L& e 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。$ I$ R0 o, x2 N1 w
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
0 t* C; }9 K6 f1 h2 p, z 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
; f0 e) ?, U% G1 A' Y* h! e572. They did not even tell their wives.
! p/ m) |! J* `9 y! ^, Y0 F" j 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。 b- J N; L7 x _& U7 I* {, s$ f
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.4 K" y" E7 D! R& Q) j5 O
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
" l8 E) g, U/ ^$ G8 N& F574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
( ^5 k3 ^9 N0 R+ W1 e! ^5 i 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
+ m8 G3 L+ A) A7 ?% R; v6 X575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
) z, f& A4 ?1 N I+ E 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。
* r) r8 O# Q- C! \8 {9 _576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
9 A7 m- U% I5 q, H4 s7 Z 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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