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课文30 幽灵之死% u2 c( t+ v1 t
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
$ ]& r6 a8 l- i0 N( D5 k8 t8 v 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
: V! O( I; w: b7 l, G% o: T553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
8 O/ n6 j$ ]2 Q& t- \ 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。1 \' j# K# ^' G( o" X8 p
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
# ^" o( u& `: l$ _# B3 T 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。) e, j$ x4 J3 K4 ~, {7 d
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
7 H% p, X H! g8 j6 g! X 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
# _- e9 n; C+ ?& H556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& t4 I) `/ K: Z$ Z' \$ f
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,0 S4 x9 \! J8 t: w- L
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.5 `* _; B V" C. f
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
$ w7 H% S& B8 w6 R, X9 v558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
3 k4 B2 H2 M A8 m 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。4 \' o m# J3 _, T9 Q" ^
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
X7 r8 A% z, J( ]& 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。
* C& l: K- f' X2 M! o7 G1 G560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.# I* `- k, g* z# ~
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
7 _& y% s) d, t561. This was indeed the case.
) C9 R2 D, c& G1 B9 R' T 但事实上确有此人。
; C9 e, O" K" }& U562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.: }$ l+ _$ d6 q( D5 B, e
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。$ J+ S; T7 v3 l+ [& h1 Q" H
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.& @ k; D% D6 J5 O
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。
, M6 V0 P7 D2 ], B1 P9 C564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.2 S5 g1 c8 X/ j. m4 O7 |% J
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。( K2 H, S' r( p: F
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.) C/ p6 i4 u2 W' p& ^7 g' E$ k
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
- W( N# l; r C) H566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
' n( g) p3 ?& B3 x 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
( j4 X, @/ z9 A" o* v1 t9 i567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
( q$ e! `! G: |. m2 |' ? 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
5 `9 |' f4 ]) v5 B* `; H: C; ^' E6 L568. 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.; Y! T% v U2 H
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。
u+ z1 s# s. {* o/ D/ F ~569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
* U3 M8 _, u; B; a; t+ _+ S8 m 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
; Q, I) P2 Q- @! z. t; }570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
) l9 K E* R3 N 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。4 P7 E7 S3 @+ Y! o0 c
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
7 g+ h w8 }9 I& L9 w 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
! X# t! r8 X* ~$ h- h( J- U; _3 P) K572. They did not even tell their wives., V: A1 E- V e
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。; K9 K, W. I& L; [/ a5 V4 G
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
8 k( p. w( `1 W0 u 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 B+ f( T8 r4 C$ n, n4 u) f( T
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
# q$ b; x: T$ S1 G, h1 F2 @. i7 h 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
$ t0 I1 A/ E% X+ W. r575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
- l. W5 v( W1 J0 N8 y 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。
1 m4 s0 O! t5 k7 y576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
! z+ k$ O$ d8 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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