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课文30 幽灵之死. F$ |9 I6 B/ O8 q) M; G+ i+ p9 T
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
+ x# X3 }) e2 K& _2 G, j& ?# R 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
8 e: \* p+ {: j0 D. C; a0 z553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
6 b/ I- l! J2 T! _* c 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。( f8 A) B/ w7 A, ~
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.4 i* O/ ^ K0 w" j# N* c- ?9 Z4 S
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。1 D6 u8 z! j' m
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.* s* ]/ n- n% R& M; F0 i6 m+ x
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 z" t. I0 m0 y/ s: i4 y, M# p
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.2 x( Q' Y3 Z5 i% }
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
* Z$ C7 [( r9 R9 C" @557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.0 W% F$ X: g$ Q% g O5 r o) J
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 K+ N O1 g9 r558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) h- _8 T Y: ^, Z* E" K
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。
# g7 ?8 O" g* D' h9 _5 \2 g, \559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
' m& p& o! c; Q6 C$ Q 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。
; I/ y3 h; R4 j* J* s560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
& |* O C2 N) D T2 F" w. t# H 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。. P. A) I9 k2 }8 N+ c' d* e7 f; S+ E
561. This was indeed the case.6 }' M8 T# a% F
但事实上确有此人。& H1 a4 m/ J+ s3 b- E
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
$ Y7 Z0 s; Q" p6 p5 X7 R% _ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
0 q% U% `# S$ U8 G8 y563. 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.' n, ^5 l ^! 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。+ F) J' j9 u2 C' n& V
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.3 p" |% W* M# e0 ]& j0 S8 ], r; E! T
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。; s* b6 G' G. t9 t# K% q
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
- t3 _% u* |# a+ v2 f" j, j& c l1 { 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, T5 o, B4 y1 i. V8 d r1 x
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.* j) u+ X" v. W( I+ K) W. D- |2 m
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。& [ T1 k! d1 C9 @) t' w) v
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.; T, [, A) V: B
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
; e$ V& N! t* {* _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.$ u- A" V% ?8 T E- M
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。
. b/ l! ]3 Y" {* E569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.) n9 g! N; P" [
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。* J2 i9 g$ m' ~2 G- G- L0 W, R
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.3 R; T8 ?3 X% z2 s. M: }: {2 {
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
6 P3 w' b3 J$ m571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
+ ?: k; J- f5 Q$ O5 [ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。& |! o; D& I3 Y7 V) Y5 d5 m5 n
572. They did not even tell their wives./ R/ u3 Z U' `0 N! P, Z# P
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。4 ^7 b9 S* T q' P# l9 ]
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.5 Y4 w5 e% K5 s B- ?4 r/ v$ H
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
, o4 o/ Y1 r4 |4 [574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.# R1 b- g* ?- G7 o2 o2 G
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
' p% d+ b$ v# J, T# a575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley. q# ~0 E3 y- z- o5 j0 z* F
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 C f- ]: O6 p1 H
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.) k" c6 R& E! S1 |4 K- 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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