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课文30 幽灵之死 p* c7 M7 g! T, z8 k
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
1 w3 {8 X8 d% e 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。- Z; z3 n2 |# m0 u) \$ U
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
$ A+ D. V4 s( Y, k! r 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
: X7 x8 M/ n' n. R' Y$ V554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
9 c# a) }6 @9 u. d/ E" x# W 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。 a) o$ ?& b$ L
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.* b1 T5 {" }( J5 r( M3 J9 }
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。" k% K L% ^0 \+ a
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& \1 S9 ^4 k- d' b- t
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
4 \# a0 Q6 ]6 ~/ j2 C/ ~557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.% J9 z; |! U; ?
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
# J2 H- r( [) u( X! E558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
! Q' e1 B8 V5 R 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 U: }+ e2 A! P6 ^! c i1 D3 k559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.- W# o, H; d+ O( 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。
- A; X/ b4 c# r8 q9 @- H* l560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
. @3 N' A: B8 H" _! `2 Q- s) @ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。; m( V, Q$ m1 o( [( t# J- c
561. This was indeed the case.# L) n/ S& S2 s& q
但事实上确有此人。5 b/ q9 L- }. t1 ?- h
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.5 }: S6 v3 l, x3 O T; a) k
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
8 V! r( Z+ D K5 t O& ]# g563. 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.0 V8 m0 S5 [: r: j
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。$ P. k0 b" P* O+ V1 x: d; e
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
% S- f, Q6 {5 V7 ^8 a3 X0 \# b5 W 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
& y3 t6 K4 S4 W. R, [# E5 G565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
, W: G7 z/ b0 P+ U0 B6 I 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,& x, ]2 k* {4 N4 G- X
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.! W. E- g9 B! v9 T) S2 M3 N Y
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
# ]6 z- B/ K( \6 C567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.+ N7 |. {! w3 o- Q' j9 |
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。% B5 b" e/ d+ ?- M$ C; I2 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.3 @7 S8 b1 c) U; J1 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。) E2 D% M: i8 X5 D/ v) l. Y% F p
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
& Q: e* o4 O& I7 a, y& S. b1 ~& Z 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。2 q* e! J6 s9 R+ ~, ~& N) Y; I
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action./ D" V, e* m% r. j- y
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
- d, V# B* s7 m% \571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.$ O0 R; ?" `: k# c& f: ]5 ~; W3 H
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。; y! j! _1 K: R' B: H/ P a
572. They did not even tell their wives.
9 \- D# J2 {6 i) S1 ?4 ` 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。1 Z, _1 W2 j3 N- `( u
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding. ]. q2 j6 n7 {. f- o
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。; K l6 _- B: R# m& x
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; c; U: @/ S* k/ e4 E2 O m
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,' s) K" f, U5 H( o- I/ i
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. W9 ?; f( u s, j( S+ E" E: 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。, o" m1 k) K; e# b* n q
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
$ D2 W$ @- F! Q1 t2 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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