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课文30 幽灵之死
& D1 l+ g8 H% Q; ~* a0 X4 a1 A! y552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. A3 O$ L* b: k0 u# r' h8 ?. Z1 w
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
c5 _" w) t% a( |! f5 ^0 \$ z553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.& C1 @: Q, h+ I6 ~- H! i1 h
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
( Q* U' t$ T( {4 y554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
8 w" }( D0 M7 p- ]/ Z7 ]# G* Q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。) U5 }- W- N, A
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.# _6 q$ e* L. Z
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。4 `! K$ { W" Z; _/ T0 T- M: T
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
. p( @/ w, T) w9 H( o 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
- q; w) Z$ a, L c) K557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
: S- F: U6 ]& P" H" m1 I2 P 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。/ t# I% D5 ~: U4 K* U# ^
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.. A* g F& b i5 O) T' E
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 J- h' e. p% [" N V0 g559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.2 N) ]$ E- z9 @# u2 q2 @
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。# k' i- o' [# Y3 @) q
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.) R, c2 e2 j) Z {
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
# y; X8 \* X8 B4 Q6 A$ Q: t' J) X561. This was indeed the case.
! i- n" I% L, L5 {4 c 但事实上确有此人。5 c$ t7 M1 ^2 w, j7 B0 j
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
; n: S+ ^/ b- z 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
- w' `5 j+ R# [, c& Q3 l563. 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.. E- y8 M$ X, e" i) k9 U
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。9 g# {* M6 X2 Q3 I8 Y
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.! y* c5 }' e1 e5 u2 [) G0 W, P
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。* E! u2 J1 O+ E+ @1 I
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
- y0 L. e- \! S" c* n2 p. P 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, i1 t& G! g7 @ ~! D
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.. _% z0 ~2 u k' }7 B S
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。! c2 g5 F/ t) ^ z" i4 k4 Q% R+ q9 R
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.' D8 M3 ~' K. m! F8 Z* V% M6 P. A7 P
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
' q( S+ K2 {! d' H# [1 x568. 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.
8 b! J& G4 d7 ~) I+ ?2 ~ 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。* ^0 B) A7 ^2 E+ v9 C& x
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
: S0 h8 L# M( v2 D 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
+ g/ W/ _7 S: D$ l: K570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
; x" A z# \" Q8 R" @2 c( ~ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
; Z4 p8 ?# O; i; K5 C, Q$ B6 P: Q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.! f S& `# h/ I
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
* r J- g$ f& R- j _572. They did not even tell their wives.5 y+ E2 y3 v# z) _( W# @
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。5 p# z; |* w. G! ]
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.2 ^) F5 f e2 {- X! G* Q2 i
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
7 d8 Z) S& A& E+ x574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
% ~) W2 g" W1 l: Q 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: Y5 e( H( M' `/ x% |
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.
* V* P/ g, F5 ]) b) K 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。! z0 n# P! a- p6 Q% O
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.8 l7 P' w( V2 a$ `
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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