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课文30 幽灵之死
- r& N8 f* J0 D7 \" ^0 _9 E552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
' k9 x. S2 S: p2 D& q. D 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
0 C. C2 H U& V; e553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) b; K/ o, _7 C2 L9 V 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
3 |$ q1 Z" U+ Y$ ]4 M% X" e6 P0 s554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.* \( ?8 l9 l* F6 A7 t6 F- j* X
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。1 J/ s' G% b2 H' U
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story." r) b" k+ J* k2 b! c
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
1 R4 H$ Y; C0 B: @556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.- J+ N' b( D$ T3 K6 L3 z ]8 A* p% e
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
4 F* D+ s+ z8 e/ ?& k# s557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
0 M9 T0 ?2 g: Y( r, X 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
; `% y( O% m" ~( I, a! |558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.: G2 k9 M" n! h. ^" r* I
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。
* J: T; W( I& R- f- H559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
$ D* w& h+ [2 V1 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。
) m3 B) \4 s' Z4 r* V560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.+ G" M0 n: |" `
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
6 ~2 D. E! h' {% l561. This was indeed the case.4 O0 a" @0 S: H% Y; P0 r
但事实上确有此人。2 w% f0 T; {* e+ ~& y) ]' M
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
# J0 d% U% A& e 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
8 b& p9 J/ z+ ^# F) D1 z: A563. 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.
/ D4 d; r, E& z" M& i 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。" v) A7 G& w8 R3 U4 {3 T7 a+ r
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.. I( F0 q' z4 _! z+ a7 u& e
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。0 x! M! R4 [0 D" w) m
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.1 A: k9 |6 t8 _, M6 W- i W( z
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
0 P8 i4 {2 A0 @/ Y) P3 S+ y1 c566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.2 P; D. D& H. t
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。. x/ X7 W/ n1 x, m$ Z Z6 d5 v
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.9 a) n. G c" l/ p
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。; P# Z- L6 v6 l& A3 M# B% ?: c
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.: W/ K; _. {& |
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。
6 _) ^' H! N$ |6 D9 K569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well./ C. l3 a: T: a# U
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。 ^) ~7 ]* L3 Y* b
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action./ t) q# Q) L# J
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
+ J; M$ {8 u$ g9 c8 M/ J9 J571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob./ A( @8 `; W$ [. d
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。/ Z e t( Q- V& C, W
572. They did not even tell their wives.
- x9 a l: W0 ]0 C3 ? 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。1 m/ u$ Q7 F1 h0 }% m
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
( A' i$ t0 ?0 A7 X7 f 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
7 c- |8 v/ @% u$ q/ J/ J8 ~0 z2 x574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
7 B( |( F, `2 e a u ^ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,) Z3 H* [4 N o; O
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.
1 ^+ f0 M4 J' f- 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。
, {9 `% m6 t2 Q7 }" j6 I Z0 w' d576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
J1 ]* n8 f2 R& U 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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