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课文30 幽灵之死' F- \' {/ R+ x
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.7 K7 O; [$ b N! f/ n
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
0 {7 T( q0 q& n$ ~. {6 R k% A553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.( M5 p: @- d- O- e3 M* h& @. N
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
. r* G6 H2 J! Y! j7 n554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
# W$ l' a$ S. ]" P0 a, `5 a 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
! {5 H8 E; D& i) V# L1 }555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
( n- u) ~/ _' T, x } 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。, r6 m% P) M% l
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
6 u+ j0 N! }2 L1 p" I3 Y+ Y 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,. ~! R* b6 q- Y7 n# k' @
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.: \9 R! ^; [7 C+ B5 w
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% a* r) W: D; X p558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
* y# A; W @- O t- W$ g 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。% e) T) Q8 s. b+ F8 r- W
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.6 w# R/ E& x# S: f9 J# l
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。& j" ?$ I2 ~( }( m" v
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
' m( p3 x q6 f 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
; r( i' m& q7 v( ?+ t) \8 r2 k2 u! {561. This was indeed the case.3 @1 { F2 A, ]9 @6 u- \* `
但事实上确有此人。6 i1 h) s0 i' J; C3 Z* M
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
6 B. i) s X1 ?7 q4 Q0 K 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
% E8 i$ A m4 M7 y W- E" D5 K563. 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.$ u2 B! A+ W# z1 c- M: E; K9 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。" _, W& q6 N1 v7 [# e) _
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.% n0 g2 p! Y' O8 L: u
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
, y/ j. e7 l7 v565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.2 ^4 l' c$ F/ ^# k5 G; a- F
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
0 v* D. C. e* D. D566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
; X8 y" L% \% U 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。, t4 U1 z3 L3 D! H- r) x+ w
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
% t# t. c0 E/ c$ m& p4 N6 o; f 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
4 Q: @# N6 g) B568. 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.
- E$ E7 A" h- U& q. _; r$ A: K1 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。; A5 s8 q1 A$ ?5 s0 J
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.8 E0 ?3 X) ?$ q
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。+ J8 W/ Q# I9 l( l
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.; F$ a0 ?: ? A2 f* V- `8 J
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。3 T" ?3 ^/ S, \- F! ^$ I; p
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
2 q/ p1 o* e9 y W. W' Q) f/ @- V3 } 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。" u% q+ ?8 x; r0 S
572. They did not even tell their wives.
) q: v) k4 Y( t- f0 r: h) \ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。1 l3 ~/ G0 x6 e: u
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.& |* E7 s2 Q2 ~! D
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。, Z, a" A* }; S+ T* w
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.6 F; V7 V' |( n B @* Z1 {6 n7 o
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,* X; c! m; g9 J8 V* s
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.
' ]! F$ {7 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。
- [' ?6 Y( u3 J4 _ `& k% t, K576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.% Q+ j- W8 M9 o: J' \# H
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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