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课文30 幽灵之死
& t' \* T: M& M. |552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
& Y0 o( {# p9 |' Z$ L! x 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% f& M; J9 f( \7 l3 a; d# r1 m6 _553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.& V/ P! ]# w. ]1 F B+ h
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。2 Z8 E |: `+ ~. F9 N1 p
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
* {) i' o7 {+ v0 y; v s 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
* l# z6 o' _5 v5 m# ]2 x! m1 z555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.6 F( j4 {9 A; W! Z0 K
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
4 w7 L. ~3 F, _# O& o8 p1 f M0 m556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.8 _5 }1 i/ e. g* u3 J9 L; g
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,$ N3 c! {% n% N8 K' W2 `1 W/ o" d
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
, l& d% @5 K( z9 V8 Z- m 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
9 o+ }% Y, U& q. q) v" n1 C558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
: o4 q( U; E6 ?4 Z, i8 Q 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。: ^" w6 b8 n6 d8 h
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
6 I/ K3 s0 q7 Z0 \ 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。* W4 i' e) v$ e) l+ t8 r
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.6 C. j' U- h: E' Y6 @$ H0 ?, F" Q
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
& K- v& ~+ w. l8 I {$ O! _561. This was indeed the case.
5 e7 A4 ~9 F/ B6 j4 V0 J 但事实上确有此人。# D J! ? \5 e# D
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.- p: e- u" \0 [$ w
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。 s, K' T; y7 X& T
563. 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.
: r% p7 A7 u. P$ S7 k2 D; n! X: k 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。7 t/ b5 h, X% j B2 l! @/ J2 M
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
. F$ s3 p K( J0 A w+ ~ ^) y 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
! O) {, e3 P6 _; }; z' M565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
C5 z `6 E8 z( P3 Z 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
; b" C; \: `) B2 O. f2 ]566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.) y4 d. F& m" G' a" m- U
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。) g' O1 R% }, y- g2 v+ V# Y
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.' B' H* w1 u4 X. I
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
& u4 ?3 f. ~2 a8 I+ Q568. 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.$ r0 ~3 ]; s6 E1 \3 w
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。3 C: p" M" \4 m% z8 j
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.& I( s& O: @# C0 w/ _
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
" T* Q2 [& R& C570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
. i3 c- [4 U( l i 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
5 _; ^5 l0 |# T5 J0 ]571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
' B2 v, }' N7 l& o: g. G$ G2 O 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。. l& T F! Q' i* t7 o
572. They did not even tell their wives.
: y; s2 i' G! V 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
) v1 W' t3 B2 G' N573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
' m, w3 a! W' k4 N 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
' k! w0 d4 d- \3 Y574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse. `! M$ Y* I' I) o$ K$ `
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
# D1 |5 E% g. p8 g7 {% t6 d575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
, @: ]3 J) @$ @4 V8 l# ` 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。
7 g8 u4 m [1 w6 p! ~576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.9 L2 D: D0 J; j( N4 U2 j/ w$ F
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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