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课文30 幽灵之死( x# U- Y$ |) T5 @
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
6 p5 t4 ^ F d+ V" T2 e8 X 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
) T* d9 x3 F1 K: R9 s. `% h553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.; y+ R( ]. f/ ]5 S( e) V
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。( D/ r/ `, O4 A5 C
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.+ c7 m: S5 p! \/ {
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。2 d. I5 f/ W1 O2 E2 D
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
1 M/ h8 @& |1 q" |/ D 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。$ ?6 w X8 L, k0 ]% v3 ]
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
0 Y' |: h$ a' ^( I5 I3 s* t2 R8 q 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, D& z( V! j7 x. h( g4 U; L5 R& O
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
6 z8 \2 W) x/ M5 M% m) W 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- x0 X5 s: q* t' {) [3 [7 J558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.6 R& a3 [1 D" Y% P' ^5 t
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。1 @ [3 S8 @; E& S. q* E# n
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
* e3 P: s/ p1 Z c2 E0 I8 T# Y( x4 x 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。% w+ G: F% u4 k* ~+ m7 ~" [1 h
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 C4 J7 p' h& @6 g) J7 g 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
N! E" k0 o' W) s561. This was indeed the case.7 M( E }6 r" u# f
但事实上确有此人。
* T; |- Q( p2 q) B) ^562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
2 t0 I. d) Q9 g3 d3 ] 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。% i2 r$ u1 L( ^3 ^- g1 ^9 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.4 H& K% e2 i) K5 y4 S! r
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。- U6 Y# ~ q5 P G' l
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.' Z P5 C1 F" d, k; A
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
, ]6 j) f# `# j& \1 {% S0 `: b: l565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
5 _9 \! M1 G- @( o. f" s, ? 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,4 H7 e, e1 ]2 j1 h4 }) P/ f1 r
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
5 x0 F, D9 H }8 u6 ?, u 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
% ?. B/ M! V! o; Q/ \" Y6 [! B( v567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment." j- P0 X& g/ K K- L( H" n$ D8 S2 g
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
$ u+ j4 x% S9 `1 X# U$ l568. 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.- ]$ S9 A C$ s6 J1 j) Z
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。 n. f7 W% j& F, Y9 m9 Q
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
1 a4 J# E) R/ ~5 e 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
5 W8 ~7 |7 h2 E2 r5 \3 ]7 H570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.7 b8 q- \# `9 ^" A$ i* h- I
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。, N$ ~; b& S% [: ]/ E9 Y2 O; c
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
, |% o: o3 h S6 t 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。1 V9 l) \+ P1 e$ A1 @
572. They did not even tell their wives.5 F; I y$ P% \+ C3 g
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。* R7 X r, j7 i# P& T
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.. X/ m( G, m( o% e
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。- I H+ v4 y0 |
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.( m, A- D. j6 m5 ?% B2 N4 I9 R
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
% Y: g& U3 E$ {1 ]0 i0 E575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
% `! J9 z0 Y2 J+ n0 f* 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。
' W A6 M0 m3 Z* W U G576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
+ E/ F- b. o* @" C1 V 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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