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课文30 幽灵之死7 n! D% S) \/ w4 @+ i
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.( u0 @0 A% c P" Y4 s# ^, A
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
5 i8 U7 S* h! t553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
- K4 C r) o0 a- C5 S 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
0 L* E$ @+ R) _% W. ?: {$ p554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
- p! ^3 p. s3 r# e+ d5 |, T 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。% @) n5 w' Z$ _* W5 u, r! f
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
. P: o! S2 J) T# { 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
6 q; m8 b6 ?# M. B556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.! `9 w% @* O% s# H% N9 ?' m
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,% s$ o- W- R5 A! J! f7 J$ n
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) I3 X. l4 ]# @- l% q$ h! | 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
2 e8 D9 `) Q. p558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. F' l. N# E7 Q+ J0 g9 r" g, K
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。0 }7 Y: X0 a* X1 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 E, ^1 U4 ^0 w/ ^+ c" 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。
/ e' l* n$ T) Z4 e$ V8 O! _; u560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
$ p S3 p) f5 J+ t- u" m 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。1 G* }6 o; N0 i
561. This was indeed the case.5 ?/ l R d& N& _; [
但事实上确有此人。" y1 H; n5 R9 A3 w0 F7 @
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died./ R/ n& n( Z; X: z7 Q: G# u
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。' n! t5 t+ u: i; G. s) S
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.
# _3 X) `+ I* T9 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。
* x# v/ f2 m& g2 } w j: M, P" g564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
6 ?. s; }. i1 l# Y* m 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。
; k5 W& }! N7 n8 t: z5 z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
W J$ N v( H 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
+ a* \; R3 `; E7 v; g+ f; o. R4 @566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
6 s# N- J9 T( @. o) j2 x 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。) t! h; T( B+ ^# _0 b- q& Q
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
6 z( z. V) Z1 z' F+ Y6 X 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
& O3 m- a$ I! W7 I568. 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.
* c* a z% b3 @1 G3 B t 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。8 g5 b( {( H- q5 ^. i
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
" l% l& g* n! r, d+ M 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
7 v# E- a: M8 b3 H7 A2 G570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action. H4 E. A- R( v' `5 t: E& F1 _6 c# v# h
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
- g# i: o" L+ y2 J571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.; ] A4 }* Q8 J# U5 s4 Q$ U
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。: _9 q4 h) l! L7 }& H
572. They did not even tell their wives.
. u S+ \# r- o 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
! a$ Z) Y* u( A# x- W573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
3 C6 n/ G. `, v2 Q# `% y5 y; j+ q" T 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。( C# f, i. w) \9 f! }
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.5 W" u5 t. @& f1 @+ U; \
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,5 v0 l4 P3 p" {! O* n8 H% A s& _. 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.
% H4 ^( ^) Q Q4 H 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。& s, U1 J9 U' [/ p7 r0 I$ q
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.% @1 q. x# {( E& {' N% ~. H: h7 |
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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