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课文30 幽灵之死
2 N3 R* @3 @& L) a, ?) x- ]552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.- @* y/ g. _1 X: d3 U2 o
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
( J: u) L- ~+ f. p& u2 `553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
. r% z* t; r' l4 p" q 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
5 a. l% @2 u6 B8 |3 V3 Q) f554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.* g u7 U0 U+ ^5 b2 ~
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。( s8 _% j- {+ M2 m, m% D) b
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.8 b$ F6 C+ @9 i. G S% l% \
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。; I& l$ r5 o. |+ i4 a! `. g: p
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
: J! I' \, |% N6 D 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
4 Y B& p I9 h557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.% R1 e. r) {2 z# k- `& h
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。* n* }: o$ j. M
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight./ ~% _5 d/ A' ^! H4 C6 u6 S
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 k5 a# ?( e7 o2 C: I+ ^559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.8 D7 u0 N8 k" t2 @1 d
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。- d' t' k8 \) f5 K4 x+ A
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.5 f U& Q7 |! D' H6 I' `
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。, J1 k# ~# ^# u% a
561. This was indeed the case.
3 z: s, {- B! M: J0 U R- |1 F$ s 但事实上确有此人。0 u+ m, d% q3 B+ B
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 N' x) A0 {5 K5 v s4 f0 x% g# P
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
' G- f$ P+ Z0 L1 l563. 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.
* B$ p6 f; ^5 b8 g* Z( W5 C" \ 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。
0 V% E9 X9 q% c) B6 ~564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
: m0 s: n* \$ i, q) G& c+ W9 K, v 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
) w. m4 v( ?. b) P) {565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
) y S; q) {, {* {6 W3 i9 W7 F 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
4 X$ o; z& D( h( j- W6 ~566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.: @. ^6 c3 g4 n( E& X9 v
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。* c' P" f: f/ ]2 k a" C0 r
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
$ X8 ^' M- L) e6 c 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
4 s4 ^2 n& P" J2 Q, `! s1 W568. 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.7 K- v) t$ b: D
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; H. V) Y. N2 u+ P+ [
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
0 Y- ] ^3 V8 d5 u6 G 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
8 ~ }: F3 @7 S# A570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
" B& a7 B! P2 W2 z. Q 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。7 W" n$ b( _- W- n+ F. K1 R
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.. Q2 h0 v& [6 S3 E
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。) U+ f7 @" S8 c$ l; M9 N: E
572. They did not even tell their wives.
0 D+ V3 G8 U. r7 f+ N0 p* a3 l 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
: g. L1 ~1 O* U; F573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding." ~1 G4 `/ ~) X8 W
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。, w0 G( d7 g8 e- {
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
9 F; d' R' h) F- e$ F 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,9 {0 g' V- w! w+ z1 m2 q& 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.0 j" d0 f/ o) ^
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。
1 z6 ]1 D- W1 q& w8 E8 |+ G/ t+ x576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
+ Y% o7 i) w; a 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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