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课文30 幽灵之死$ E) j) P! C9 a; I
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
6 l8 h% P* ]3 u3 j 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。1 ]2 n" J! J$ I1 N U
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
" |8 H# U3 N' J+ D- e! W6 H, ]# Q 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。% r1 W$ b5 {; @" y
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
( O* `8 F2 R$ L+ I7 f, h8 x' J L7 S- Q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。, `8 N B# Y+ S; r! K H
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
* a( } e6 o$ w" E" z 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。+ ^+ l& u5 o6 G) J( [3 b
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.: z* m6 e- G, C2 }
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
5 ]( g, _% j, h1 n" c- |$ p557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.. n9 y* y# S. \5 K% I/ ?! ]) ^
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。! [$ V+ w) [! p' G
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.% E$ x4 }/ u, R
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。" R! W: R) b) y0 d% k
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& ^. U* p" ^& [0 b: G 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。
5 W6 d6 E n* N560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
. z$ D0 ~7 O7 V! t6 H; \ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。5 A! L; y7 E, J; M- B" E3 B
561. This was indeed the case.
p1 r2 _) `7 D# s" P0 c 但事实上确有此人。
$ f5 w- `3 ?( A1 x4 t) Y562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 A! B, z/ F8 ~
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
9 b5 ?8 n8 h1 r5 N: T9 a8 I; [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.
& Z3 y; E% O1 w 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。2 q* c% ^) D* M
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
* T. m6 I5 Q0 Q* A9 [ 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- v P- }4 E" Z2 m6 d565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.$ g( I+ L- l7 i' Q" Z
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
- J6 R! H# {; T! q! ~( K2 E566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.4 g* S" p, i% I$ M# v
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。% w ]$ `1 B9 t. G" c
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
5 C* Y! l9 }# d4 N 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
E3 c% m+ O5 G- H5 E2 W( 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.+ T; \9 }* Z4 c, `+ {
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。
+ a( W* q% p3 ^( b' `# e569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
# P- B9 T& A, b 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。) \5 }/ r4 ^. l
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.- E0 Y2 j3 ]0 N% H
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。; d& B- c" l* @' B4 }/ A6 D. E- E5 s
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.4 n5 B2 z# _$ V, q. B* k; F+ _, I
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。 \- l( s' @: `, m$ F9 s/ C
572. They did not even tell their wives.
; t. n) j7 o9 ]. G6 W1 |4 D' S4 c# ~ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。$ f" Z) j1 j+ e
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.$ D9 [0 x; B4 v* u
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
6 S6 N4 r2 v+ c# o574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.& j( P! R- Q$ Z
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
9 I0 n; \0 \3 y& B575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
. d) S" }. D- s5 c* c 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。
* A* Q8 @5 x. P8 ~: |576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
- ]9 l6 c2 z3 b2 p: 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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