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课文30 幽灵之死
% ]5 `9 W5 }: A/ S552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
) k7 @3 C+ a/ b/ z: O, |. O* s 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。% q9 M# g+ e! w0 n' o$ ?5 _
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
% N7 Z. Q+ N2 l. { 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
. P8 ?7 B' {) c( l2 A554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
! U I$ h1 B6 O 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
- B, K) r; k" }5 K7 J0 Y0 f555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
: o% b! f* @1 ]( U( y; y6 |" ] 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
7 Z7 |. S, I Y2 d& n1 g2 O% s556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
- e4 `; o* e# H% q+ D0 u8 n/ Q' Y& {% T5 i 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,& {& l' t: L/ }$ R) Z3 j/ A& m
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
. |, I5 D# J" V: _' c 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
# S3 ~% m d6 R. X4 M4 i558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
2 l) r# L& `9 r( P$ D0 m) 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 E5 v$ O0 j+ y( Z1 i1 `559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
4 Z* h$ Z- L1 S1 E& Y6 q# u% q 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。% t+ J% y# u0 U4 K7 `
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen., a C) F( w" x
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。" p- F1 m, ~9 K4 Z0 G; H
561. This was indeed the case.
! }! D5 {( M6 f) W6 K 但事实上确有此人。0 W; v; M% F4 f( _5 C& @7 s7 O1 {! q
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.* u: {: |: a0 {
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。3 O4 m' R' H/ T. V& Q5 P- L$ A/ q6 M
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 {4 Y4 @: _0 I, w G7 u) l1 k) G
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。
6 V8 t; f3 U8 K( `564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
# w3 ^! u) t1 V# r 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
& J+ {+ R6 c4 O2 d565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.* f- r! _7 G5 v0 C; W6 M5 B( a; |
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,4 r4 R7 t5 ]7 j1 y# O' E
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
. N1 y3 h: J& P5 I 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。* X: k' w% N% g" Y
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment., `; l! i+ d6 P% C% W. q m
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
% `% H8 r. ~% A6 P' h- I. y- ^+ t+ n568. 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 s u% t! S8 j0 G$ S, \" W. N 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。
K. w- {, X/ I: V# P* @9 K. s569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.8 T% N" f8 k3 t
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。; A; P+ @/ v1 }* G4 Q" }
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
. G: G* }, y: m3 T5 B 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
* r, o5 Q8 y m- Y571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.+ ^) m5 g9 n" W y- v) ^4 H6 c& Z, X
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
5 q# V; P7 B0 [, S1 C572. They did not even tell their wives.
X* i' H: F J& d 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
# c# O1 f2 B4 w573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
, z5 C( v7 |6 v5 H8 j+ b 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。. S/ h" L( d% J) W/ W
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
f, l/ X3 \; @8 e1 t 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
3 e- ~0 u7 S4 N D* D+ S+ ?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.
# e, s! K4 T, s/ ]- X; A 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。* K2 E( m- U" Y7 S$ O d3 Z! \
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.( ` C( ?/ n4 H3 A! T0 M' a/ f( x3 T
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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