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课文30 幽灵之死
7 L, b; D" ]0 z- [7 s$ e: q# J552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.9 F! V5 }1 T3 W6 j" r) c/ T& W
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
# |5 x. z2 G- P9 N+ D& l: V553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.6 X: @2 C. t# r& Z" D5 t" a+ ~7 n
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。# D+ x0 C: ^1 U
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
% @, _& G# N1 M4 Q8 t3 D" z 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。/ I: u" F$ b, o3 M* I9 {; K
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.$ v7 _3 D0 w5 d7 h! V
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
) n# d& j) m- g8 I% f& x9 ^6 a556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.% t/ z8 |9 Q$ a3 W
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,( y, s# w/ D0 y% P$ E% v
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
! {" Z5 P' N/ e- c8 l 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% H: w M* d4 w, y558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
4 C3 }1 E% w9 j& `' v 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。/ x# z! K! Y; R. _" A4 G
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
/ l2 A* \- x3 R+ ]1 V9 ~ 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。
' [0 H5 w7 ?/ o( k$ `560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.$ |8 A" W4 a' q1 M! x8 P4 a5 w
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。8 \7 @4 y' p! L2 q# {+ [
561. This was indeed the case.8 k) G/ m: E) f% F2 Z. W
但事实上确有此人。2 ]% c0 Q$ O% y* s# V2 V
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.3 L8 ^. q/ D- r) x& i! J
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
. W( C+ N$ r# ^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.1 A) Z) {3 R' w% J D x
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。
& [ V1 l; O, d- |; d- o9 H564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
: M# y+ B5 S( b 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。; D- a7 m4 S; V& D$ N
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
7 H2 E' Y3 K) o" Q 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,# I4 T& X/ a `( C- c
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.9 g7 l$ V7 W! x1 z8 @
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
3 U/ p3 g$ O8 c3 A/ x, I567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 {# y. e# {, N( B, L! ]7 f5 y 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。* k* e$ S, X o2 ^/ a
568. 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.0 K+ D' d* {3 p. d4 h8 E
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。& [/ p* }+ l; _8 [
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
8 F1 A, C# U" p5 D! E* S 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
4 z% p; h: X; ?2 Q7 S1 A! R570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
6 Y& Y8 f( | m& z 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
. K4 F G1 M* u# k* j- u6 h( Q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.3 Z2 @# @+ I; B" O- i+ x4 n4 e$ G. G
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 _' t& T& H8 l% H0 R4 d# u, M572. They did not even tell their wives.
7 D) a# Z) r7 K0 f2 G/ z- F 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。! X5 } ^! Y0 i3 u/ W* k
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 f! u: z' M7 ^! H9 l+ o
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
. a% V1 P7 q4 A574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.* M7 C$ T8 A8 v
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
* _4 s" F5 @7 F. }" `: K575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
" M. s0 l# ~+ @2 [; q 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。" ^) n2 z1 D' I4 i
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer., `$ {' o: q. A4 ]" u
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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