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课文30 幽灵之死% t2 i" f8 P. R8 e
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
! Q6 E! o I9 S% P/ S& v 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
. e4 N' n. B P' e5 A0 j6 S553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
; }3 C) F3 U, F 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
9 }. J7 _2 C: S4 X; q( r554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
6 m% _; j8 b, {5 } 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
" p" C% i7 S2 z. @ o/ S, o# |555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.: I8 L- X& [* T
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
# o N, V w! m" P" [5 m556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.! L( M: R; k. M; g
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, e$ P2 d" g- R h
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
; E. `% v$ t* y; `1 N; ] 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。# Q: C* o& h1 a; \7 C
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
# H1 V5 T; b( @/ e 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。
s' ]6 h/ l, }" X559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
3 q6 M) l' G* H, G5 s. N5 Y 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。) i5 q. W! o! J+ h$ a
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.6 V6 i1 s7 p% Q2 P# E; l- j
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
, z9 B L) l; Q6 t561. This was indeed the case.
& o4 L, | p; {- a _3 ~ 但事实上确有此人。
) q- q1 X4 T7 ?( w6 n2 F% a. b562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
, a2 K; c* a" T# T 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
- F3 @1 r+ T. N+ s& D, i2 Q# A563. 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.
0 G/ s- S' N$ h9 `7 i/ L 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。. I/ }8 q/ {& }$ |7 _9 r2 O
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.4 h5 W z8 L+ D
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。* G: M9 C( p0 v
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
6 Q* D) C: f- B$ D% } 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,* ~2 P# W9 [7 b, l
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.% f4 E* \1 D; x6 ^( }
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
6 L" ?: @' ?: [% K/ \# e8 I567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
2 ]- _' O, L6 H6 @( i2 o a 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 }$ a: {0 J( M4 g
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.3 t. S. r& o0 L2 I o" Y
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。* c6 Y) \* C# z! X/ H' P; r
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.0 P* \ g1 ^ c0 z( a4 P. m+ g
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。0 i5 W( W9 _, p; ]+ R* \; K2 o3 J
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.% t3 P+ v# K& w& k, L. x/ k* y
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。) V9 p$ J2 _# \( j
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
6 ?# W% M/ D7 J; q7 n% h 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。! r0 I, ]( T% ?, N
572. They did not even tell their wives.6 t& g: m' X$ `# h( k4 m0 S8 n
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
) s: Z/ v0 \- e1 t573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.0 e5 `: R/ K& G" _6 Z
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
7 D/ }1 S& q* {5 Q0 |( q0 m574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
2 i( \- U4 E1 a 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
( m3 M0 n- b( Q; x0 v* f5 U575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
" s1 i" Q2 J$ m4 @' h# G4 E' R 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。' ~/ g8 M4 P/ q* F7 v5 |0 F
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer." w8 V! Z7 M% i
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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