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课文30 幽灵之死% z2 T' W/ M, U2 a+ u
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
. m! |' x" o7 G# z 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
) {3 Z5 K; I* r553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
0 E2 R4 {+ r+ d9 Q; S5 d- q 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。. w% b/ W% k5 a1 z
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.! K4 X0 U8 [9 Q$ t
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。9 x% L- N1 i0 }0 C' N# U
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
2 M+ \' D/ h/ r, Z Z1 Y 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
8 F5 n! I5 u+ ?- ?556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.1 O9 q2 f+ O* |6 j6 Y
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
/ G0 D1 N! `) l. E+ c' u" h557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
- m: C' E5 m+ @( s8 z5 U6 f* g$ j. d 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。; R" e2 X& @: Y5 g$ W# r- o3 _
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.3 Y: p% ~; }8 z) V3 D3 Q; b7 ?
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/ t' p* V" @7 p1 [8 c# q. X559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
7 A( J/ v+ i/ }( a# 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。& E# m7 ~7 k2 Q# ]6 L( H) v
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.5 _! j, r8 o3 I2 M( V
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。8 r( G/ I. o; |5 {. e' C! `
561. This was indeed the case.& [5 K3 V( y! j$ e
但事实上确有此人。; Y3 D5 o" z7 `7 ~
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
3 m2 D* ]0 C* V 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。7 X9 Z1 e9 p/ C; R. k
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.
$ E+ i$ D3 l8 B1 X; S 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。1 @2 C) ?, T8 \. Q0 @
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
5 X5 d# b+ M6 e* {- y& M' a 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
; {9 ~9 j! z) I0 _9 _& T565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.3 F3 `0 A+ o( `" A* S0 X: V4 _, u4 D
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,& E7 V1 g, d2 n6 W* ?' I
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
, n/ Z! L& ]+ O% m 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。7 k9 k: P( J! T F3 `& _
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.+ h/ l' O1 I# }+ ^& k1 c; k
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。, ?3 S' ^2 M7 z8 v
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.
( I! v0 C( U* Z0 z) n: S 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。8 P, h" a0 p( g7 g+ m$ U
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well., w! n; S& x6 T K
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
- S1 K! a2 d9 F7 ?" a. c) e570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
0 W- h1 X1 u" J4 z1 x4 e; x0 U 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。" ?+ t: a; `+ D, T' f! ]
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
( s* [: p* o3 b 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。4 F' M& |! B+ M( H4 K7 N
572. They did not even tell their wives.' |/ V% `3 I& P& X" X
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
2 P V7 m. N' Y1 U% M573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.% D* ?( V6 o* k; s. A) N4 D
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。# ?1 _- T/ p$ C' B: y! p
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.6 _& V+ j7 Z1 j3 y
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
( u; \5 R8 ^+ o) K: H+ s575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
7 i8 u, ~) k. j3 U, T& 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。+ {) F+ o5 ?+ `$ _$ ^! m
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.; s$ o3 n& X& ], k" n# Q5 r" y
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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