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课文30 幽灵之死
$ G! x, I0 F+ n552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
9 O* w/ X% |- S: v6 K0 p4 ^ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
; w# f6 j! [4 A& Q" ^# c. P0 `553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox. b p7 ^/ h8 ?
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
) G% }1 Q# S" O) w P' z7 }554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
6 C4 {3 A4 C# k! D9 t5 J7 D; V 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。! e1 G; G! ?* c9 S
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
, V" v8 }5 Q9 [) r% \0 F, w. }5 X 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。; l* q2 V) m$ c* Y% n
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
) l0 i1 K7 }! k& c! [ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,' G1 f4 @" @; S
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.# N, k/ ?/ n* i$ T0 q" Q+ X
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。! F* m2 g# Z8 ?! P
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
' h6 V9 v( q! [# ?2 @. G; 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。
1 u4 S4 g4 ]% w/ W; K6 L559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them., a) p' [9 ~4 q2 K4 n% [4 m
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。
, J3 h5 K# i7 O9 F( `; _560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
0 y' W* Y" m( h& h# Q 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
3 G! F$ ]1 t% J j561. This was indeed the case.6 _; G' R8 o) l0 Z7 ?8 ]! H( t5 I
但事实上确有此人。: M8 w& n( P3 Q4 C L
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died., T: C3 w5 _% |% e/ W
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
# J1 f3 w6 g) i5 i9 |6 i' k563. 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.
# S: g |/ s. 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。
3 \9 M: d, B" G564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
- n6 H$ y% S/ Q( j 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。8 B1 B) |6 e) j" D: {4 o4 @
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.9 [( o- _, E9 @ B
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
( }% w) x! h, y, g6 z* Y566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.# J7 J$ c/ a' `& f' g
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。2 L& |6 m; h6 \) s4 a; y" ?
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
6 r: N* u. v9 U' c, H; Q! w 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。. X1 r7 a2 l! \& I1 Y
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.# N3 e. N: M. |* [
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。& O) M7 H! k3 ~1 w
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
0 C: m4 c* ^# K: { 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。( @5 d" I: d' d$ `+ o5 N
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
0 v( V: q- ` ~ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
1 Y' e' p" Z5 S. \- S4 m5 f( C* `4 W571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.! f# k" T1 O# u, M
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
% L9 F" r. F2 d; R$ D4 s* T572. They did not even tell their wives.7 B; u4 ]( L5 i! P! y5 G0 d) E2 ]
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。* D4 N7 C( O+ z+ f8 B. z
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.3 J9 Z1 s( r. A, J" X3 {
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
+ V, }9 E! R/ }: ^3 z% m, @574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
! i; S) z" ~. ]8 p+ b/ ~& D 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,+ T8 ]( {1 q. E$ I9 p9 _8 c
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.
# S; [! l; `: U& L6 [) B0 }5 h0 G 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。5 Q/ }) s ]+ ]
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.1 W# C) [3 C; A9 m" b
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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