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课文30 幽灵之死/ \+ U" V: m" S8 m, ?3 e
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
+ u8 Z( [; F* M! y7 N 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。0 I& ~; @$ N( L, c, n0 s/ s
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.5 X- R5 e5 v: c5 e, W2 L% W% t2 z2 `
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。- y( M' ^/ s) V
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
6 d8 v% q$ E2 Z' B/ M 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
9 _/ b. ^. M5 N4 |* Y1 s* ]. Q555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story." j1 w: B% E3 _% K: q' S+ ]
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
6 R5 }! c; E& K/ l556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
; w8 ~( P* o& |/ c6 N) q- v 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
- s3 f; J/ h" c/ `/ L557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.7 _% ?2 A4 p- P! }
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。+ W) F2 J# O, F$ P, }
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
. G; O9 P: J& n+ O T+ l 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。
' K* @8 V0 @% q; p559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
! e- I2 B4 g2 U r9 L; u+ p3 A 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。- H1 L x1 L4 \4 E7 H
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.% X- E4 X* f, z) I% Q6 B
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
! n, p8 Y. s" E3 W561. This was indeed the case.
/ M/ k4 F! R/ v# { 但事实上确有此人。4 b. o' @2 i, j% R0 b
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died./ m# g7 [* _1 j
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。. v. E; ^! T. ?
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.
X( W M9 @' C9 V 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。* U8 O! ?8 }# i, b3 T
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 q" ~: _8 D+ `! z, z- E
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。4 ~/ E5 h8 b" p; z- f4 U: p
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
: a- E6 N# J# d, W' Y5 [ 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
2 v, C+ B+ ~% z' r) s0 u566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.+ G! v0 u3 h1 C+ W
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
# W3 E6 z I! ]$ Y; T/ q+ L567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.. P& R9 l p, [" Y4 ]" N8 k: J- D5 M2 [7 _
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。+ m: C& Y+ {7 ]
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.: T8 m2 `3 G8 y* u6 A; ~8 I: J
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。
: Y% `8 P j |1 x* p" o3 E# ~# T+ `569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well." I# p7 T, D. J. \# A: a* i
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
) J. M: V8 ?, i/ C570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.$ v8 G+ ~$ f/ U M& N0 y ~3 l5 k% b
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
3 z' c" A! c/ Y571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.& `) {9 O. c' b# G6 }$ _3 C( I
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 }4 G/ x# s+ z7 W: F- e* t5 q5 B' ]572. They did not even tell their wives.
) D% I4 [/ X! d 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。7 o# @$ I7 ]9 ^
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
; y8 m J, k9 z, Z! W- w" L f 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。) y5 @0 R( p( n+ D
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.. _* ?8 i0 V5 n) L8 R% U
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
+ C3 X q6 a( Y c* i" i* ^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.
+ K |! P8 l! y- D, s& o 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。
: ^" M$ N; D. l0 w8 d2 F2 j576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
+ I+ B; Z# B v+ T ?7 D7 y: a 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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