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课文30 幽灵之死+ B1 ]' I, C1 Y: a
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
* I6 |3 |3 I6 v 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。3 G7 E# Z o9 a: @/ P
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
_/ v9 c0 Q( D" d! r; V: l 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
3 ]- e( k: m+ u* M) m( ]2 T- V554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.0 g, h6 R- \) B" F
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。) R/ B. s& K. B! I+ b
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
% c) L) l- K7 c E 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。1 [* S& q: P; k5 |5 p, t
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.' ]& m+ o$ }2 j6 K$ _- N) @( \
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
6 n( y u1 _' |5 f557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.2 }- z/ g5 v# d9 S, W/ r3 r0 Y8 P
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。4 T1 x# [" D& C- a e0 g! B0 F; M
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% a( E* \# Q& s$ O0 } x 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。' B t" {' I# v; K8 n* D7 L# |
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
?: o1 w' v! E" H( Y- C4 _ 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。4 }6 _) ^2 X& ^8 H3 }# Z, t* z
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.4 s* n4 O+ m, h3 q9 |; P8 b9 r
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
* g$ v& c2 {# q" k- X561. This was indeed the case.' }' G& k; s1 C: p0 M: F' v
但事实上确有此人。
7 j/ P1 q# t, N8 ^0 Z562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died./ g& h% v) t# n+ K9 C
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
9 x- n0 a2 C O. M9 Q563. 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.
, N5 `, x0 o. 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。
7 _) r3 ?, W# C: p; @564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 ?, o# q0 f d$ }# K3 C
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
& \5 y9 d, B5 a% U; ]* s565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
8 f, D3 y( r. _" \. W: Z2 _ 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,8 T- W/ H6 Q. `& A& d" H
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
# n6 L; L B' A( i( p1 t 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。6 c* x1 o# ~1 U* R
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
% ~" s" ?* \( I6 E8 q 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。' L) |& a/ {. S" J
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.
9 O' s0 @% g1 A8 Z9 Z; d 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 e5 Y* T' m& O
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.2 k8 @) f4 C3 j: r( @( N( F
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
$ E1 |( S4 n, J6 _5 F( Q570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.) r$ N6 l% l; k% g6 z' O: i/ j
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
* z( w2 {0 e- h- ^7 E571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
/ F( n% [: a- t4 d M! B/ p4 L' } 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。* I$ K2 K. i- t
572. They did not even tell their wives.$ {. [" v% R* P( ~
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。8 {% e2 E; ?1 j" S3 ~
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.. S1 u' H9 G9 q! G( M8 f S
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
5 U- F$ s+ n3 R574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.7 h1 h! e; L" T9 p
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
. y# D$ E0 M6 r1 @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." T$ z j& Z/ j ]8 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。
# t4 |9 @* G3 O* s7 }576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
, j& s7 ?9 h; r6 d 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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