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课文30 幽灵之死1 p- R9 o- ] s9 R
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.4 w a1 u7 _. n1 R- \; {
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
" M( I- q- G7 }8 S" Z. c553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.9 i5 j# N. P8 l4 j9 F7 }
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。4 A6 D: d# M9 B, m
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
8 G, d/ r- n3 u8 u 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
. n! ?4 l* s9 K- i# I! j555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
$ @" H' ~" p6 a! p8 t 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
% ?3 h% B2 _: t( P2 q556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.3 O3 N* f, T3 G$ Z! k
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
( B P2 }- s$ L) A3 x557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
& j0 M5 k0 G8 W) h" A6 q- m 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。3 y0 V) [' Q* e7 P
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.5 p ]4 k a2 j. U4 ?* 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$ F/ X% U: W3 U) r# Q2 I
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
, b$ a# r1 r. _0 y" t% t6 H: z 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 f9 I! |: S: R" |& j4 {560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
" W. G6 \8 v5 C 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
2 m3 { c2 a% I561. This was indeed the case.
2 P3 i; O- f2 `# d) q 但事实上确有此人。) g. i; l7 h/ k* e4 ?: r; [( V
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.7 |) S5 o% j( _2 [' [
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。6 A) Z# }/ s' G) f, j6 N6 Q2 o
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.
$ P2 H, d, v' A4 ]+ ~( j# a 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 z* p# h3 ^9 w' k
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.. C3 f5 x% U: E. L9 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。
1 @- F8 x' e, G* \565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.* N K6 c. j: f q: X5 Z. l
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
+ F! f% A0 Y0 H/ R566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.0 |: \* P G" }+ n+ y' d- h
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。% H: a. u8 n& Z. F$ Q& P$ t
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
! u. Q" X0 y z) w& u 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。) ^# u+ R6 f- E( U& J7 H7 _
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.
7 p- h7 w6 J# c$ R- Q 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。 k+ c, I) i# V, N/ G
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.2 _" J; Y% v5 Z6 F; P6 N1 R% K
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
6 q% N1 o% C6 i: N% t4 P( L @570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
7 y% q3 x5 A) H 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
, z2 ?) _5 M$ q" ?$ W0 b0 `571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
& F7 U7 E+ l, Y1 j. ?# K) r 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
- S% M: ]8 B+ G M/ H6 R572. They did not even tell their wives.
$ H9 a+ g$ D- p 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。& F+ p8 F1 _. F5 }$ d
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 O7 o0 T4 l5 p1 x
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
: A3 z) N! b: p6 x# U+ r4 s1 V574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
) x3 L2 J, o* z- S$ x4 o9 i2 N j 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
8 r4 i8 I5 O9 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.
~: u; v# O: S 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。
# o7 h" m+ R# X v576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer. @$ b! p1 |* N
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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