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课文30 幽灵之死( D- P2 h4 s; }* [
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
" W; w5 n" f' W+ i. e 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
/ f8 \. `& {0 ]3 E8 q553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
6 v) H% R# [/ z0 B1 j) p 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' q" }: ~& P. @8 f0 r$ l554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.% P* }! F2 `% A- ]# V+ }8 g6 f
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
0 p% _& c& S0 E0 r y555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
) Q. `+ ?: a/ |* \5 P" N3 w/ h 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
: L# P6 { K, `" z/ {" G556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
4 @) V" ~( S4 I/ C2 a" W3 { 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, Y% }! y$ i2 M0 S* P/ W3 ?
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
8 V6 u6 k$ @2 r4 p! |" }" B. y6 u 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
9 `0 F( T9 ^" z558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) w; ~* j3 d; d6 z( W3 p: f q
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。
9 \' m+ c% B1 A$ n2 J5 ]" d559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
6 s& L3 P3 x4 P9 e4 P; X 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。
: v9 f# p" y. w' P; ~6 \/ ~0 @" U560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
2 E' t- p2 V: N9 s+ E; X 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
2 p; |* g7 K8 F1 y561. This was indeed the case.
9 Z5 `* F# x) @) N 但事实上确有此人。
! @( Z7 |, O% A7 m562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.. F, E4 S. v1 ~, V. b! N7 d2 t" s
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
% a' w. q/ Z% r' l' f, H563. 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.
! \- {9 h+ N9 B- J& d0 O 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。
0 h. l/ V6 S. R+ a" u6 I564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 ^$ N9 E" n9 _; C. h" v
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
T/ N1 F! u& z# B6 G* b! q) x8 Y565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
# o2 P/ Z; ^8 R x( i 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
2 q4 M3 j4 }5 ?6 l z. c2 q1 u566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.) G4 b5 u( e6 x1 x
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
, S3 ^+ I2 f5 n' v, w2 l" p567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.% C) G5 z: b+ {' c
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
4 T" H6 S& D Q7 _. x' s r6 x568. 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. y8 w4 _. g i7 B8 A T( C' D, @' o
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。# w" n# F9 v* h2 Q+ ~9 r e
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well., H! U# T6 a# m& ] Z, c& d
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。6 X% x1 A# w0 z" i/ e
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
, B) C# Q3 i4 {6 d/ k 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。4 B' R3 Y+ S: J9 K2 r, h' ?: i
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.' \1 \2 o5 ^7 ^1 `5 B5 ?& B1 I
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。7 |5 ^2 m4 N' p B; r) N" ~8 j3 V
572. They did not even tell their wives.! }* Z$ r- w2 o
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。; d$ V0 m. c/ n( H
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
8 b: ~1 p! W) c 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。9 q4 t) {0 F' Z0 m
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
) S6 U; R, N% ?6 d 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
! B. r" }/ E1 P" G$ T- V3 F8 g. l575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.. l4 ^2 \1 ?$ t v
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。
) R: @& h+ s1 [0 `. { O576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
/ m) f6 k& a o- ^2 K 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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