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课文30 幽灵之死
6 @4 U9 `" F2 k6 p552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
4 y$ @% M1 q/ p1 x 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
- Z( l! |( `! z) s" Z' v" t; X. |553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
- c/ F* `1 q% E* ` 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' g- m+ J f4 Y6 ~( _1 E2 M554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
* l& c$ G9 y* F 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。: _$ }6 O; _' C! G0 O4 v
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
8 H$ t8 s* I/ u7 m+ i 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
9 J% }( E0 k+ h556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
+ u& z; J9 f$ T9 [. T5 t( V e 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
6 m! u. u# U: M4 V6 k6 ]557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned. I; F: V3 A3 B7 r3 r
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。3 O0 F+ K9 }8 _0 k3 \
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight./ T4 P& a. U" T8 u* R: z
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。+ x3 r7 l% w3 u4 _8 e3 B
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.) s4 t& a3 l8 r+ p4 w4 `5 C
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。, G% r6 j0 _- n, C
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
2 G( x: B( L+ B1 d% J 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
% s7 O& p, C+ } t6 _6 _" M0 a3 y S561. This was indeed the case. {% a5 x3 }- J# Q2 v/ N
但事实上确有此人。$ r% M9 b# T+ S. \' a8 ~) E
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
& h' y% e7 C/ m) X, l3 k% q* }/ K% T 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。$ g: A1 t; y9 X9 j. `
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.# H+ _8 V( U! Q K7 u/ U
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。
. J" [) ~# W3 l1 _, W: o! r7 _564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 q" x9 R- D. C* b) U
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 P9 }% k; k, O" l0 V565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
: q( F4 v; ?* w" n% g' R 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,1 v K3 r/ X4 j% X) R4 F
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
u/ b7 h! F8 K9 [6 A q 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。! g, y5 n* s% f
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment., s4 l% k) K1 [5 j; i8 k. ^
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
; ^4 M3 m% F- B: L568. 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.
' P8 J1 u8 A% O) y2 P' g 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。
5 j4 N r. d# c5 m5 `569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
$ K. f# t. R0 m8 ]1 V" e" W! {/ K 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, w: d6 \# ]3 \9 n
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
) f8 l% c/ d; U 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。 E$ P3 [2 m3 y8 D8 y6 [5 g$ v
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob./ T" h5 B0 t/ H M4 U/ d7 I. b
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。: c1 {! H x9 ^7 @) a: w' N
572. They did not even tell their wives.
: q# ~7 L, D8 v' h" I p' w 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
. s8 f* }8 d, C! P573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
6 }( Q* U$ s% J1 u! U 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。7 q/ {# ]& D. S0 f* ]5 l* c! W
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
7 `% R i6 X5 \; O 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
6 g4 s7 u) b7 |4 c# k7 W) [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.5 p3 u. X1 |# r4 ]
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。
; c% n/ b; z1 w* p9 H576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
6 @* s, _4 o+ o. C: 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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