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课文30 幽灵之死
4 c6 T9 T* Y* \; v* K" j# f552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
2 n) R9 l+ F1 v# p! F4 n 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。9 k( w( | w3 K! [% H
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
$ F+ [3 _( d6 s' N7 ?0 D 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。; f; J, e; n1 o% n' s
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
- T5 ^% i: S5 |& A+ _ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。3 o7 ]7 d* Z1 F
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.- O( E' \6 F. C: D( J2 t; W L: v
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
9 \/ ?# L5 v+ c! d556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
8 D. U& }8 r, X, x) { 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,6 E$ A4 x% ]" L+ H
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
: m$ `, l# Z3 J5 i3 ?7 J5 u: V 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。1 ^, W Q- B* F3 }! u
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
/ f6 g0 ` ~. K0 G, J7 d$ A 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。
2 v( _/ F" ^5 [) n; [559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
6 R4 s& O6 j# } 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。
* i7 ~9 M- ?" h3 N560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
. G7 _. T$ U1 ?) t5 ^4 b+ e( s 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。# J" g- s/ p' y. K' Q0 _
561. This was indeed the case.
$ I+ v* y: X7 u" Y- n6 E 但事实上确有此人。/ o$ v C& e ~* D7 P9 K, U
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
5 m+ @7 U0 z5 A, M& Y3 f( r 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
1 x! ~$ x# O1 [7 j* t563. 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.
' c3 Q- Q. ]- m4 e y 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。6 v. Y1 d+ L- j2 X+ C* [
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.9 M8 {/ {/ z7 z
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
: _9 c! d; Y. o6 y g7 \* c+ U565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
% N3 s B8 N" L4 W! ~ h 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
' n `1 [: k. [' Y+ k# x566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.$ W8 l$ ?4 M" D0 p0 ?8 C
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
/ k+ z" i) P; Y. j4 E+ P. X y567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.! z! B K& w1 n) O9 Y8 h) V& D
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
. z. ?& }, \' [- R, f568. 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 K, g+ J, L1 V( m
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 ^/ A& H: l/ m
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.4 M+ X) e0 q0 }7 Y' V
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
' D+ I, q% D7 O1 Y5 ^, m570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
& `5 a9 o' p" b, _7 ~4 } 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' l; q2 d# m. J% f7 n5 v9 W1 n1 m2 i& f571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.3 j- o$ q+ r6 _% z$ p9 H
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 p" p" M* Z7 ` U$ v572. They did not even tell their wives. F0 V; |# Q( E: U! }
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。7 x! I/ B5 n9 o7 q& _( A
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.: Q& S3 e" A$ x7 w4 A9 H* M. N
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
7 Q1 i( @0 g8 x A" ]- i. g/ C, y574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.9 S" ^+ {" ^+ B' d7 p. x( k0 S
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
7 ~9 i* J* c2 B& N- p575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
4 a/ Y% C6 Z+ ?/ d8 y" q2 Q" s9 [ 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。' ~2 J [+ z. j+ `% G
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
9 I' P7 S9 T$ [+ b% _5 Z6 n: w/ ?; y 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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