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课文30 幽灵之死
' d0 p* p; G* i$ r1 D% |552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. l. J, X* g: n; ]8 R8 D, [
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
7 ~ k* O* |% A553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.3 D/ C5 Y: A2 k" d n. p! E
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
- t Y, U! k$ B0 t+ h5 M9 ?554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long./ ?- L& n/ Y% z
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。2 q4 i( r& _3 D4 U) V9 I
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
: N9 N$ H4 Q$ a$ J' H4 X; l3 i6 c8 z 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。1 b- |: K9 L" T' r- t( s Q+ B! t
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.6 d: \+ A* ]3 c0 v9 O {7 v$ @
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
& m7 |5 F. g6 \, C$ g557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.% \' T2 X3 Z# L/ L" H% h0 Q7 |
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% }8 o P6 d& R9 C( m Q0 c y! N558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight./ ]. x; s8 Y; P9 L/ 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。
# w" Q0 V4 B: M/ ^559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
+ q+ |; r$ H: N 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 l$ T0 `- h# h* a# S560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 }- w; S2 E6 q6 F3 { 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
6 _/ G$ _, a6 B! x& a2 B561. This was indeed the case.3 j+ w' I- ?! K
但事实上确有此人。$ M0 ~/ v7 V, u$ d! x" d* i
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
' W( A5 P; p* c( J; J8 Z9 ^4 r9 ^ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。, V7 f% q; d) @5 r N# h8 ^
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.
/ n# ]$ e/ T k7 V$ x8 E) _ 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。# F: y: t2 B: e9 Q! j. v% h9 O1 j
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.: G: c' N2 A; i
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
6 ?" u& ^' W; F) [1 F$ m$ e6 z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
. \- v0 S9 w+ F* d7 T 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
' M/ F0 l# X& n3 L5 i. A566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.( X) k! y5 S$ O3 T3 _& X- r
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。 T) v3 j9 @' C/ f! s$ F5 k d, v
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
$ |( c z; y3 e2 J1 d& H 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。6 d0 k' ~& N) t: r
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.
' v4 y3 [! z! W+ { 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。
* }% Q0 Q& i4 W7 _( E( B+ L569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
& O5 o% A4 ^6 P6 r0 d" r2 g 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
2 R7 O& |' L- w7 ~; ]4 C570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
- A) { i; s% k9 n5 r 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
- [) |+ ?% h$ E571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
9 T: L5 _' J' _3 o# j: U+ o 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
: G9 G9 A: P# c( `3 A% @572. They did not even tell their wives.9 V# v0 s% l9 ?- n- c
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。+ q, i9 s1 {' e8 j
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.5 g8 S. i w1 U( g" @: t
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。: G) z# Z& N: T0 f- B8 S, S3 _
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
* x" }, I( I! A 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
1 d6 G* m. [1 h0 |' P+ `$ @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.# j+ h5 x7 E3 O6 U$ h
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。, M' c0 d" `- D; w+ D5 a0 C
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
' N" t/ X9 X8 H1 G; Z3 ^ 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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