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课文30 幽灵之死( g) y6 D* Z8 Q' p: D' i Y/ J
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted./ p+ ?- n0 g' t
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
" i1 X' k. ^7 F V, a553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
. Z6 X2 S1 e4 m" z; s* j 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
" \2 ~& ~1 s0 u554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
`7 r9 n' F3 r/ S- u. c! A 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
8 Z* ?# F% y$ l& n V555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.3 G: ^$ D1 y; E- \7 g! W
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
H. @" A X9 C8 E556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.# r5 q8 J6 i7 q5 {( f m+ w9 k+ t; k* x" [
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
4 D: b7 J$ _ w- `+ g# W$ j557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
6 Y& ]* z7 U- u" B" { 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。9 l( U; J$ P0 l& T6 m) D9 j- g
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. K2 z2 W- H, W
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。
( j0 H) s0 K' k# _) e559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
1 }. y3 g' r7 \3 \ 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。) k2 ]$ C5 R- \7 E) }
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.1 U0 e! Y: N: }) u v. ?
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
0 P% ~$ w9 |1 |561. This was indeed the case.
+ F8 j* U* y0 W) M; F 但事实上确有此人。3 C* u8 e2 Y& X- r; Y9 G. L. q1 p
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
5 N5 {* w# q6 O0 C1 I 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。& n4 b. y- G! M. K8 Y6 Q i$ C
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.- U6 y8 G: k5 M; I) K+ b
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。
2 q% c4 a, q$ V9 E+ F/ F564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 a: i9 F9 T/ d5 B5 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。
) r' a1 h- z" b565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers., ^7 @7 w. |% b$ {0 c
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,! o; R8 C* }& ]! d P4 H
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.+ B: y( z9 j) m1 U0 Z4 g* x
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。. k! Y: W6 j5 |- ? P! P
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment., e0 W% }. b6 m: [, x
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
2 U4 |0 j% ]3 I7 |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.
' {- x( C( P* { 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。
" ^& c$ F2 Y$ b. z; b, l3 O8 ]569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
- b7 [1 r5 u8 i. [5 M 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。8 O. y3 V1 v3 s! Y6 E. x! q
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.$ k( [: n& n, P* E) Y
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' T; _9 U) y# S$ i2 O571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.; ~ ^' v9 K+ j' C1 e
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。- k& n% Q+ H3 Y Z# [3 c
572. They did not even tell their wives.
% p, _1 I" Y' Q; |. | 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
- s' w! X% P" h# \1 y' h# \573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 o. ~' Q+ w* y1 H5 d% s! c
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
: S9 R8 b6 ~( K# L+ M; O) V574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
! F' z$ p2 v4 L" n& g# P# c6 ] 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
. R+ W8 ]2 ^# Q$ O0 ~- B9 W575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
P0 H6 l: b( y$ m# ~/ y! j. K 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。, \0 k8 Z+ @% b5 C& b% {
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
7 ? e5 N+ s1 j 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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