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课文30 幽灵之死
; i( G7 {4 _7 I/ E7 W552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
) A( f( U* [% W) X 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
! K- j1 I7 O# B0 ^; {553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.+ f8 n* } _9 B0 d/ X; u
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
2 E. f! E' Z/ h6 `0 g554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.( B0 J0 c, I1 J( p0 O' E7 e5 I
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
8 _+ c1 s; @8 G) i555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.- z1 O q2 H" @( N
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
, y' O6 U3 z, v ~! ~( e556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
7 T' M: S. q. n, ^ @% V3 V/ a 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
5 ^9 [) r4 I6 |5 b% R557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) D2 D& ?, x2 M( I+ ]# o 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
& R" F2 v, q! F" B7 Y558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
7 _8 Y: |' A1 V/ p1 ]7 j, @ 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。
5 V( A, U$ X5 o$ j6 K( z* H& w/ T, }. l559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.- g3 ^8 N* H& ]
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。, C- |8 f1 y" b& v7 D' C0 y" f
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
4 ]5 a: }; _" I- v 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
) r! ]0 q# s7 A! v/ T4 i561. This was indeed the case.4 h: [. ^' {8 R4 b ?
但事实上确有此人。
; P" v4 ]# |. D P& m M562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
" `$ | l0 _$ l0 t 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
+ t& O9 k# P0 L( c, A1 Y563. 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.3 C i! W2 D+ a3 r) G
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。
1 Y; [+ |% h- B/ Z9 O- Q. z0 T564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years., C6 J9 b1 U8 }# b
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。5 c- v d2 U: g; x
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ O, x& s; q& p9 T: o# d$ p8 N 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
* ?) V' G5 t. Y566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.- Z$ z5 v$ N, ^4 C0 N
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
: A; D3 W/ ]5 ~. s! C567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
( g' r$ L! Y# a0 T 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。4 q2 K! L1 r1 }' F
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.
8 I, y1 r! J; W3 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。2 U% G4 ? ?3 c, o2 D( P. k
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.+ f. s! U8 F5 _8 G2 ?7 i7 [7 F$ h
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。6 l+ U8 T1 `( ?$ d: Q0 P0 r& O
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
/ H+ w' h' {/ }! [! k( t# B 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
O5 L/ r; t* K3 X- i( Z' ~! F571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.' r) L* y1 s' J
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。& `5 M2 F5 k$ T! I: C0 s
572. They did not even tell their wives.
: g7 z. B# Q* j+ f c- v) e 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。4 k) ~& N* Q9 [& n7 L
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.* P" X4 p" s" J4 i6 s
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
* x H2 `$ s# C: ^574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.. v5 {* I* S7 P7 |
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
6 e; |2 n5 V1 K, v! g7 m575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
: u1 K8 e. {" j4 L$ t, ^! Y 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 U! I& o, d$ q: Y# R. S0 [
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.; W- Y- g' _$ v2 }9 H
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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