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课文30 幽灵之死* x0 e1 A9 M3 y) @# E" @1 R
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
! ~. k$ `7 a) h* B 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
$ N V- _3 D7 C5 n+ d% c! G6 M" H( _1 I553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
- e* o3 R" Q- ^( W' x8 G 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。" M' |6 I- Z6 G# N/ L. a3 {
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
% i" {9 Y! S) [- k" K) y 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。4 u/ J+ R3 N2 r. R/ K1 f1 [. L; X
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.( F- b/ t4 C. Q0 I. \3 k9 x
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
$ a0 {6 l5 J2 P; I9 R! \! v' ?556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.- m8 m( q+ f& d( K$ i5 C
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,6 C3 l- A( B4 j0 y) q9 m6 r
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
4 _2 w. L) v8 J+ y6 M0 B 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- F5 H5 ?# J \! Z558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.! K- q9 W' d7 r4 r" {2 \2 W: G
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。6 a0 ]' h6 m+ I4 S5 T6 ]
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.; ?, `" d( U4 k0 H7 X- A
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。6 Q T' V& g! y/ y% N `" E7 s
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
; g/ e. L* d4 g" [% E 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
/ w. A" {9 H9 _561. This was indeed the case.5 F+ M5 X" N0 C$ F+ L
但事实上确有此人。
7 a z6 {# I; v% R% I5 H7 U562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
7 P: I( n- z/ u7 } w! @) E, S, h 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
) ~+ c3 [! D( L4 j/ W563. 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.: f: T0 ~9 p% C) l$ N
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 S0 ?2 H4 Q! d3 L564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.& O" k" J! S7 J: T% n3 [
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。; V* `$ @) K7 J7 H9 v
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
8 b* G8 O" o" p7 s 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
+ t6 W: `+ p$ T# t# y7 _: `566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
% x% n; \$ d8 m+ y R" C 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 Z) ]( R6 f& W7 N
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.: }* E/ g! G& q0 N- t2 I# e
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
, i P; K" ^# m568. 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.
: S' R2 B7 a6 Z! g! b3 _ 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。
- t+ S* m$ i# ?& i569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.' g! q, y2 A- L z
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
3 f* r; E4 _+ k7 @0 |3 s/ S: u/ a570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
& G. _" O- d; `9 _% W. x 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
( l. m2 a7 l5 ]) A3 x6 q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
6 w0 v+ Q5 P: e5 P 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
0 X; W1 K, m# b9 ^572. They did not even tell their wives./ E* X, m" x3 ~
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。' [& M0 [) i* M+ G
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding. W/ z* c0 I+ Z
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
3 \: r& }, ~5 X7 B$ v# K, h574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.% a5 X' P/ Y" g# p& c5 f
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,. z6 h4 {- s+ R1 B* p8 G
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.
; K' B8 I- d9 \& m% M( a 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 P. g* `9 | r9 M
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
& l8 r- I+ v' J( Z0 m 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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