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课文30 幽灵之死
: o1 @& E @3 ?) u( y `8 ]552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
9 L$ E( U- O# X( p- G- r' | 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
2 w6 f+ x3 d8 k% }8 c553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.) s& U" C g6 O/ J* j7 K) D
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
V# |- t& T, u6 q! v554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.4 W" I! ?6 o# W
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
! U$ g/ p1 ^ \! m5 N- v555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.# \; T1 Q( B3 ]+ |
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。8 H) {7 H9 }* B* u% L: T' |
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
4 O4 q' E% f& n; g J 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,5 j7 {$ [+ s) q' \
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
( k0 H+ F; s% F3 b0 o 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
9 O" ?" a( J, q2 E& y- G# F1 @558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.' A$ X# I8 [) o% _
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。
: J9 m k8 S' l C* W+ E& Y1 |: P9 B! D559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them., W5 f* k* q4 J( H# n7 L
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。* A# ^/ D# O Z4 u& J/ K" N: \
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen. J- W2 B% g& N
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。& p$ X. n% W& M/ ^9 B1 G6 m
561. This was indeed the case.2 D: L6 Y* p5 j! J
但事实上确有此人。
3 K: _* c G( `8 L& a) y562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
3 |6 k5 I! ]9 |9 H 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。& ~# G# L: c, N7 a2 w" O
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., w! f0 G: h& S3 h
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。
% y9 y; x; A' n S$ D564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
/ P1 i- \0 z" o2 Y j# c 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。3 I8 M; S' l; b+ M
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.6 Z. A4 k; m" B, O0 [3 A. L4 o
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,6 a9 o$ }6 y2 ~3 m. l9 T7 w
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.8 j# x3 G, }: Q3 p; h3 k/ [
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。: K0 C* l1 r# Z: m; t3 w* N
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.) \- m& _& A* ~/ A( |3 c
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
* ?0 U6 T1 g9 x! }! }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.
4 P$ N/ w: x. M( R, A& 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。4 ~/ Z+ m/ z ?$ ?9 {3 x
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.6 b. }/ Z' P5 Q
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
8 {8 b# S$ E& F, \570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.. E) \* s' T6 B3 \
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' [# p" B" a: i/ \/ n8 c* h571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.& t! N. R- \4 H, a5 A; Y7 \
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。* F- P4 b" C4 F s. g1 k6 D
572. They did not even tell their wives.
8 ~$ u! e1 J, v: c- _ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。' L! ?* S' R* b: H
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
# ?( ~. Z- W/ |! R: S2 x- J7 g 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
! }5 q' z u4 m8 q; |574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
& C, S$ v) |! e( v 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,5 m& `1 R; b- O1 H- s
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.: l: X) M! v3 ]
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 ?/ e9 p+ U3 G. a& z3 z9 N
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.( S; z) O( w: X6 E2 k+ P7 h4 f0 e: t. o
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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