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课文30 幽灵之死
' i) ?% @' n# @5 ? `552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.! X" i, ]; G$ ^6 Z6 M
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。* O5 T2 |3 b( E# O4 T9 x
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.5 t! v& D# g4 u$ s& d
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。, }+ L6 U }( A# a- T
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.9 [5 h/ {2 s' R) V
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。2 x. U: D: R( @0 h- }; g
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
7 t! B7 k+ x) J; ?5 G8 [ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
, A) M& m6 @( j# |1 Y, U556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.1 w- l' p* h- ~3 @0 ]5 U# S, R
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,8 h6 s3 x; N S% X7 }0 n- M; t8 c
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned. p, h5 A9 e% E1 K p
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。& d) e2 m9 }# r/ s
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
' j3 h" d/ y( } 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。, j# n# e4 j/ t* n9 Q7 p" i
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.% v3 c2 S/ U4 _" P7 {7 l- y
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! [3 j" `7 P- o! E) V
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.$ w0 ~" f( h0 S3 n
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。 ]8 B7 p5 X+ T" z6 I
561. This was indeed the case.
! e4 K. `5 X& e! w/ y 但事实上确有此人。$ l- D; u/ M0 a+ H
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
4 A, ?# R' ?. Q! E' A 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
/ f- o8 t0 t( j. y- H$ \$ r563. 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.- L4 _! W5 F# i. h# ~% l9 L. d
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。8 k( Z- T1 R* W6 |% ]
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 n3 |: `% R( Y' w
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
; t6 p, y' U7 @, p3 b) I565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ X! g' R' n. {% e8 S
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
w& ~% d# c& r! C566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.( [7 L; L1 m' E' h0 g
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
+ D! q' k5 P/ V7 l0 Z; O# @567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 T' N) w6 ]( l' a6 A 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
* o* `; t) Q1 {4 w568. 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.
( h& b+ o1 w+ I% g4 z: }7 Q 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。6 U* R6 \0 w: _1 j! L
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
, |: S0 ?0 j9 x7 [; w* w 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
! l7 N/ L7 b0 z3 m. \8 N0 d4 R570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.' G2 P1 M: m8 {, W
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。" b# K8 O$ `( e( }& Z- ]6 y
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
, s1 ~4 ^$ C. [2 u 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
' I0 U3 h6 i/ }# K5 g7 m, V4 G572. They did not even tell their wives.
9 M9 D0 ]% g* c4 @ B3 r1 e" ~ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
% l- m- o$ S! I5 D573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
. k1 G0 f" n" y+ k5 W 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
0 V; e% h2 d, z574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; J5 b; E9 C. \# s: s' O) |0 N4 w
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,5 V2 p, ]6 T) ~
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.
. }4 p, S# f" c& S/ E% r) D 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。7 D7 F! S) ^( B; N) @; t
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
" ]: d G9 X' U7 | 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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