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课文30 幽灵之死9 C( ]0 G6 Q9 N
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.4 A$ a3 B6 }7 f' }! ?- n
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。; X1 H0 g7 M" [. u f; Y# [& P. e
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) L. I# t5 k) s- u4 ~) b; e" @0 f 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: F; T* w# M6 k5 u9 W7 Y/ ~' z
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
( \) S' Q/ o) E e* d9 O6 b 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。% a- O" F( J2 D# x
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.! {. z$ }- g+ C% K5 F
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。6 H' W4 x3 ~3 t1 }! t
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.7 t5 c) h% g c0 D9 X
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
3 G& g4 [0 O J* e* v8 i557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
% D( h7 @2 y6 A0 e/ z5 f 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- j* ~+ _5 g& Z9 p) T1 g558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% C, L" |! R9 n1 \. `( R 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。& i$ s$ @" A$ Y7 B w+ |2 o0 Q
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.9 |+ j/ h, j3 o: `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。
: K+ [; K- y$ d8 {( ~560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen." [! G" r: {" S! g* U$ S/ n- p5 G
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
# O3 S( n( X4 f/ |) L& M9 e* Q9 D; h561. This was indeed the case.8 ?1 W& k. x: J3 m
但事实上确有此人。* c8 M- @2 }7 f% V' u
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
8 ]" Z+ U# X1 {! Q4 K" Q9 p6 ]4 z. r 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
8 o9 q' q% l* K4 O$ h) y! 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.
/ @) e' _- D! ^! b( V 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 W7 S9 t$ ] Z564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
7 f' F# h( `' R' M7 u8 R 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
# y1 j& c0 f2 l. J9 x. m565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.0 \3 o3 C3 z; \7 E' L3 Q* G. V! \
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
4 o0 |3 i6 p! k3 o566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.- L% Z; n6 K& r' I
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
, _' s+ U7 x, A567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
9 P5 B+ z* z8 E' b9 H2 a 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
( S T" P1 j! ^+ s568. 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.6 U6 e, {1 m1 A& J
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 M [" u" r, { P569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
% r" U+ ~9 d+ Y, W% q% g 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。6 V+ g+ Q6 v7 T- f3 @
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
$ H% W* R* `- a 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
$ [1 ~1 T# e! V9 D2 V571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.* g9 a" a7 h9 f& U
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。# W8 l# M$ O% K" Q, V. d
572. They did not even tell their wives.
0 s; W$ @$ J: k3 {$ J% y' F2 W+ F 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
' I) [' f' |" o- B4 _2 w5 u573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.: d' \: ^# j' A" s
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
2 u" |, E& E7 h574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.* o6 W$ h0 o/ A; o8 x8 w2 E: V
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,7 E/ g+ X- n9 |* d! k" 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.
/ ^0 @, B2 P# O- l. J; i% l 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。
9 r" o8 v) L) r/ ?576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
1 ~/ J+ L3 S# Z( I 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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