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课文30 幽灵之死
; _ X9 l/ j5 c s552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
: \; B$ [+ u S1 r) G 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
6 n& i" M' G6 V* Q553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.. _0 A+ w b0 S4 V9 ]- ~1 D
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。/ K5 d: b. S; E4 w% d1 h
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.0 @4 [! j6 X. ]+ V2 j( u
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
}6 R0 S. _1 b1 |. v, s |555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story. g$ h L' T" e8 [+ i4 h: r. W
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
* `: i) Y$ a6 [! d556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.+ B1 i% [& ~4 C
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
* \" r' X* i- _) c, z0 }4 `! g557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' z0 `+ d9 x2 ^" _ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。, y5 j9 v* ?4 {& c+ G1 f+ x( G6 m( h
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
) G; t3 T0 n* R0 X6 M 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。
1 i1 K3 A( Y5 ]& `& @559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
: j" H& P8 x9 R" e" m* @6 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。
`9 m7 D% l+ d2 a C560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
/ W* b& P8 c. d+ H& p6 n2 Y 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。( F5 K+ ?' G* z5 W/ }" d% u; E
561. This was indeed the case.5 v0 z9 v o! O" f; I! T6 [
但事实上确有此人。9 @2 f$ p* {* Y' w& I
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
. n+ R' e5 [1 A' Q5 j- u 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
' O2 }. k; u) [8 W- a563. 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.
- v; L3 O) _9 L 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。
, ^* K/ S% v" c9 V564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
" G/ h' O8 \# {' x1 X 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
0 m/ Y; ?$ N8 T5 D0 V( Z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ p- u3 Y, v' F7 E0 Q 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,7 K: t2 [* C7 S5 R
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.9 [7 Y. a3 ~4 f, C& s
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。- ^9 b+ E! ?; h g* e
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
2 ^8 {! J8 k# O" }# \ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
2 w! M }7 e" d! g7 u6 \5 W: 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.; A" j# i( y5 s1 \/ ?1 n
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。
+ g U5 i1 H- @. g: [569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.6 w, q2 T: q0 {+ a" m! L
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。9 @( _; a$ {6 a/ i0 Y0 V
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action./ k! ?; W3 F8 ^% D
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
/ O$ B2 v' M$ k571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.6 k: y+ ^6 n( [
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。8 k( t0 O# v3 u4 X L
572. They did not even tell their wives.
9 v1 j5 S) e9 F" m 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。( J: H9 R* g( E
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
0 x8 O* Y" u: L7 | 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。# [3 w( d! F9 k6 {. o& J; ~
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
8 P: r. ?$ w; C* _+ _2 w 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,- n+ n2 x& |1 F. Y" 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./ D- |; G# ~+ U0 I$ Z9 T6 K
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。. C+ C2 M6 v' R4 y0 J6 Q
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.; Y6 n' u: T5 N- M; 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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