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课文30 幽灵之死# l: g/ c7 Z+ V5 @$ q4 T& Q; }/ R
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
( _8 [' t8 a. x$ q; K6 q$ E0 o 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% O& m4 J0 h8 P; m& v553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
- B, p2 A. N& _* }$ ~+ z9 f 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。9 B& \' @7 w+ G' t2 g. b
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
: O) b3 o4 C5 S. r: B: P( I. y0 d. b 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。1 b. t/ B- h/ ~6 g4 T7 { O' w) ~6 v
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
4 }5 ?0 T$ X) r+ O1 W 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。* A. B; m2 j @" d( e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.9 p( b6 c2 l; \8 u5 Y% V; o/ w
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
9 @0 t' O& G5 k% _4 S, L8 E4 c557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.. l# g/ S9 Y) d5 t8 N& M
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
/ C" {+ W6 ^, t4 Y2 V558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
/ e# ^+ H: V! C6 E5 l 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。
, U$ J6 `4 {) H% E; \! i559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.7 w7 m& T/ s a: M; }- U) N* F
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。
" g3 K$ W; w7 T. x% z* @# R560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.8 t4 ^$ r1 ]. X/ J; t' _# k/ _4 R
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( N8 a" o; i# T5 Y. l561. This was indeed the case.
5 b5 l) z e, ?. ?/ r 但事实上确有此人。
% Y! {8 L3 r( H# i: }% h562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.4 h7 ~1 r0 w6 V$ i; ?
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
' S1 q& A" {* h! T! K563. 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.# ]/ b# E8 }2 [: C
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。
; I' J+ [5 `3 ?* w8 W+ [5 d8 N1 O# k# P564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
; j; C6 z. U; v! j" H 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。" P; @: g" S/ F* A# G$ Y! A% s
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
* \( [- U p6 x; W$ i* a; m. p 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
9 W2 A/ r- u( F/ I5 l3 U566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.1 M. @* p# z# e( f/ [( S; c
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
, \4 L7 ^0 S0 ^" r8 R& W1 |7 H567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.8 s9 S) W2 Y0 V _. c& Q
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
! ]! I1 ^' h! {6 j( O, O9 I568. 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 f& L/ D4 R0 K* g 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。3 u n0 x* Z$ C# ?1 x6 u4 b
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well. Z$ ~1 J1 R, F
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。) k, A3 d* m. R
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.4 T' M0 S5 K! S$ ? b4 f, j
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
1 K; j# d5 M/ F/ ^. R- B4 Q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.0 O# W8 N% A0 y( n! K5 }
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。( Q% W" K. b+ d, x r
572. They did not even tell their wives.( D- p5 i" R1 `% C3 k! ^+ K3 a; d
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) ~7 u; K0 d9 [4 {9 O! I& W/ a |
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.# \' R) D2 d+ ?: E
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 @; @) W6 B. u( B: b) t" [
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; X& r0 X/ ]8 x
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
0 y1 D1 o* t- T+ Q575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.* g7 p( |1 ^9 E) 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。
% c$ F6 W9 J q576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
( t& t7 O, c' V+ E6 |1 y- n 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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