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课文30 幽灵之死# Y, Y$ {4 f n
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
) H/ l' C! x6 ` 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
" Z7 j( l% h; D. E) {+ A+ i: G2 g553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.) n. b) _. R& m
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
C4 Y9 B/ f6 w! G6 b7 D' ^; Y3 u554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.- q5 D, [( I5 C. T4 g
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
4 e3 ^. v. Z7 z555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.7 J) e: J) Y, H+ l
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。1 S0 p& V# w2 _
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.# Z# c, C3 c! R+ w8 x. }
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
8 _2 d3 ^% S% w2 {( X) m0 c; u557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.8 h; z6 }* D# F9 c' u }# L
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。, P- c+ Y6 F* u
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
/ w3 L! C- D3 a; _ 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。
0 i7 t$ L" z+ C) s. Z559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& o6 [1 G `9 e! Z( i( w/ _ 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。
+ I% G$ G- u1 p4 \8 i1 J" I560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen." G3 E: C& r9 [1 O5 x, `" N
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
. `# `; z w8 T* F561. This was indeed the case.3 {/ m" \# Z4 b. Q
但事实上确有此人。
4 t S7 q i+ k' U* H/ [562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
( w( I( J6 n* o, O! Q 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
& g b4 V/ |. O u563. 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.
2 S7 Q2 I: B9 \+ Z+ m 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。& T) B6 p# g7 T5 ?! c1 s4 F
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.. y, | s, _# Q! q( |; u* A 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。
, ?6 z. @% N7 U1 b$ ]5 F' T565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' ^6 `0 I: H' V q% t1 D% l; c. i
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
7 b3 x8 [1 z% c: @566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
1 Z" X8 d/ f8 I! s: M) T 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。* _6 S5 I0 X8 V9 p
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
! ] U7 _- M* X+ y 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
* o6 A" Q; J# J- O6 `% D _6 N568. 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.- G! O6 J, i V+ p2 @* ]
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。1 ~) w% Y5 d5 v/ ?& L7 h& J# F5 t
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.1 P' g; L. ^ d/ C& @
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
0 X" _2 Z3 U3 @- B" O+ o* u570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.; k4 C( }7 O4 X J d' y* {8 q
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
4 L) N% Z9 \4 N571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.9 l2 G$ K* s5 q
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
9 }0 E( n+ b& G8 ?3 w572. They did not even tell their wives.. |+ i3 N. V' x6 d7 @; \, D! ]
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。, L; e2 {% _; B; k. t7 N
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.' @0 l' B u- o* P2 i- W" Z s
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。# S$ |. I! E9 V4 h" J5 ]# t
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
1 N5 t# Y3 p% S7 ] 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,# l' y# R- q Z {9 p" A
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.
^2 V% t* L) P/ 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。
& A1 i+ q3 X3 Z4 q2 A+ I; J, i$ L" h3 h576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
, {# ]1 y% z6 S4 K; 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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