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课文30 幽灵之死. n) o& s9 X# v$ C
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.8 H% H" q$ h7 u i
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
5 _* n: d; ?' |7 u9 V553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
" [) ~6 S" G. m$ g0 |' d 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
& ~1 c( |7 v& [, C554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
% f5 E- k N7 W+ r2 J 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。- a3 W+ P2 W d3 q* f( w2 t* X( G, N
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
6 S1 P5 W+ L" d/ S 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
; R! l8 ? N8 }+ d* x ]3 S9 g556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.# s9 o) W, E) N
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,5 Q6 a) M! C0 F
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
, N( R6 D9 |8 D: O4 y 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。3 U# w2 R! h/ r; |+ ?4 B/ C
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.0 F" F* O, H' r) U
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。
: P# _' j9 P8 [/ X4 X- ?0 [8 v6 Y559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
; N& ~) {( {8 ~$ S$ Q 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。3 _8 _1 \6 _5 z( a' e
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
& f4 b/ O5 J/ z; I9 j 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
% b/ m# z1 Y* Y3 ]0 D6 @561. This was indeed the case.
+ M& `9 k7 c6 D9 ?% x 但事实上确有此人。8 w/ t8 p+ p& w; k
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.: [0 G6 V$ W4 D m4 e) g/ q% ^
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
5 s4 ?( S/ Z" Q) d563. 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.8 Y5 h- b! `- R& Y7 {/ z
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。' d2 `0 c: J; T) d
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.9 U1 @5 ~! T' M2 {8 c" W5 l
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。5 D& E4 ]) B9 @+ j5 ?# e' ] }% }
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.1 t' ~8 `$ }: a, ~* |7 z9 q; X
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
( i7 R" w% i+ x0 k. s6 k566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.! i1 ~" u7 W9 b1 [! C+ U
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
% N' m" a2 e' @; |7 m+ X567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.3 V" I) Z" a" l: A; U4 ?: B
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
& P9 i; f5 U6 h1 M6 f& 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.; o7 M. g; N. G9 t1 e. n/ K
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 H9 \2 f* I7 O' K569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
3 k9 ~$ ~9 H, [8 E& b" B# w! Y$ T 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
& I1 f4 [% \, Y& I# G! I570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.' o, R7 |- h& e$ t
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。2 B8 K3 V) Y `+ r+ @% I0 X5 ]
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
5 e3 {7 J8 {; D 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" ^9 r. S2 [. G- i5 B572. They did not even tell their wives.
: E$ ]3 L3 w# `- l9 p 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
: J$ r4 l6 I! w( n8 D5 _573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.# x3 Q3 Q# a# V; o
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
~1 N5 V" Q/ c7 p. {: _2 m4 x574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
; q7 l9 C/ ?9 w3 V) E9 P 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
7 \; L# _; u) l% o8 N% R3 u575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
& M, l5 p) g2 p% x9 s 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。% w6 i9 n$ F. u2 N8 n. ^( C
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.; h# v; H1 [+ b- x1 }( n7 @2 V
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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