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课文30 幽灵之死
; K" H% F: [; V$ k6 Y552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.8 Y8 X ], c6 _% {: e- z
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
) M1 n5 F. f6 D' O) F7 T- n553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
% R; o; { X) D9 C- J6 n 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' I. D$ ^4 I$ r# n( u+ E2 N. M554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.! K( {/ t8 D2 C7 j! ~6 p! R
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。" @- j# a6 p( H; [
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
% K, t* I' F: k4 W* @ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
1 z2 K @" q5 @; N( Q556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.# ]1 B# M9 F6 w: L U( y
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,1 y; h: p' S5 @5 `( A3 w
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' s, }$ N, `! r# u8 f e, m% q 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- G& |, F1 F* d558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
; W) |0 G, r& c: T- T 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。" [& y0 `; f6 _6 \# K
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
: Z! m5 W+ r" T) j6 o; c 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。
+ D2 d$ s/ s* |6 r: r. |: E560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
g4 c6 O9 y P" N. N. W: t 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
3 u! E$ K) s! O/ b" [# p" N561. This was indeed the case.
M4 |- P/ k/ t- |; G% N. m 但事实上确有此人。, ^, m& \7 b2 Y" Z7 Y: g" M1 t: Y
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
, Z" r& F o9 o8 z; K+ x) M ^ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。) F% M2 M: V3 A- W9 b Z
563. 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.
- r( x9 U4 \$ `2 o; M6 h 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 z- x0 ^8 w( h3 X- y' b
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
) k+ y9 P ?/ \+ R9 U$ E 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。" Z: f( @* A0 b) p* H# H
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
) M8 q; |+ \( G9 N5 D 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,/ b# f j1 }2 l7 _$ `! S
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
6 H# F) [' \, F3 ?# J' E 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
2 z# A- v" W5 C, ~567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.* P: \- ~" m! B. O& W
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
; A- N$ y& p5 \7 O3 U. J568. 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., f) q( o2 E+ U- t
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。
$ a8 W1 v4 L* f; b* ]3 Q8 h569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.4 b0 B0 C9 i; p) l
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。( [9 A/ g3 B0 f0 q/ r# E( e$ a
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action., F i! r" X! q+ [: g6 i/ ^' M
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。+ }. u6 w5 j9 C" `. Y$ t
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.* h, c% C! t; y- Q* M- _
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。% G) x5 A- J4 `& N
572. They did not even tell their wives.
* h( ?% n0 ?0 R, a$ A, @ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。0 J: E8 R/ h# z1 A# M% ^
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
# c! |* d! X- }6 C# W) ?. b' F, e 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。/ l; A5 G5 y, q! A9 s
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.. j0 K( ]( }( H3 o7 G% D
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
7 u" X* Y$ ]/ ~' l# x4 [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.5 k; \! U* Q* [& T2 t
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。' |6 X2 S% ~+ U9 ]3 n
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
$ b! F2 ?" U9 _3 @! K 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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