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课文30 幽灵之死
# h; s; r% V$ X2 e552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
0 j8 B- r: A; ~; E! Q 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。+ ^8 Z4 E- ~( t$ d5 {; A
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
# z6 v0 o4 M! \2 M S 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' W5 k! V5 h7 M! C3 h554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.# l+ t' Q* [ U5 t' s$ \ G
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
8 ?. S8 Y# G8 _+ K5 V555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.( X; n: Y& N t/ {8 K2 d* _
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
% c& M' _' m, b556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
- L: ]/ ]) _$ u" g# l 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,# y7 A i5 r- S0 i# A
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.4 `. a7 l0 `$ ]; s0 o- K6 }& U
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。2 Z) n- W* r2 U: Y8 s. p) ~+ {
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
. O- W% [: [6 B 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。, O/ f: U/ S* H2 R$ E, y; Z: ? B
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
; l" t% g! ?: P* b8 Z3 Z" S$ l 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。' Q P" Y' U* Z T% C" g& K( C
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 |9 ~9 C5 t" f2 W1 E: l, P 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
: a+ I. l" R% \+ W" A561. This was indeed the case.
$ P, k, m/ g, W9 a: k) K% ~ 但事实上确有此人。
' u4 L1 Q }9 U2 |% d" S/ d562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.: d3 U% D5 V) [; f
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。) V: }) Y' a$ 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.9 v, X, P9 f3 {6 R' d! P
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。
, Z) y1 M' ^1 Q: t/ U/ h0 o4 {564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.- z! I _# G, u" z
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 |' W) u+ v% x0 O% a565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.; H( W/ P$ x1 F7 A3 c/ \% N# p
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,+ B& w9 |; h# R' d. s
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War., d- L8 Q) w, \1 u# K9 M1 B& t
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。: r5 r9 V8 M! P# z
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
0 T( P: H8 w2 V% c2 Y 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" B5 h! V/ u D
568. 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.% a4 Y; v- `' K6 i
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。# @) x0 {+ I& |2 u4 Y( Y1 N y Z
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.# ^' J. o: H5 q0 A8 c, I: l0 V
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
7 P2 M- o8 U- i0 Q6 g570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.. E$ j) J1 F! y4 a
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
4 t: V% Q- H) Y4 v, q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob." O, ~% A& ^* N) x9 P
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
2 {1 S, P* G! Y+ ]+ U$ X8 l572. They did not even tell their wives.
7 J% @& ~0 V2 \8 { 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。( }: H( B* w( |9 o T( k
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding./ A; p# l+ v& J/ ]
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 Q" B1 }& j; a0 a) a
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.3 s' D4 B% t/ h
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,% }! h( x( q% h2 V
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.4 ?' O0 |& f1 Y: ~0 G( w+ x
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。
) v! q0 |8 u% ?% x576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
0 S2 t' j6 F, r( X* T 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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