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课文30 幽灵之死
( h1 Q0 c* S" Z- K! D552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.8 f3 @8 Q C% q* p
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。! s5 ~, p' u0 c) M
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.8 m8 k1 \7 S, N" p5 C+ ^
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。# B2 \$ e* _9 J) o, U' s
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.' U& D3 c" r% b5 _ B# `% I# k
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。- I }" w9 C5 x2 D8 _
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.# C5 z# e s, y8 C. o
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。. i V7 o- e! S
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight." J0 F- a4 c0 m: U% t1 n9 ?9 J
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,( c2 c8 B* j3 O- g+ t! a) y
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.* G; v9 R7 g! N: f
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
& N$ Z, d) R1 y. w558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) n- S4 x; k2 b& K, ?5 Z4 v
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。5 x; ^( p1 i6 U, J) ]
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
/ T+ ?( ]: O" `3 _% {' j6 j 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。# h$ {8 v; H3 z1 L: V
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
0 W' y# f r& G: B H/ s( i# g 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。1 |- |! X' p! {4 F5 G
561. This was indeed the case.
( c. i9 [% [( L6 t `6 r R 但事实上确有此人。
0 h) W( D3 S% i6 `' Z562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died./ _) r( A5 T) K" r6 _7 [, s
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。( b6 b; o9 W" l* y% _, r
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.
4 V! h6 j/ t8 y3 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。
) }6 N* \$ B5 x4 H564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.. d+ r& ?' Q+ v) U
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。9 O% W( i$ x4 Q: V' P( @: t# G9 r/ L
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.& j3 c7 P% v' ^( ^) X" @- Y+ V
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
3 Z! q" C6 ]: R4 C/ b" ^' ?6 J! r, c566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.) h/ s! d7 `1 \( @7 C# @; G
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 O* \# B5 }- Y: D. j2 Y3 D7 E' e
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.0 I. X: K8 V" a- A( X$ q) V& W
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
8 a3 H# |- Y7 _ J# f2 o568. 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.
3 \! B4 i* \: d6 e* 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。5 K0 e7 K& v# i% P! C" P a6 l
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.5 l8 k2 `7 ~# i+ e; F. u$ G
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
+ Z- ? r. G- N( A4 S570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.7 J8 [/ O: F" t) g: ~+ `
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。$ v& N$ q) D8 [. f
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
& r R0 S! h! r 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
8 e1 y6 W3 ^& p, j572. They did not even tell their wives.
8 @& v2 L3 O' F1 ]" _- ] 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。' @( ~! A/ a- R
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.. M! c6 C, X/ l! M( r/ Y, G
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。7 L+ ~$ Y3 i( ^# j9 X( o3 Q B9 G
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
: p" s% g- h# d! v0 L" @: { 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
) `! X( U9 Q' M4 h6 O! c( p575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.! ^) p* G& ]- `+ P) V
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。! A! T, S1 E0 Y8 Y( N R0 R
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.2 | ?. c) o6 m% t3 s7 W: H- J5 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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