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课文30 幽灵之死
: |# j( |' ^5 e y2 F- k* z. ]552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
, i% j8 ?& _* G+ M6 O 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
6 d( C b9 A6 `# y. x/ `$ ?553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.! ]4 _, l( ?) F8 M
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。; n+ ^% ?0 s7 p1 B: [3 s6 l
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
$ [' N, x, k- s1 L$ v- c% ` 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
9 P6 V0 h; S! z2 S V555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
2 n1 q& F1 I1 { 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。9 x& e9 Z0 c6 u5 m8 z5 f2 ]$ q+ M# r& z
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.+ v0 d" o6 c0 q3 n
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,8 m$ u c1 z+ m" c( S
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
% W9 @2 v' l, u- T( }3 T( V/ t; l 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
- a \; u6 O6 B/ f b* Q' k558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
' b4 F7 X( g7 s8 X( [% l$ [) \ 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。
9 Q Y3 g- F& y* w3 J! q559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
! y- R2 l$ n! d& Z' a/ k 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。& E3 v# G0 s7 G
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
% K- l- i" ?) I6 t! @1 P 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。7 \- J1 N, }2 J9 a$ j: j5 a
561. This was indeed the case.
2 W" _8 @; p8 F# b 但事实上确有此人。
, p% h6 s1 k& P* h& V562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
/ r+ o4 B3 H4 f( ` 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。- h m' W; ^: ?& g+ A; G9 o
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.* m' }5 s9 |- h& g' @! J1 W
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。
; m6 Q# O/ N- X' v7 Y( h/ w! X564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.4 \& @ o7 ~. f) D
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
4 O! O$ g# @4 L! a6 e6 W- {565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
% D( }) R1 X1 W9 D% J 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,+ n2 d2 `0 A1 X6 O& ?; D
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.' ~' V0 I, R" k6 ?
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。; g+ J4 a- _; H1 E9 b& y, D& _
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.1 V) m5 r1 O9 Q0 Y) Z
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
" w8 {3 H8 Q5 H! a, r568. 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." e* e6 `7 @9 l% P; X# N( [. S1 A) h
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。- S, ], Z. G8 m; h
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.; j+ ?6 i. T* q8 k9 h i4 L3 \
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
4 g7 j5 C) t* i, K2 d! g570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
4 k# \/ H1 @* G1 \2 } 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
9 u' B* @. z8 s% v. R ^& T+ H( E571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
$ S+ S0 F9 U% f, Y 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。/ D. T! r% l- \/ N8 R) e( \
572. They did not even tell their wives.9 ^) X# l! y3 o$ E/ c% ?
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。, V; u+ L! G1 P1 z/ A) u
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
; M1 ~/ p, s% ?( c0 c1 K& b 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。! k4 {7 U1 B3 m
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.. r; b5 N. w. p- \' ~/ f) x' R" n
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,3 C* W% O8 W! Y. D2 R! I3 o# o
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.% ^$ t& j* ]6 i
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。/ x# Y) _" }, m, U
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer. U6 P# _) Z& @
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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