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课文30 幽灵之死
7 V& }8 L4 x! @552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted." Z |6 }% E7 m% _; Q$ E: Z( n/ z
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
8 w# w- _6 s, _553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
+ _! _( d; @4 q 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。4 U- T" V- b4 X$ f
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long." Z M2 M& f4 V; f0 o
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
2 V: i0 _4 Y( z( X& V% Y/ K. O555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.0 K L( Z8 l% a& y5 Y0 W
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
9 n( O0 ~; p. a+ L% X) x6 b: b556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.; Q! I2 k- @, D( _* a$ T( r; l
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,. W( |# Y& A# `* d
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
, F5 {5 X2 P, c- X6 ~, ^/ h 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。0 \; w+ z! [* q& v0 i0 Q' F
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% s U9 Z$ @, i- M9 }; j 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。
; D+ U+ j5 n2 z559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them." O0 _1 U6 k. _- I/ m
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。7 r) I2 n, E. x% f
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.3 r2 w% k: s$ q
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
4 X# |3 E7 T" H7 T) Q561. This was indeed the case.
3 ]- m+ j+ Q* Z4 N0 ^ 但事实上确有此人。, P. U7 K& ]* S7 p( S; {4 I6 j
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.- R; f* R& \' F, f$ F- f2 c1 I
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
) ^6 R# D4 X1 I: X- C' 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.7 O' {" `& L+ {. C' o
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。; p+ x" ^) f5 v
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
2 h" n5 D, B, v' f( l1 h 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
; g) Y2 w% S v$ Z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
! @2 v' i1 j7 U; P. `' w 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,- m* ~: `1 `& {+ j9 L
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. c/ N8 X. u' @+ t+ o" O/ e& ]
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& `0 c( p2 ?& j0 i6 W0 P567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.9 p, c' R6 f( f/ o0 P9 I6 J& o! ]
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。3 b8 t1 p4 t/ w6 h. n: r S
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.; t) v1 d2 u; ^' F( @! 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。
- O8 R7 u- {3 W* v$ x( c) G$ x8 W569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.8 }' {2 V5 T9 H9 {0 G1 G$ T
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。+ Y- S1 {7 c! E$ b
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.8 q! K! @6 l" v) P' h
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。2 `* ?- z0 v8 w: V# t8 M1 _
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.3 d' [& c. K" k# g) G0 k: k1 ^" F
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
- ?5 t$ f$ X6 b6 k! f9 A- q8 k572. They did not even tell their wives.
) E0 V/ Z* N2 ^/ r- f 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
9 V- X# s' ?( o. W8 q5 b5 H573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
& T8 o+ Q1 y/ D! w$ j3 X8 Z2 w- F 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
$ v, J6 I E& T1 K5 S574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
( G1 w/ q k) j; h# } 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,( ^" Q! s6 w9 ~4 x9 H9 C% a
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.
+ w; ]; }, X8 Z4 O( P! p 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。' l0 N% s# S7 ~' x
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.4 Q6 s3 l# {+ ]
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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