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课文30 幽灵之死
* `6 G3 D$ c3 t' m% |0 C8 e/ A4 s552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.' g& w% q2 } Q' {0 a$ e* S# @6 a
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。! c4 e' l! ?, \9 M
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) R; b$ g0 p3 Q+ t; p5 E 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
. M( j! S" R: F' P E554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
7 r! C7 \) F# @+ h 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
% }3 u! T" i2 V6 \; }8 U) l7 s J555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
/ Q3 Z* w9 f3 ^# Z. h0 T" N 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。; z2 g2 D3 t" e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
) o& M" T: p4 h 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
" M3 N5 {* I" k1 d; ?557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.+ L/ g5 k/ j( `3 }; t7 H
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。; I( x; j! W) P @' [0 y
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
# E/ T* C3 |* q" 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。
% U% l: T) ?/ t% M8 B559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
# G. i: H4 P8 Y; c3 \- T 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。6 B+ O7 c: J8 c& K. o4 }! w
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
) `: Y0 {! S! g3 b 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。: a6 Q6 n; h3 f
561. This was indeed the case.
; [5 a1 ~* h# J8 i; F5 D6 z& H 但事实上确有此人。$ |: P1 B% t% b( W$ J4 s5 ^( V
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.4 ?. N* E4 \, e% Y5 Q
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。; t _- S' `8 ?, V5 }( E3 i
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.
- {! K. D) u& i7 |3 I& m 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。. M7 B9 b- E) W
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
! r; e! f9 Q, b/ `( Z& C 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
& A) A% a0 h |! H565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.3 {. S5 r3 A- `
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,* u8 H/ G ?, M% @, [
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.3 F. V0 @* E5 W" t5 ?0 I& h+ d
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
2 ]- [6 f2 D- U7 A R3 \, K567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
* l9 m, Y p ~9 Z 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
: j8 u; y F' h568. 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.' _1 G3 U, o1 j" 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。& U4 L3 D9 {7 `" \6 L9 [
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
" c( ]& v9 s/ v 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
; t$ G; {. p2 W Y m% d O+ w1 q570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
7 b. a$ l; ?0 I: ]3 }7 \/ s 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
- [+ g; {+ d$ l/ J571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
: c3 r) o, S8 Z 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。4 F4 v& F' k6 ?: {& k9 a; J2 U
572. They did not even tell their wives.- g* G6 m0 q8 Z$ @2 n$ s0 |
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) z6 B$ d2 I1 `$ U
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
9 k/ i# I% P8 {' O! b. { 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
! U& k. p" p' Z% k# K574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.' j. j3 Z" f0 e; ]! e4 t( d
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,8 R# t4 B0 J4 N' }+ G- Y
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.
. N1 V& m* G" r: f 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! e4 D# J4 ~
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.. ^8 M& t% D4 U7 k$ F# U8 ~7 |5 o" 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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