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课文30 幽灵之死
; y; ^9 [ [ \, X7 P! W552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.6 n6 x5 W7 U5 \
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
1 v1 A* G/ o( O- i553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.: A1 i* H7 L/ I1 q2 j7 ?
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' F' E( u4 n) k1 G3 }" J554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
1 P, X7 ~3 g* }# J* y9 K 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。9 i& q/ L& h# C: ^
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.) h+ ]" t; k i% E. E8 j U
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
2 T7 W% P, U: @( R2 w* W556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
6 B$ V, k( W% ?3 G/ v* Z6 z, B8 ~ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
( r* V" T, \/ c1 c% ?1 L8 V557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
1 u0 ?0 d$ B- K0 _# T$ r 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
! m- `, l& F) r( {% ~558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
0 j4 y& s1 e7 A6 K# 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。
3 V0 K+ G% x& f559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.- B+ f: ?- b" p/ Y% k0 N" S
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。, E/ w( ^7 @" H. v$ L( M
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
/ _7 S7 Z- N" f* E 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。: c4 i' v* b6 s# d$ W; }2 t
561. This was indeed the case.
* T. \. s S/ z' p, P8 [& E 但事实上确有此人。
" Q. S% Z/ g( j/ X+ k562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
, ~4 }& M1 H( q0 { 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
' p% \9 M1 Y# i1 O6 r7 F* D. _8 u563. 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.5 m3 i4 p' `. ]0 x2 e* h
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。
$ y% U; Y5 M U; C9 j564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.3 A& x0 E, H( c( y
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
" X% G4 B! o/ v2 c565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ ?* k, V- K8 V+ G- j/ m 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
9 N# e; k7 i( p( C, G R0 I& G5 r4 y566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. [; |% e; o) R
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。) ?4 c, C: i# K
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.+ T, K) r a% y- J, C
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
6 }# Z8 U v1 |# \6 ?/ J( G) G568. 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.
7 V0 X8 b/ N- H2 R2 {* @ 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。
( H2 X7 _9 h& p9 }+ L I9 e569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.. M- V" P* ^4 n- F( F
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。; G3 P# h `. w3 A$ B
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.1 |8 {% s0 M8 P& |; O5 `2 c
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
3 N3 M$ K) Q2 j. w3 }571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.2 }$ u! h' ~+ e+ {* p
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。7 b9 c! ?) y$ R8 v. G
572. They did not even tell their wives.
j" S8 A+ j8 x0 q 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。6 ]5 C8 v' A$ Q) D3 B: d
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
; s0 h9 w7 [$ o$ O' Q 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。2 S a x, w x3 Y
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
2 W2 |: b T) Y( z3 X 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,- f' H* |3 s! c. J" e
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.! S/ a h7 n7 D4 y' Q: C
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! D1 G# L% D/ R' `4 Z
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
5 R4 W9 K/ z- t! z+ @3 M. m1 Z3 t) V 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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