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课文30 幽灵之死5 x& C, A( `3 W) H8 \( f/ C
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
- J3 L% w, { X m* t! @ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
7 U$ Z# U1 ]0 ]0 [3 @1 I; Q5 E i" X553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) L! m( X, W) D, d: Z 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' z+ S3 k6 d$ g9 ^6 g554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.- ~/ M* t0 z8 H& N
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。, }; s7 Y" x& \' O p" Z
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
3 p- _0 m& X9 k2 [) @ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。5 q3 @1 l$ ~/ _% v* l
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
* v4 m5 B7 L4 S4 E" C1 z 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
$ ?) ^% A6 T- v' t! F' Z# l557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned. d) _. I \% p5 H8 P
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
3 h2 Q. v; b- w558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.$ H5 B% j, C9 k; \
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。" R1 _# T! U3 k A$ S, J
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them. x( o3 p' g; w0 H
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 ~1 w0 Q1 V6 U2 r' r3 _+ R
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
G7 g( I5 S0 ~7 e, f+ W* W) [ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。! r' `1 e: i8 |- z8 i) i3 @6 ~7 x9 M4 D
561. This was indeed the case.
( b4 f5 t4 |9 v, t( M. U 但事实上确有此人。
1 W0 m% B/ H, l9 V562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died./ B- V& a& G* ~; x, k; M
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
/ R/ a$ j. S, 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.
! w! `% v1 f9 \- O& z 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。
/ L( s! |5 _0 ?" K564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 c% H' X5 j: f! 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。5 w2 Q4 ~: p" W$ e1 D
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.; d1 p. d$ Z+ c R$ e/ i
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,0 F/ i+ ~& L) S, k/ D( t2 s
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
# R2 o1 \% P4 A. ` 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。3 S# |5 n8 n; X. X6 c
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
: R" u7 @, j, T: h& ]' [2 g) T 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。+ e& g& y$ } v) ]) h2 H- k. c
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.+ I6 M l& M I7 ?, }- c
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。; E- @8 A) h# o3 G! ^: @8 v
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well." y w4 Y$ L# c: l
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
1 }: f. h, d; L570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
1 B7 J# J2 [1 S9 ~# Z" M, j: P 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。/ \: P7 `" k$ D- x# e! S8 `
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.: h: a4 J9 o3 N+ {$ r# h
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
0 J4 A" H0 A8 W( {. `7 J3 k7 u572. They did not even tell their wives.
$ V9 G* X8 W6 M$ `# C4 s 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
/ Q+ e: a/ K% e8 I7 y% k573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
8 y( I2 Y6 ^8 z- r8 } 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
/ v# Y8 ?: x% o) Z& J& A574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
! n3 F1 i: M4 N$ j5 y; r% Y3 r 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,% y8 T* H6 S) J) }
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.
5 v! `4 m r$ a 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。
9 T# h' f. |; v8 [576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.6 ~0 t# t* y* a: U' K! s; d" Y- T& H
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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