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课文30 幽灵之死
0 z4 h* a- W% s% c; t* O552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
1 ?: C- g* j2 s# G( P8 E9 ? 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
# |( C( ?6 @4 E' }* N553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.( k/ I9 i/ e6 @0 U
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
" I* c2 f i3 f& X3 e% r6 k554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.8 y% d' F8 [+ _: D
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
# V2 o# ~1 T4 `# q555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
) {; t# p+ @2 @# X 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。. W+ q0 r' h/ R: s- a9 b" g
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
$ S" X7 r% @4 ~) e) r P 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
( H* X+ K3 I, F5 N; m. L557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned./ G0 k) B( Z2 A" {# x
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 F8 H( Y. b+ w4 F4 `558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.9 V2 _/ Z# S7 i
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。# x3 W2 [4 }9 @+ V6 a5 B
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them." M, J9 c# F9 d( J" `
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。
: |8 i! r8 Y. g560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.- _1 D6 y4 e+ b1 v
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( {" J* }3 M: X( l6 A561. This was indeed the case.$ D, t- i$ X& \) I- ?6 V/ e
但事实上确有此人。
0 u9 b' ]' Q4 L7 t562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.& |0 o2 f T& \# A
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。6 v! g/ \. b6 s
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.) E, K: b; J. r' J( s
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。" O( B; `- B6 s; [
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
" }4 s( c! u, Z5 T 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
) `6 o9 e7 P0 k# | t6 I1 B565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' f+ a; h) E* L1 [$ F u8 w
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,! f! e* P; L9 j6 X% u$ t+ T% O: Q$ y# B
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
9 c5 b! W( Q4 A! [# m 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。( w3 ?# |' n& M4 {" I; n R
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
) b5 e2 \. y. \+ h7 z) X U5 K 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# K5 E3 [& s. Z568. 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.* o8 }. C h) z; M3 \ u0 [
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。9 E v0 E$ z& n
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.5 q# K& B0 t0 Q1 F3 X
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。' I& m- w% {' g2 Y( J; ^: V D
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.# K! |+ v- x* Q. j
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
2 r# [' V: y3 X& y) n% x, \- ]* V1 g571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
3 p0 K& D) q1 \" P. P$ } y 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
J5 Z$ Y& e7 V572. They did not even tell their wives." m0 G0 }+ \# e7 N
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
5 q! @/ B: k% G9 [, @% v573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
0 T; E- B1 @8 m5 P 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。7 R5 C1 ^ h6 s- J- R F( n
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.$ U1 N) q/ z) P6 Z9 W6 b3 a
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
% R4 f7 L( [9 P8 K+ A! q0 `6 j575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
* e# D" `7 L8 C. S& A# \& N* i2 w 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- _, z4 A3 ~# h
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer." W0 M& I1 r# s! }
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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