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课文30 幽灵之死
9 t; ]6 G2 a: X; z552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.0 [# \/ E4 B9 c5 j% U
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
" z5 ^8 W) @ H' n/ _6 T553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.: J- v( T$ Y' v7 T& m A
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。# V# E, j8 i- P+ `8 B' V4 B
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long., [( Q" n0 x1 U
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。- }1 T7 f5 p! L" B: A7 E
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
8 @1 L+ Z. [" e3 K3 B3 l3 Y 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。& V7 t$ H( h4 B; f( A) C- j& T
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.7 H ~" d6 f9 r4 ^$ v
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了," V; Q' X a6 L4 H S2 [2 V( D
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.# V* a1 @9 n3 c1 q
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。! g0 Y+ D8 V5 V! {
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.' e; v$ Q& }# f0 V& j1 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。
+ w0 l, K4 [" T( N% y7 w559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.4 }1 D3 I* E2 U* O
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。
* k/ H) ~* c8 W* v560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen./ k6 U; R3 N* C! b2 S: e1 q
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。6 ^0 Z2 \* b$ u z" {
561. This was indeed the case.: T. J& i% p4 }* ]6 k' M
但事实上确有此人。
9 j! V; K( J1 {2 }. w562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
# V$ b$ X }) X 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。, Z. m+ n" u# _1 ?( y) q$ y
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.# ?2 l4 K' v' q: Y+ ?
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。
0 U% A5 w1 A% Y- J! }564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.! Z7 S9 W# y1 W! |% ?
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。& K" x+ Z0 M5 S# F, {% C N- O$ g/ V
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.$ W( l1 W& u# z2 [ Y" [
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
; L5 a( o( _6 v8 T% P$ V4 h; v566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
/ X) @+ m$ n' ~& ` 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。; F- T" [1 y' R; b2 Y( z8 \
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
; C, p( I$ @( B, l4 _1 f 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
- v+ Z) K3 Y3 q9 s* s$ S568. 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.
( n; P g/ L% `! w* y) { 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。+ ~5 h0 T- N! q8 z# U: ]
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
( ~. P+ F+ L# `+ _ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
! W% B0 o5 O+ k7 u# C3 @570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
% W) l# K0 Q# z5 `8 I5 J( c 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
6 _" ?5 ^: J! a$ @571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.1 @9 h9 `) I6 S8 e2 o" S
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
- I, D9 ?5 a! R8 m# G8 ?572. They did not even tell their wives.
5 x9 U/ f5 O: R/ S' ~ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
- l+ Z/ f0 l% B573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.- C: V. i \% k9 S
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。. Y5 j) G, `# `& N B) a. ^
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
9 O( q- ~7 r9 |, U0 h% { 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: \4 l# L& T$ V3 _6 V
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.6 v: O% a% x1 X! ~/ ]/ V8 ?
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。5 a+ m( X) \; R: \
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
. W# L/ E- v& ^2 { 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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