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课文30 幽灵之死
+ o% g* A! U5 `; {. y1 z! }0 Z552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted. A2 P# R3 u$ M, {' Z
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。2 O& d3 P: z( c$ @9 ]9 }
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.' x6 P* y: J" f* T5 p h
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: a' }! d, l$ ]% z0 A, V3 k
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
6 Z6 o; T! N2 a 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。5 A. B/ X% K, @) A7 A
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
, W) C( g$ w9 o! l# K2 ~ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
+ j( B$ {4 S/ y- Z$ m6 I0 l9 a556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.- u2 l# S+ ?. K, m" m
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,; Y1 D3 D4 X; |$ A* b! |
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
# @; l: T2 J* x( D P3 d 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。6 Z* j( a1 {& |! x% W4 k; {4 a
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.7 q2 Y) B5 h( ?
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。7 j8 k$ r5 P: z* @ x d
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
) P1 P" {- G0 x8 a+ A+ |7 u 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。
4 k, Z3 v8 c( {& Q560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.: w1 J/ b* f6 w+ V: @1 U3 R% M
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
; F4 B, c' u- B; O* m561. This was indeed the case.. d7 R% H {: g9 W. W
但事实上确有此人。
! k0 D' c+ P# T5 D! X: p562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.! G9 O1 U! P2 p* |- h/ R
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
. _1 U" F$ |+ h0 t: s) N- z7 r563. 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.
# p0 r; _) |- k# E$ ^& b 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。
3 C" J9 p" c$ v% e4 O& f564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.4 z* G8 V9 c. d( j
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
/ t: X' Y$ r1 Z9 K4 W+ s/ S1 G565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ h0 H( B; p* z6 v P
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,3 u; d8 ^7 o4 V7 j6 e$ w! r
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
9 S. w2 d( I1 w, |) _6 S7 I 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。+ E. V2 U7 I; q+ ?
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
( J$ h' H4 E- m 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
/ k5 A \ }5 W" H4 {; ~+ ~0 `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.* M8 Q+ W K4 ]" _' y; L" u! S
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。& u. o4 o$ B! ^
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ y3 ?! V: y. T. A+ z* i; k 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。1 v; L5 } _) E( G2 x, n
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
/ q4 e& I, b8 W2 t3 [% \" D 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
/ R- T! C& a- k, X571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
/ R5 x9 q! T% g N! ~- z 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
- b) |" F' S8 [) i572. They did not even tell their wives.
% X" D) P- N f: Z4 g 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
( ~! j0 q7 A2 L' s- r) ~7 n0 y573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
+ v2 c9 o7 Q# p& ]" D l 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
! v6 M, N P! _# U1 K; l9 A# y574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
* L5 w% B& q2 O& O 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
* i4 n* v+ V$ i0 P9 \) A575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
* F0 i7 r! S# {, u' |" { 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。
8 `: O$ g4 W6 h ?; J2 `576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.+ D' F0 s, [1 G3 ~- `- ?9 s6 V3 \8 @
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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