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课文30 幽灵之死" r1 z- V: e' M6 h0 t+ R
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
7 A& g% k1 S% Z0 m, e$ F 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。3 x+ o6 @6 \/ P
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
]9 L8 o5 i% T% t 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
- z/ U: I# T6 Z5 P# n1 m' b554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.# L3 F9 E1 r" f& }
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
3 K$ C9 g$ g4 R0 z3 J: B* _% y' s555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.8 o8 x' E. n. p& z
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。" h8 C' `8 Q: k8 F' }
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
3 g6 m. }* u0 |, e' r& [% W 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,7 L3 U) e% e8 w: E
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.- @" _ f" a! i8 i/ n" P
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。 }' o% p( r+ R
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% p8 \, X' S3 a7 D1 ^# C5 d9 ]) P0 w 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。
6 r" A4 h" d' p; I* F7 d559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
9 H9 z, h! [) c* e" J0 a 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。
( Z2 a! F7 c! r1 q& T/ J) H560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.9 |8 d4 G9 Q% [: y
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
! H& X# n. c: c& r; x561. This was indeed the case.
& C8 @ X" f/ U7 \* ?7 j$ z" ] 但事实上确有此人。 a0 a/ W/ u/ A& `5 Z& h1 T
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died./ E9 ?5 `0 q$ A' O6 B# Y
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ f o2 a3 R0 L7 @$ R, f563. 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 b# t: G0 @) k4 U; j' X
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。
2 B! E$ m# n2 B0 T4 [# D564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
' v9 E% r3 Q$ `3 f" ^: @ 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。( j5 H# K1 w f* r
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
3 y" @9 K/ L! G: ?/ Q0 ^& O9 D2 N 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,2 W; I( r* s$ r2 H9 J, q9 W
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
+ O# \: `% J5 m' G4 p, V 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。2 W" \! h/ m0 ^( ~ p
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.3 ~% Z7 q7 M" m, R, \9 `0 E
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
* ]+ x8 P7 ?2 P* T4 v$ U+ Q568. 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 B0 E0 N A6 u3 d
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。
7 b3 D) l( a: G/ ?! d) {569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.% i+ |6 I: X" o2 C7 g! S. p
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。6 m. _9 L: G1 T
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
4 B6 ^" H3 G# K! P, u. p3 } 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
( T4 _3 V' P- @$ y. b P571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.' j$ n9 {) e7 `7 m' t* ~1 z" `
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
$ x* q @; J$ }9 s1 c/ N4 }$ I572. They did not even tell their wives.
: X1 ]& _8 }3 j 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) i1 q, A- Z0 ]7 F" x3 Y
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.$ ]- o, w! v2 J+ [
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
& V8 ~& k& V7 {$ E- u1 `$ V1 b! D574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
: Q4 ]4 X# i- j K( R+ ^7 Z! v7 l 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,& r s: _2 T) k' C( f
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.
1 x3 D" M4 o/ @8 \, Y5 V5 N t 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。/ E/ Y* ?5 w% z+ Y" G' H
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.6 X& q, R% Y( c7 s4 Q- o3 {
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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