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课文30 幽灵之死# ~) v5 b# o8 a$ ~1 e0 r) h' b) q& w0 I
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.5 \7 M8 V8 }8 n* }3 Q5 U7 q
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。, l9 j' R" d) I
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
* t% ]) W+ F6 V9 U( Q6 X 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。9 V( f3 h6 B# T4 k6 ]
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.! p3 g4 s) t+ M0 ?" Z+ W
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。- m$ j. R2 [( j: H, D* K
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.. n+ A$ u% x+ K6 D, S
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。; O7 B: T% }& c5 d
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
" z8 j4 S1 }# A( {5 |3 ?4 s 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
8 ?1 Q/ n& H9 \6 \ |557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
! w* C' N1 P& B 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。2 q" f* b' P: Q/ N5 \
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.9 \1 I! R9 I; i+ j4 Y& T, v/ T
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。4 B, C' }# L8 z% w' s% D: h, h
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
+ j* M- }6 {& 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。6 O9 ^* f" L1 | S- k; m+ P
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.; Z2 y/ t2 H" G' J7 K* Q
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
* |4 D6 g t: W8 J9 K561. This was indeed the case.0 C9 V8 ]& v: H0 l$ m
但事实上确有此人。
! w" u% e2 w5 a9 I$ S562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.' m* k: f9 E2 i+ ?' O( w: F
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
: H2 h0 i& m6 ?) 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.
# q. X% j3 `: q1 ^4 }! V 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。
. {' d( g: H- P' \# y, [8 D564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
2 S* C T' K5 U3 A 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
1 z$ k( Z/ G; W: X! B+ p. [565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
6 ?) Q/ V. d) F8 z 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,# o4 }( M/ L7 g
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
7 j: f2 n+ _ U$ Z4 k% [ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
* b8 o* ~8 [7 @; ?/ J+ L567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 I- T( p: m: ~ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。( t, R* ~( A8 N0 L' _
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. Z, U. ~' H, c2 a/ j0 w
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。
4 G9 \1 \/ F- U% T' ]5 {569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.- O9 l8 g. ^! J
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
2 n9 @8 x n; i1 B% k570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
6 q9 B# h$ N/ d: M" N6 T 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
% W7 }6 Q) I0 p9 E* Q) a- I1 l571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.) C) A5 w3 A3 e+ s" |9 v7 y$ Q- t3 [' o
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。: ?- h h: q- @0 m
572. They did not even tell their wives.
( F/ `2 F, z% ? V# Y 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。& O0 P+ ?9 e& Y9 b
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 O n0 C8 w1 U
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
. W8 P) @& {% j A) F574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.# p5 J6 u+ Z1 I9 M% O) a2 N4 @! f
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
+ I1 O/ @. {7 H) r$ x575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
: j$ R* e4 A8 g4 \& Z/ Y" W2 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。
4 k8 {/ s7 g; e3 Z( t576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
4 E) L" c- b; g4 p 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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