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课文30 幽灵之死" l z; @+ Y! Q
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.4 o4 z, q% { Y& Z. v- @3 a3 K
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
- ?5 n# M4 D1 }- O" W" w' h* w+ ^553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.1 \/ o" V% x4 o4 n B% U0 z
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
2 |& R" C, c$ P1 W. [" ^' P554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.8 V5 h3 A5 e& K) e/ y% K
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。/ u9 p' Z1 J" Y
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
5 V# \: k, w j6 H 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。) j4 ]# T9 C1 u* ?: S7 m
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
7 `: S( f! T7 H9 A. l2 U. i 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
+ b, Y: y! ~4 I* g! g- \1 e, P+ X) ?557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.4 o( P9 w! A" o& E
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
$ h4 g3 Y' H5 J/ ?1 J, s558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
) u; O! J8 e2 |$ ]. V 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。
% ~& M5 r5 o) p! k559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
- {# F" q" L, | 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。* a! Q; W0 \3 u) F- N
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
/ n9 h' _$ o1 p \% E/ Z( k+ }4 ~6 c 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。+ g+ X5 k/ E( H, u1 m k
561. This was indeed the case.
! _; w+ E& b U 但事实上确有此人。 a% o3 q2 M" D' z% h' h. f7 l
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
1 @( X0 j: s( L+ E8 f 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
f, P0 D0 R4 W5 k1 S563. 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.
4 D( W# N! E" A2 q1 O# H 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。: [) V- ?& d& J( f+ I+ O
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.0 B. ^) D* g6 |( K' }% h: X
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。/ z9 O5 m2 T) L. h# F
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' z# v9 \" U* r* Y/ j& K
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,( c! {! I1 W2 h: G% B
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.6 `! Q! ]; \% f1 |& ]
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。* S8 H6 m2 g3 `
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
/ q; d8 p" H; X% B _3 J 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
0 B0 M; Q9 E) `# E8 ^' w$ {. O* E6 ~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.! c g; {* I/ d/ W- S. U
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。$ F# M% J$ r t$ m- Z: a6 t* a$ B
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
- }0 ^$ @6 Z9 Z# f1 e 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
: V8 B5 j; @" J3 o! k! t570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
' j, y4 c+ t" L N+ b4 h( n 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
, M4 p+ H8 }, ^1 E2 E8 N/ `2 e# `571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob./ k$ V2 O% r- o
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。1 w" \0 a) f% Y. H- [( J, ^6 g z, m
572. They did not even tell their wives.
+ O$ f7 X1 z6 e& M/ }9 D0 M, N 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。5 q! x! g0 W3 X% z
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.! \3 I2 A2 H: o7 Z- J* k6 h$ I7 j! Q
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。1 N6 z; ^% t! Z- A: b* ~
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
4 N* n3 @/ g/ z8 \/ L" g 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
2 E+ f4 c6 o' `& D0 p0 k; p575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.& i# X' [: `* Q) e ^7 L0 M/ W6 S. Q
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。
" \1 c7 n# t2 w576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer., u8 F) {6 B. l, h
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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