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课文30 幽灵之死
8 v; y' F Q, h: S+ b2 N552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
! o( u. x+ B9 k- E% e* m9 G* g 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。% k$ K' l" x; R# r
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
5 i# Q, ~$ f2 i- h6 E 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
5 C' m, _) m( Q& U554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long. P9 s' w9 s# R" |2 C
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。' R2 ?$ y" ?' p
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
: A' ^, n1 a& L j! C: c9 |" i 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。* ^# W5 I3 U/ ^& R* {- S2 u) b
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.* ?/ ?& _% n k+ X( @" k9 ~
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
K1 Q% p- P( l557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.- n) w! ]; G; w0 K1 J/ O
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。4 p2 A; x: B- Z5 B5 o( S1 Q
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
3 t. m0 n& L, J# A' E4 U 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。% w% P( p5 F" b8 |# G7 h9 O! n
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.6 m, a6 I6 L& E8 P$ S5 v
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。# X: ~' @3 D+ u* e- Q/ r/ G! R- }" q
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
% {/ g5 [: ~! {& X' J 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。/ E$ o" o& M0 t) T
561. This was indeed the case.
. u( Q- S9 l. W! D! u0 O 但事实上确有此人。
9 z5 U- O U. a, m% V- ~$ y562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
5 f4 S k& a8 p& e 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。- n# v1 ~# C; `2 o; a5 M+ L
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.7 h% g4 h. v" ?1 _
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。
- |: H7 J. M v; z r0 Y564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
% ^3 c8 `. |5 Q+ Y6 ~$ Y 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
. J2 P1 K1 f+ R# O2 z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers., ?+ z6 q0 C8 W* o6 Q5 }
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
& f- @' M( l' r6 X& D$ t8 P566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
3 U' _ u3 g- a8 c 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。# f& h; M' k& N2 `
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
7 A) n" ~/ |2 w/ o3 X9 [ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。3 S# l- K- G6 @
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.
: e- d2 `6 C; B* Z% _' m 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。# A2 H- D. |2 V; s4 t
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.. `# W. Y8 M, @0 P
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。4 a3 n$ n/ A" c! }6 o6 U& x' K8 ^
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
1 w) R# F3 c$ M2 L 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
, R" M8 R) r/ W# |- T/ e b, ^% o571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob." v: R+ d. h! n l/ L# h
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。! ^1 l3 U9 [9 [0 K) L& g
572. They did not even tell their wives.* P6 `7 J+ S9 D3 x; x& ~. y# ~
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。3 s3 W i( N# Z8 |( R/ v
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
' ^9 |: ?0 ], L) d4 ] ^) x 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
- K1 M2 n7 [# Q574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.* a4 C/ {4 D! @# ^( B1 K0 |
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
8 z* }+ }& y" s575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.7 j; \4 R6 T6 s! \
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。
2 Y( _& Y( ?% M2 H; e576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
- P" a4 k) O# V2 e" S0 @ I! B' C& 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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