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课文30 幽灵之死9 Z) K2 L% z0 N% s
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
" f+ z& X1 S+ @1 h7 T 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。6 s/ |% R3 j% k, y
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.. s7 D' @& X! q. d5 _1 A! p
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。& p# W2 v# [) _& j$ q5 T) b$ J9 ?9 X
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
$ p2 u' c- b* r" D! ~- {% o 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
4 U$ e+ q7 E" o3 R) V+ z555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.% p1 C; h3 Y* N4 t
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
; J& h" n. J$ R) I+ g. O4 P556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
- Y4 J( L7 e: Y4 S' q& r/ |$ a 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,+ p1 s4 m K" |
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
% _' K' z/ o- U N9 _+ b 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
: \- I* l# Q+ d0 G3 [558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
4 j4 F+ C N# ~7 s, O* | 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。" g6 u- n P" L& l/ L' g+ ]& K. n
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
^' D9 i, X6 _ 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。
) ^0 j* l5 t5 W+ C560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.( s9 {1 E+ B! ]) r! [0 y c5 |
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。* h2 c6 D5 I$ C" ?
561. This was indeed the case.( A; ?/ ^# K, y3 S
但事实上确有此人。' J9 a' O& M! i C
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.# @, z- e5 v0 s
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。8 r* A @2 N2 r& }7 V5 E) h
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.& b; K6 d' c6 K" J
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。
$ F, `3 b# L4 h) S564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
9 m7 Q! c) n9 _% C 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。: n v- C e0 b$ `* A* i0 o# G* J" k5 ], l
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.! Q& I% {( `9 p- M. p
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,1 D6 M8 }9 U" J, ? X
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.5 A" B9 ]* C' P: c
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
; s9 i; g8 ?' k, _0 k2 _! c+ l567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
4 h+ E5 x; ^% ] s5 B 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# C! r9 @1 d- `3 i" m' 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.
; L- s( a. F+ j; i 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。( L7 b3 z& `/ _% t3 e
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.' J1 Q- `. }5 O- x- F; k
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
9 [& |0 |* r, v& \. y& M6 k3 I+ {% c6 K0 x570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.4 n- s8 Y5 u2 m9 w- w5 Z
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。0 ]" k( v3 _1 d& j; I3 S
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
7 y) `6 G4 L2 Q3 i 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。1 N, A: T/ @9 r) P: k3 r/ j( |
572. They did not even tell their wives.
0 i2 G5 T. g' e& c 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。+ h( W; V' u2 O+ F* q
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
- i: e" m# r9 F# ? 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 q# m6 a5 s! N2 g/ s
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
, X [& z; E2 T3 m 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
& y/ I7 o5 c* @0 D5 c! v2 c* L575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
! t$ g9 f3 k% |( @* K6 ^5 { 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。
: g6 a' p0 l0 Z; F" U1 A7 U576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.9 i1 ^* x) p/ b0 j+ P0 D; f
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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