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课文30 幽灵之死7 m4 B; I2 o/ U9 v3 Z
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
" d2 l. |8 ~0 g& \+ P, Z% Y 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
; `" y' `( B4 F; I p: D2 J5 F! t( o553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
0 p4 B$ w) y- f6 p* u5 D- U3 S 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。) ~) R E( I- U4 t- L
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.6 O9 B; E0 D* ~( y
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。5 V- k7 N9 d& H( A+ n6 x5 f6 M' ?
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.3 ?/ G% B7 s/ u* Q. }- J+ F& {
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。( ^: T+ O- u4 ~5 G8 N# C' C
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight." w3 O( i( c- r! t) K
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, e: E* Z+ }+ Z, C, {9 j( h
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
6 V9 n' @0 r& w4 _ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
$ ]3 ~. T% d. Y# V558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.4 b. c; }/ W" I2 f. ?
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。1 p! y& v: ^* X7 k3 h1 t
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
+ p' N9 N+ F8 d# D8 D) P* w 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。
. a1 A/ E X6 m: l1 g K' w560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
: }( |# a$ C+ G5 u) s5 {2 l 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。6 X$ p3 K8 m! S+ h0 | v7 \
561. This was indeed the case.
$ j! B: y& b- ^. X3 r/ h 但事实上确有此人。
. q) G% n! G7 c# m1 z562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
& ~2 z' R* v# H3 U' r 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。/ d s: T) Y' P b I3 i! X
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.+ Z6 t; a# x/ Y$ R% a* Y
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。
9 X3 |4 p& s0 M. G564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.: G4 N, I5 F- r |" d S6 b$ I B
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。; L# d6 Y* y: N7 E4 G9 I( P R+ a
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
% C( }; t6 n* N 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
' e( @: Z- l2 v2 k3 l566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.. H( c* W& M1 I# r; ~
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
+ w( ~2 E+ Y6 [) @! t5 ?& ], b2 V567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.5 j' N! ?- Q: [2 R+ A* l
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 P# E1 X 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.
Y; b* }7 B+ 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。
. h ~& i# K0 j, L* z5 g& l' K569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
5 K K: T) V) P 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。; K: r2 f. ~9 ^1 k$ K4 x9 P
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
0 w+ @; p" C2 Q' m+ W9 ? 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
& e M7 D, l7 v6 i5 i571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
8 ?/ O: G& t5 C7 @( S3 i 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
; W& T1 F1 @9 V( O" O8 Q572. They did not even tell their wives.
- u$ k; q. l3 ]: b) K4 X 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
; J+ e; g* W- i573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
5 e- F o9 a- b8 { 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 f3 ~- m' K. ~6 v5 ^: m# P# u7 P
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse." t* H& _ _* k! c1 x1 m
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
1 l' E* O B& y: Q$ e, P" f6 N575. 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 i7 o* d& u' D! b8 d' 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。* {+ F+ }2 [# I" Q+ D$ ^1 M) o- l# Q
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
b1 b* W# A& o7 H# R 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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