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课文30 幽灵之死
3 |8 A( k: B5 f( V552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
9 p6 ^; f4 g: @- y 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
* W+ m& X( D& M553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
" Q/ {3 ~8 f/ F3 K 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
+ O/ a% b: P s2 q554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
$ I" l0 b* H: O" b% z( k 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
5 [+ R' F/ l% h7 S" U: ]- E5 C555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story. j' F' i0 g5 v) B( Z$ g! l: W2 K0 A
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
# N+ K5 a& Z5 N556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
2 u+ W1 a5 M3 L% n, y$ @ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,$ L4 j7 e* ]( G: _
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
0 W. D g- O/ w2 v0 ^: e4 b 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。- [0 @( ~' m9 K% x x; E! C! I# n, L
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.% b0 b% l5 k* o4 X! I
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。2 H6 r$ W( u9 i5 \4 z
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.! n- ~8 V9 l/ @3 ?8 u$ ^3 ^0 C/ ^& z
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。& J0 D. f9 S5 H h7 B3 R
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen. b! y6 s. |2 P u1 y" N, a$ }& c
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。! R8 M. I7 X; Y2 ?. \$ c- Q- w
561. This was indeed the case.
' b' U& I, V1 O' Z, u 但事实上确有此人。" G: K* A" \ p
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.; Z9 J# t5 c8 W
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。+ T$ d! j0 |" U( R2 A
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.
" Q# Z9 M* w# d" t" Z 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; k8 [" }! E1 Y7 `( q
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.: h+ P3 m+ |& v: v7 H% L& b3 Z
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
8 B0 l0 j" e* {$ `+ \0 X& Z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.& J' Q- [$ a: N; `+ e. f1 M
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,. J7 |* }3 x. ]8 E4 l
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
# M" d5 `, i6 f1 P# T9 {1 ? 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。/ k. w3 H! ]! r _
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 _% X: k* `2 m9 V6 O 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
7 { O& ?+ G, b: N# N568. 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.
' p W6 _0 w& u& j) h1 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。7 s- Z; z" O4 V5 }3 ^2 {% v
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.$ n& l" t: I" @$ C
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
m. H* e6 K' e% Z; C+ c( ^& o/ D) f! A570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
2 R& _6 z) m$ Z+ M$ v9 o6 c/ s# g 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
3 ]; T: ^8 A: I/ U) y571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.# W3 Y. y+ N; H. ^! T
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。2 c4 \5 d: f. J
572. They did not even tell their wives.
# k4 n4 X) O2 `+ a8 U c9 u 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
0 |8 S+ r9 E1 u' q1 H( w& E573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
. ~' l) w2 a" p, y2 I8 C 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。+ I$ c/ a& D/ e! {
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; A# G1 d Z4 c4 Z$ X
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
0 h5 Y, o+ Q5 h+ r. S; I575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
; c9 v: w4 i" A3 U# g 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 k: S$ m. M2 Q6 I5 {576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
5 h8 x4 D7 X" N! C% R2 Y( ` 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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