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课文30 幽灵之死( d' H( `* @7 K0 ^5 W
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
" Q% {6 \/ A- R3 z 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。* z }1 k6 |8 b. ]/ q0 f h
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.) |; g) g5 @) ?! g: J/ Q* G
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
4 D+ ^. y$ W' m: w( p: b554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
/ C6 f" @$ ?2 p7 B6 h% k 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
3 l1 g8 X' e% ~: e R" C+ \9 l8 n9 o8 B555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.2 x5 i7 i0 s3 l1 z6 L+ P( l
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
9 w) h+ w# M2 A3 l556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
- z8 Q. l) W+ ?" m 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
+ x7 Z u9 W* T% Q6 U% S; n557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
$ N8 Z! O6 b* q8 j+ k" K; | 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
. ^. Z7 K# e4 V$ D9 s558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
5 Q; k! ^7 y; c1 o. O$ Z/ 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。
$ d* q0 C& ?$ {( ?6 E9 I559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.$ q0 T, W, h, |8 w* Y
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。
, n; @# z. L2 Y560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.+ S. V+ G9 x# _1 A$ E
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
5 ]7 q, v0 ^( D, v561. This was indeed the case.1 {! N& @; ^$ Q5 |) n
但事实上确有此人。. r2 X' r+ e& `5 Z: p8 g
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
$ `3 t0 ?, @. k1 }9 P 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
# i6 z+ C* B9 |$ I2 F563. 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' J. m8 C6 T1 |0 i 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。
' {- }( z" Z* v1 b4 W$ m564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
9 u' o" f Z1 P 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
+ {6 K7 t4 r! y565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
3 C: e/ {3 l7 O) v% _ 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
& ]+ O, {1 ^; b- A# I566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.5 n( ?- Y% Q, `& |/ i
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 Q% p& r+ _- s3 D2 K) ]- U
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
) m2 G, @7 ]! k, j8 c 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。; T1 r9 ~. w( e/ {/ ]
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.4 P" z6 h5 F# ^3 ~/ V4 p
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。: b. z; ]5 b% |' b* o1 q
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well., \* N4 a6 I% {$ T
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
! ~7 `0 E: h6 }570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.: | D% y; j# H! t
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
0 n* O4 D4 e0 F+ `571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
9 s" S5 n! y' Y5 T: ~; m 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。/ l$ t" f, [" Y+ o) S% n) r! ?
572. They did not even tell their wives.1 J' ~! m8 ^( Y: C; B7 D7 S' q; H
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。# f' N: J; k& b- n1 ]2 G' q8 J$ y2 Z
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.% U% C8 J$ L- s! t6 x
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 d; ?. w7 G; B
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.5 D. j: a- E9 y! G' M# w$ a/ E/ O
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
7 \* j }9 V$ m575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.* h2 \, J" n. p& i
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。
% J7 k7 K, I; Z0 t* B576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.3 V- O; i' ~* 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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