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课文30 幽灵之死
. I% m+ f' X( W c. r552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
. f+ D. y# e) v A+ B) z9 b 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
# B" F1 `, x a" |6 n: i) g% J553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.0 r. L6 r# J; a% Z
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
1 q: z- I" R6 a% H554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
+ X& q! J$ X# ~0 A2 b 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。 l b+ g/ Q' ^% g
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story./ k* H0 t: v9 e+ m/ @& X1 j
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
# J/ e- D/ D ^$ ~) g556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
# q4 z/ b/ T, ?0 A, t9 b8 w" K 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,. P/ j& }0 v9 ]1 M) o; J6 i
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.; }2 R! K! @3 X$ F" b
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
$ S% g0 f7 u8 j) C) Q L* t558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
! \4 o# b' d) o9 L4 H 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。/ H4 y3 i% l% |" p* r- M( {& ?/ P; ]5 L
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.* H3 n4 X" Q* [4 K! Q
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。
4 W9 z# T) f, p560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.) u9 a0 M; u. }8 h" N; S
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。+ C2 l$ a+ o& ~' r8 k! y
561. This was indeed the case.+ a9 k: S, H+ c$ d. A* o; `
但事实上确有此人。
* M4 Z# z" U6 d. e562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
- f9 h9 t) | Y; k0 e# X$ r: K 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
" R, G: Y- C/ Q+ G: R* m. c ]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.
/ c+ [" s `2 E/ 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。
) f- D* g' |# Z564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.% R/ R7 S, @2 t6 H5 `
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 W! b- N" d6 y q
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
6 n/ b: Y% g! T- p( B! k) I; F7 ]/ _, X 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,% B3 X; q' w) \9 |! n K/ G
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
0 g- k9 U, E% g2 n7 r3 f u 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。+ [$ s' X, H3 z# J
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.; {& Y6 T/ H' E; N
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" l" n# P1 i! Z. V6 D# x! {: s# f
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.
1 }' V! Q+ U' m% w/ U0 D+ \ 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。8 f# d8 ~: Y5 F- ~. V. P. B3 V
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.9 b V, W6 g) q5 @' S9 F/ q
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
' \8 x4 s v6 p& V570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action. o! a Z" Q0 p- e9 i
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。& Y, z0 |8 `, c" H% e
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
5 e7 \6 b; i+ V3 X1 X 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
1 g4 T/ {4 \& z1 E, w572. They did not even tell their wives.7 n1 o2 |3 \' Q9 v4 Y
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
, v' D" n9 T4 U* c573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 j5 m6 J2 ~/ @0 a s
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。: I- p! o/ e9 u! d- U0 i8 X0 [
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
3 \3 |+ ?6 I9 I9 \% `; o- L 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,; O! {' M! c( |$ @% J! t
575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.! q7 F: G* D# m) l
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。
9 D+ G7 J- z# b, G576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.. [# E" p: S& }
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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