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课文30 幽灵之死4 u7 F, ~( @+ D) N# y
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.7 K7 f6 H; ]0 w9 k6 b" O1 ^! c4 b
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。2 J; D) q3 P" A1 ~9 x; }( Z
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.& L. p9 }* c- `. z5 F* n
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' J0 ~: |9 l6 c; i. n554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.7 f# D; m3 @/ m0 V
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
) h; J3 {% {* f$ {/ b4 F( R555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
* h) K t; U0 A' u8 M 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。8 F) A. R+ ]' `, D5 B; W) f7 @: c
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.) { J2 x- g0 Y; v$ T
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
8 e4 G! ]# F: L- \, y3 R3 I557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
- \3 T* V& ^2 f5 }7 j; [" V 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。7 ^+ Q1 C9 m) _3 w
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
0 d+ ~& h. T6 [! e! 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。
' E8 t) c( i: S4 u3 A/ `559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& j2 L. H7 {0 Z+ s0 n3 r0 s 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。. D+ n9 ~7 `& c
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.; g7 r( d, {# v3 R1 X
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
a7 h3 @: \. q561. This was indeed the case.% ]4 c$ G, Y$ g( D/ K
但事实上确有此人。
A4 E4 H7 K$ E4 r8 L3 }9 \9 h562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died." O& M: _$ S- X% }
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
1 M6 I- K4 B- s; }0 n- H563. 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./ I+ Y: E, N! C+ O+ m* Z4 q& r
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。# O% [. `; x0 u5 S" w( }
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
6 C7 g6 p# N" Q3 H/ N( ?7 S 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
. i! H' M2 |3 r9 W565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
. T3 \: ^: B+ B% T; y& p8 h 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
S9 c5 v1 U K G/ K0 p7 p566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.; P6 v# F. \! ]! z! y4 e
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 c: e) x8 L% i4 S: o! w6 b" l
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.* H/ L6 j T, t' \" n& ]- @* P, W
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" t" }' `7 y1 o5 e& 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.
8 L3 A N7 k1 K( R* y' F 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。
0 s! u, s8 p, L2 {$ j. k569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
$ C1 J' Z! E6 p$ b& T 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。/ ^3 H; X5 @. x d5 r
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
" ] o( o3 z# v9 L 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
9 ^: n* ^. t4 Z& V% ~5 l/ C" I571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
" x3 w8 J' L0 C' }+ M y/ A6 t" r 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。- {7 l' s; ]% R
572. They did not even tell their wives.3 N' D4 d' l l6 m9 o4 H
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。5 V: z4 A& u5 g- C1 }3 i! P
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.7 _2 H) U$ C" Z% m7 T$ i5 F
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。+ G9 E' D/ D1 K! J1 N# C
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
. \" E7 ^4 j: a( u 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活," `5 N! V3 h! {. i
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.
* @' Q6 q% k( z3 Y% r8 v 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。
% e2 a' B: t; y$ G$ ~% \. }576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.' y# k5 d2 E* ~- [
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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