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课文30 幽灵之死* n$ N, j$ R/ w: f5 v
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.- H! [+ ~) R& n, M% h
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% `: h0 m3 Q% |2 S8 w) N553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
/ M7 A$ D( ?9 O$ g 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。! k+ `1 ^) q7 Z
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.: s y8 Z: j# n9 t. u9 S* h
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。2 C# W$ z$ Z5 M% H
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
! {! f' a- X5 O. i 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。5 A- y0 h) H5 ?, c( R) X! P
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.2 l% t2 P3 Z6 f' k
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
/ a( l f0 y7 z# Z( g% h+ t557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned. n: E) E- _( ~4 g& K& ~
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。2 ^3 q1 u3 Y# \
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.2 h: }# }& L, c, f. l
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。
3 _2 {! p9 \5 o& L559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them. v q+ _ \- c$ V
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。' _. s. ? q- L$ |2 N/ T6 u
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
* g& @, ~7 s1 z 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
% b1 A% M( U8 c% h! c561. This was indeed the case.6 r K) G, r x& R
但事实上确有此人。
! D6 I2 Q5 {1 p) c8 @" z8 H562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.5 F' g% t3 u2 Z: R4 j
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
' w( V9 V* o8 {: \. [$ v" Z563. 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.8 m; i1 s0 x5 K1 ~8 o
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。
+ a; V7 s K( c6 B8 N/ |' g564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
6 K- \% g6 Q0 t' s9 y7 i8 H& X 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
2 Q3 [0 C9 |1 }; r' m( e) U- R565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.+ f5 f4 x9 H7 R, P3 o i% k
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
7 F/ d& a7 l4 \2 j/ x2 W. x$ `* O566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.! L. n& Z1 y& E" b A9 k0 Y3 _
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。2 ?8 o! |9 H4 g3 N# {1 b
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 M8 i( f- r: d& S% V 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。' _1 j- M% f/ c
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.% L1 T5 C' @. i0 Q8 ?
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。
* Q. _2 X& P$ ?: I3 d569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.; `! k! |# ]3 N
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。5 J! g$ h% Y! L( d4 ?
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
0 X, x* y2 h. Q 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
. r. H8 _9 t1 G. R571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.2 t3 D' }+ c1 z3 m9 r" _
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
3 \ ~9 s. l: B0 ^# d( _572. They did not even tell their wives.5 |- l. ?% O' t+ o) p) M2 L
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。+ b2 @# R& E* I0 k4 d
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding." D. }& |8 F9 X- \" ~& @* B6 B
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
/ K0 h7 @; A- u/ N I5 U2 a574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.( l2 R! e9 J P( x7 t
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
+ C ^$ c$ s! r- P, w/ h J) l575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
$ r' r' C8 F2 p% M' O. e( D X& s+ x 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。 |- C; X+ e5 ]5 ~
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.8 H; a: _. e9 p
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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