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课文30 幽灵之死
$ `6 B8 r9 ]' [2 s! l9 [) X' O552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
8 o; y3 M* L( ?, { 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。 K1 X) m8 w( c! E q
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
! u: d5 O# u" E' }, O G 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
4 i4 g& a3 ~ e4 f554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
& t0 Q' s! {% V! P/ v, O9 r; ~ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
4 i4 t5 z9 q9 n5 S9 `2 T555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
+ w9 u# O; k7 O2 \( k 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。 r' J* J# G* H' l
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
, f8 A/ x2 e6 c3 B6 v! P- t" P 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,/ Q7 ]3 p8 ~, k% O' {
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
* t& s# e3 L, v9 K, I 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。9 x5 d6 s+ F$ r4 x" `$ r$ p- I) H5 F
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
. [+ F( M s" S, R- y* h# E 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。
" W' Z' Q% ~! ^6 N' v559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.# Y( @0 h$ {2 r1 f& e
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。7 F9 A4 V( l. @+ V( ]( z9 w4 n
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
- ^7 N7 h' K# D5 Q$ t0 d 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
9 k, R2 H; _5 L3 T561. This was indeed the case.1 f- `' y& o/ w3 T3 d/ ^
但事实上确有此人。
, ]5 u7 f* {1 P2 P! \8 v1 o562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
& n; r0 e A9 _) S+ w2 p4 k# z. l 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ T. K4 q+ F+ p' s563. 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.* x: ^. ^( T* g% n
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。
i$ N& S# j+ c$ N4 ~564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.. N( k7 H: N! k' z4 w
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
! v) F4 _1 ~3 X' y565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
# W: f* d7 A) e) |; a 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,# Y+ _0 J5 V8 {( o- I s' B
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
' p# T& `, c3 u ]7 I O: z0 q 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
5 ~! O: Z- U6 {4 a6 U567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
8 A1 d* Z. r# ~ M 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。' B) X# r/ w4 ~
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.5 P! F0 n' S0 B
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。
. O& g, N9 K; V; ^569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
1 x/ s9 E! u/ C# A6 ~! s+ Z8 P. l# F& } 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
+ v( @* i; j7 f3 m. N! t; {570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
; A) y( o# ]! S0 h# a+ B 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
6 G8 o( g! V( u9 w' z/ X8 ?571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.* T) d. ?0 }. Q0 n2 r3 W$ g
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
8 {6 Y+ \' c$ h, o572. They did not even tell their wives.1 J2 V- X4 f a& q, x
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。% F$ k" x1 B3 ?
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.5 J) n r* e6 j+ v0 ?: ^
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
; A( o0 q0 O2 ?, o8 R0 u% C" v3 F0 E574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.- {' }, M: R: w! q2 H# B
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
9 x+ R7 i1 U( P6 V Q* r) T1 z575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.3 j$ t `( A% o6 }9 j' s- }( P
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。
2 F6 r* e1 Z+ h8 Z! A576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.5 N0 H$ P7 l: Y# g
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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