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课文30 幽灵之死
5 p2 W$ g, K/ ^! f3 A552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
. q& w4 m O+ u! e5 | 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。6 }' E# d# d7 h8 L! ~
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox. O7 X5 y) }5 H0 _/ M
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
4 y) [" G) T# b& w4 W554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.1 {/ S8 R, _7 P; Z% r9 e. Q* h+ V
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。1 Q, @6 a: u; r. b7 f* |
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
0 Y+ _# W6 b$ l$ v 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。7 @: z. x+ W3 r5 `/ x. V) T
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
: a- a. g( k* k 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
/ N+ J4 r2 j/ g, z' A; N B557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.) I+ h* ^/ f+ c3 }4 O: j
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。" ], y, v( N: b9 i& C
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
$ g% z2 e/ L4 \, v 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。
2 Q( h/ @9 k! }7 J- a/ P; P" a559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
/ B l! b- L n0 a- J 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。/ ~2 r# ?9 I- d$ A0 `+ y6 R
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
+ S3 F; m% R3 i: m) B# B& b5 E, F 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
5 T Y2 R, ?4 u5 v. h3 B561. This was indeed the case. O7 K$ g6 j' r
但事实上确有此人。/ ~$ g" \) J% r3 j5 G
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
/ N; {. k. F# E1 W, u* Z 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
( z5 S. y9 z5 `6 B: L: C$ c563. 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.6 {1 y, H9 u& ?
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。
+ E- V( C5 f+ H) c0 o564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
) S+ a' ` M) b! r 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。- ] H5 V; h+ k; p5 y
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.& }3 J- n0 a) o6 ^/ Q
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,6 m, E0 Y8 o( z
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.' w! G( E% n, s" M
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
# v' R$ U+ O& A6 }" W567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.8 L3 Z# i, o" R. o U
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 s* y' A Z% n* d- y
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 \3 Q9 G( D" M- ~3 ~( u9 Y
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。: @. _3 m U8 w) x- P. M1 h6 P
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ G+ N. \3 j; U u' E 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。5 E0 i0 M! ~) B% @0 z( l4 x8 z& j& \' e
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.* U7 C; n3 p9 P" ]7 B$ T- c6 |* ?
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
! g5 O q. f1 L ]7 S- R571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.( d' H9 X: _1 t; P
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
{, p& W3 E. K$ ~3 K( q572. They did not even tell their wives.
, Q" K0 k/ K: @" e" u$ `* m 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
$ Y0 z( J; K( g' B573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
. z* ]. B0 X# s6 g: R/ c 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
, L% T" S5 g }$ c2 _2 V1 a574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.3 ~& W4 T6 k8 V4 ]5 _4 y* H1 m3 h6 |
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,( Z& ~2 f4 b8 A" h& l) }* c2 n
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.
5 @* E7 [5 F; s, R 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。% T/ n0 s, [7 P
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.$ R9 N9 f) T$ C& _: c( x3 j
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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