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课文30 幽灵之死
9 i4 f7 z4 ?; n# M: v7 ]# P552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.- a; V* i9 C: a/ S$ n; F% w
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。$ P& A! { n: D7 h0 M
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.( r# [$ X4 D2 O' [
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
, L6 |4 E& z2 |554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
( I$ N3 `! x8 V U$ X 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。& | ]9 y2 @) e+ U- `8 j4 O7 H M; E
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story./ [& W) G$ V; X, q/ n, ^+ C
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。! W& E) l" H: N2 x( I" Q
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
, u! `- E& v' k. ` 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,, `3 ?$ I3 C4 e" x
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
: P9 ^4 d$ `" P1 ^$ M4 H' z' C0 F 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。 O6 \+ K- t3 c# l9 X
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
' l& e3 h" X4 X 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。
r. d2 g3 N0 m1 e% g2 E559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
8 s9 `3 _( y) O0 {2 _0 g 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。3 w: p8 y* H) ?5 d6 m
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
, b' m& \5 l# |# k9 T" o8 o 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( J2 @5 o' ^* b3 u" _' x561. This was indeed the case.9 T5 a# ?" f# x0 u3 a) s f4 J- |
但事实上确有此人。
. y* i |* p) w/ q562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
' T, t+ T* b% `% I* S 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。) l$ w A6 d6 R5 l8 Z1 |1 r8 J
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.
/ d9 \% f2 s5 P 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。
5 E( g& h7 U5 l" ^, g9 `564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.# r( C$ F" |% D8 [
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
, P) W8 g2 s% u565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
8 B' d- i$ m5 V3 F 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
7 e; G; c$ p0 ]6 I566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
$ z' i& Z& @( B/ p( C( Y 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
0 M$ Q* j0 N+ D! H" [567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment., ?! n/ E# W2 B: ]1 K
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
; n- z: b5 e9 ^- s568. 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.
0 t+ H. A# N) V. l6 E! @ 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。 X. w4 K/ ]9 X
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
( }- X% n2 ]0 P3 f8 d 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
1 n0 @2 S, f# k# c- A2 [+ v) `570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
) t8 p! W, a" e5 D; }3 t* {" L 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
. R0 @) K% a& c3 @* c571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
3 p4 f7 d2 n9 |/ w/ W. p 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
. e2 V: j! k* A, G572. They did not even tell their wives.
7 {: j) j5 ]( c0 y+ X3 b 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。( D8 @4 h* _) B' e
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding." I; g7 R! K! V; V. K/ P
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。! d/ \5 h1 v8 e
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; M- d3 U5 `" q
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
* c( J) G' X3 l& X- c6 P575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
0 Q2 Q( w) Z+ ^6 D( {" 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。
0 V t/ s. w; O576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer., ~) {: [; b6 K2 i4 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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