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课文30 幽灵之死; u( N$ h, A4 C7 d2 I% @0 X* o; T* c7 Y
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.7 E' O. ^; }0 t+ W9 C) e6 M( h8 B
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
4 Y6 D, e m: G9 \* D- X& a" c* O( d+ h553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
9 X$ w- ?+ P8 |' u2 f& ]+ ^/ { 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
! a. w) I, w; z) t- P3 z/ p554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
2 q" k6 c$ } ]' U# g0 N 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
- Q+ E6 |( v+ T" N8 q555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
4 p- V# x7 M0 _8 E2 K 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
/ X) Y, m* d; N4 j556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.2 ~# t+ |% a' L: Q' o- d$ N# U! v$ m) h
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
- _! v" ~+ o' U6 W& r( Y! b2 U557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
* a- m, @ s% H: g. b2 j( b9 ~ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
) E! @$ U( A* @9 y9 @5 W4 S3 ?558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) J) G* _3 s1 v( p
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。
7 Q0 H+ H" K: W! |7 W9 R* C559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& H% d1 R4 f8 g$ W 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。9 d9 g" `/ P; }) l+ v' o6 c( b
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
' t9 r/ o) n. D q0 C9 U: O 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
% |# k7 `9 I% I7 m+ m$ b0 S2 X561. This was indeed the case.; \& @! H7 d: L3 r9 e( W
但事实上确有此人。/ w+ r- q8 t9 \$ T2 k7 K
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.- |9 ?1 Q4 b' w, X5 b; G
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。' A; |- J8 N2 l& O# {* ] C+ J2 f2 N
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.* h$ E O1 Z, ?% S
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。
4 Z P" k9 e4 M/ X' Y/ F/ y$ v564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.) @- D7 D0 s5 q: D. d! }/ D
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。! [" f# W" T/ j/ A n( ` L- v
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
. }9 q$ K) v% V' t/ h- P5 u 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
, a* M0 p5 t# {/ L566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
7 C: g. P4 L9 x3 t6 m 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
% |+ Z+ r# w& }8 O: h+ n. d567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
2 I, i* d5 d" w: b 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
( y, f+ _! f) g# \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.! e( e! R' w6 Z8 A# L
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。% H* X& b$ R& b7 B' H! s" r, P
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
5 Z" h/ V0 v. M. b( Y# b- W6 B 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
7 X$ z" f8 ?$ b3 y Q R" z570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
; T% @% ]8 |0 L) c0 E 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。8 z2 x* ^- ~9 G5 b5 v8 e
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.: C7 e& f& t4 n6 t
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 F5 ~1 \, |; M: e/ b0 }' }572. They did not even tell their wives.
0 m' `, f1 p; w6 l 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。0 ?/ N& q( x e
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.3 J1 @. g7 ]0 e' Z$ S/ m: ~
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
. i% \) P9 z" ~574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.( d) G5 [3 u# r. G7 N. {
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,) m9 @ Z8 R/ U1 B
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.
6 L; j' ^8 e- T: T. J. 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。
' R: ]3 ]* O7 _576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.7 b# W0 X* h1 q0 i9 |+ ?5 V# 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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