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课文30 幽灵之死# y: A3 x/ ~- J- m- ~
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.6 s* x# T2 h' Q) C
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。1 z/ {, ^' R- h0 O1 o9 p3 R) t
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
8 ^. i, x6 o" P; Q4 h 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。" ^5 B/ l2 B' L5 Q- I' ` c
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
# Q# H4 @9 K" |9 g1 A H 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。' Y/ p" e2 Z: r6 f$ @0 a* V' Y; m, G
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
6 Y4 i) }3 f8 D! I2 y 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
! v1 L3 o b/ @3 M( A {556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.% A. ~& V4 g! B" Q3 L) R+ m/ E0 d
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,1 W# I9 q w7 G2 X1 A, V' M! M( Z
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) Q) j! N# a$ A1 P- C& Z7 w9 P 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
# R; A, k1 P8 q9 {2 H; U558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.& D- ^( `* \2 I% C* j3 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。
5 p+ E; }4 t! U5 g559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them., j7 @# ]3 [9 B
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。
- @& a/ E8 A* a! @7 `560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.5 O" K9 v/ ?+ d6 j U, M3 j
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
1 g& u- o: e! Q* z561. This was indeed the case.4 a5 o' r' y- T" A; Q" J
但事实上确有此人。
' j$ K i" `0 B5 s6 d* o562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
* O9 p7 C) o: i* H) o 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。5 O8 ]& R- K* Q5 b
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.
/ s/ M) h/ m n6 h 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。: R" U5 T8 t* ]& g' ]" g
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
* o, _) `( M! `3 b7 C K+ a9 e0 h 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。+ @5 w5 D$ l3 Q
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
" ~) q5 {* L/ s5 [# ^- m- | 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
% f/ N/ Y! G' @, u+ V) ?) d566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
. ~( B$ E3 v; a4 x; {+ M$ e# H# i 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
2 @6 `( |0 H/ M: Y: S& F% m' J: H9 z6 Q567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
/ a* S i3 D c$ Y2 ~7 H- B7 w 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。1 h8 @' C8 g4 C. M. H0 ~
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.- x6 F8 V6 J8 g
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。5 _2 u; B+ R' Z0 |: _2 b
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
, a( w" i" ^; p! _0 @5 f0 E8 @0 f 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。+ T$ T+ u3 U/ I$ H& i9 Z
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.# i; }; p9 a E
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。0 U& ?5 j- ^5 H2 x
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.% @. P/ v. G& t# K7 O# Z
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
+ h. o7 O) U# j0 A. _" J+ d572. They did not even tell their wives.
% ?$ P( K3 p- h- E- ^ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。6 y: ~, V/ b. U9 S `
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
9 K, l4 u3 o& B1 P! Q7 G- x8 `$ o# v 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
) i! ?& O. N2 J% l574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.; z; Y0 ?) \1 d. I) v X# J
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
" W( e# q& }, H8 T575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
9 h9 k6 s" u' A0 a 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。
5 M- O# {3 _( l576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
: r" M: C* H! @ 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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