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课文30 幽灵之死
- z: ]6 z" z. g4 N4 n552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.9 W2 `1 u% P7 Z
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。9 j& {- {! W: ] G/ k0 p6 C
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.( J( b" P9 |6 c) w! O5 ?
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
; M+ `, A7 p- G. z554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
# K7 E: K5 b/ Q7 m { U 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
3 |* g: _' l4 Y# L555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
. {5 U6 W) w1 Z- H 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
7 ]! v# \; E0 [/ i556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
1 z% S7 e1 z1 M& W1 B 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
. Z6 ~' _* G9 c1 c# I+ C$ G. B% D2 z557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
& I. @5 l- v" b1 S g 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% h* R: b W1 I& N4 k558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.0 M3 |8 H2 Q" B! D
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。
4 [- ^5 ?, d4 W9 i" m559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.% x/ v' ?4 S; N( P2 R& u) 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。/ ?4 _. S4 ?/ K9 O, G: c
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 d1 k) o) S8 }* Z3 \2 v 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。6 O* v- p. i; r G. w z
561. This was indeed the case.
4 W( Z# N1 R* T* l# a. E 但事实上确有此人。% o `' |7 }6 c% o# M
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.( o" o! a" W/ g7 O, \/ _: j
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
R2 ~4 {: V0 D1 }. K563. 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.& M2 x/ |: z+ |0 \- O/ l: Z' 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。
5 y8 p! k& a; Y$ x564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
; ], I! x* f& {9 Q 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
% b3 o: \4 j) ^. i6 f& G565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' i* u. J5 w3 {+ s" J2 }
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
5 R' a7 u1 \8 p L& U566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
$ L- G. j/ W+ y7 \$ `% I- z 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
( v+ a2 o+ Y) N0 B: J% o: _6 `567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.' G4 ^7 S- t6 B
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
2 k+ l; o/ T' @% J' u( z2 E568. 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.* z) ]% o# ^8 j1 G" n0 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。
0 d- Z& [# i7 M* c8 q569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well./ Z1 \6 w4 Q1 z) n: |- Z
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
' u+ T9 `% l9 N570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.' O0 _5 Q+ s3 G: t
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
/ Z7 M6 Q# N4 ]" S571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
. H3 ?( V. B" O1 H9 D# Y 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
/ _! n! _; z8 y, r$ H6 L572. They did not even tell their wives.8 V8 }; O$ f$ {* c) Y) @: _- S
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。/ F/ ^- y. Z/ }$ @+ M
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
- |0 j: S! H6 I& P 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
/ L- Z7 |6 k7 M574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.0 j" g3 _* l; Q2 i- }
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,8 v* I, c n! a; G3 p
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.
; P) s* H" H/ h0 Q 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。
* X% j/ K( _6 K3 r- H" l) z576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
, q% a! u) N; M# R. ] 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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