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课文30 幽灵之死! H% h) `" s2 u, R" c* S
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
4 y# Z5 t, Y9 m/ k: p4 {% F Z 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。3 h) o2 {4 l6 x6 R" y5 q9 Y
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.7 g) N: o1 ]7 e
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
# F, Z+ I! N6 d0 S& B1 ?- x' v2 F554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.! V/ U5 M' W( {/ d( \7 C) u7 _! q
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。. }2 A8 r# k; q( k, Z, d' @
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
- [9 p+ O0 a$ a6 X2 S* ?) M" H# N 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
2 {" X. k4 T8 s x* ?2 \6 W) t556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
* q7 u z" r- |7 Z4 l 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
, b) X. V' @* G557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.5 v' d& q" X' G
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。8 P. ]# y2 n3 R% L
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) q5 R. F4 V' u" Q8 i& o7 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。
0 F# B- q4 Z& b559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
) `3 |4 \4 |+ a9 o7 a& c 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。
( w+ i d4 C; S* L% ^9 b: ~560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen. E) \) v: x+ B* g+ N
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
+ B0 Y+ R# p a K. e. d: G% D561. This was indeed the case.8 D: o, j- V8 ]
但事实上确有此人。, T/ l4 m: u% c
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.5 `4 l# m1 B* k, H& A
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
% C9 P. ~: e" P0 E' i$ d* {4 o563. 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.$ Y i! K* g2 c& @2 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。
+ C+ U. [2 {% |9 Q564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.5 }5 u/ }0 m6 H+ V8 U. g& i
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
2 k: @8 ?! L1 C, S0 L& W% [" f3 P565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.- p( r& q7 Q' S' W1 g
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
?0 X h. T# t566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.& r) i) Q# Q# K% [- Y. ]8 S. x, I% f
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。: m6 F+ W: m) }+ A% C1 n
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
2 ?1 B0 u* e2 C( s 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。% a6 m9 p7 R- z" |
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.- n" L4 R7 }8 |. i; l* [5 u
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。6 f, O g9 T3 H7 J$ A+ @
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.5 l$ N& H C2 X7 _/ y
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
1 }/ f& a6 Q) M% ]' i' g570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.9 E6 Z4 \! j: o9 O( n, w2 _
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
9 N1 c' A, L. s2 o/ C571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
1 \9 Y; r- h1 ]: N/ n3 C 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" I7 y; Z2 g9 v% \& T0 D1 A& s. C& ?6 U572. They did not even tell their wives.* e1 ~" K* ^( e# V1 V' N
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
$ G9 `% G) D: n$ Q3 [573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
3 K- A6 d! d9 s8 }* J$ f: y 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。, a' _) K: T/ v1 u
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
* \' D) D$ U8 J$ z( P( C) @2 x 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: {4 g3 e3 Q3 `' C1 S; W: g
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.( q, v" W% m; W, h
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。
! g% K [( @( M576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.+ p& N. m# a4 i( y- I6 Y) x1 V
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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