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课文30 幽灵之死
! y) G- R/ L& h552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
% R: J% k) U0 Q0 V9 Y/ d 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。% Z; O V3 c( q
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.3 \ R( p# p! E2 V7 T8 @6 Q
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。9 ?6 U$ A5 c" Q5 u/ ^1 k% y* d
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
. Z$ s$ z6 u; C. N4 L- s+ p9 o& |6 w 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
) N6 f8 c9 v' y( ^, t/ F555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story., C4 v6 a% ?3 k2 N1 F
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 ?6 L" u; h2 H; \( \9 a% D2 n \
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
$ o6 V, k. |. ~+ i$ b+ L- D& ~ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
, q5 T& b7 u& \0 s8 O. E557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.$ }& P! j" i. C& Q' E9 Q
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。) X; J. E6 P; ~
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
6 s' S% B/ v! S, I 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 ~) q6 E. ^! @& L559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
+ D6 d% S! ~# c* @7 u 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。
, m. L% Z" e/ t) c! j/ L560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.. k# ^! z0 @" M h8 O3 E7 u
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。! ?& F7 K0 j4 ^0 r
561. This was indeed the case.) f- \% f! k& o1 ~* M+ C/ f% y! T
但事实上确有此人。! `+ \& a- [+ O3 ?% _; T: w
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
' g% p) K2 e! R4 @: [3 A, Z 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
1 P6 y/ s$ L# ^, i$ [! g" n563. 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+ ?2 h0 ?. Y
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。
" w' N; s+ O& l) d4 t! P1 U _564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.& s( j) N9 y/ p/ T! o
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
$ M# J* b; A3 Q$ o! l: Q565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
* t4 x- J" J$ J) K( H$ t+ L0 P7 o 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
; P7 J4 w1 _: j9 Y6 E566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
: |8 N1 @2 ^# g& I 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
% _$ D+ [% \4 J7 X+ Q, `567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
8 i. _4 d+ F+ _/ U 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
& R- F0 M6 h! \ 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.
4 U' e- O' o$ k2 [6 i 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。) Y( B1 E$ |7 p: g/ O r
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well./ j: M) I5 V3 p" o8 G
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。+ Q% Z' ?$ b: p% J" E1 k2 a; g
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
0 T' {, s# R0 Z; q1 a+ z 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' Y& c3 `' D1 Q+ f571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.& Q% P* R$ v0 k: J% x2 N- e: a
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
0 h" V, k/ D/ X! B6 E) @7 T572. They did not even tell their wives.: M `/ T$ O& G2 X7 a' H& d
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。& Q7 |3 _3 X+ [' u8 L0 n# I
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
# T0 K) { Q& u# V 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。. z+ E; t; {; H# x
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
4 r1 g+ z3 i8 z5 ^+ r+ c 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
$ _ b5 V7 z1 @# [8 R575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.' A( M o4 T. K
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。1 ]) z6 S! C- H5 I0 [
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
6 u/ U6 Q' J* [, N$ i 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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