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课文30 幽灵之死
6 x" E6 Y5 `: ? ^3 J! k ]( n1 |552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
' t2 e- n @; f! u+ t 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。( M I# _% T! w4 T6 W# r
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
! q8 l6 A! o7 {) R6 x) ?1 { 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。# _. c" z& G0 ?" ?. o' V
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.! p7 F: _7 @5 R9 I, s
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
0 J% C5 W2 v* {+ B555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
+ I, |3 U# x% ^& R 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
- H3 H: y! ^2 b: T1 t2 {, ~556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
" L9 d( `# g* r- D& |" M! V 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
$ m: i7 Y# X$ m3 y2 ?" y8 ?557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
q6 b% t. N* K) c 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% m/ Y9 l! E9 G* l3 U) o558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.6 U6 y3 n; T2 U
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。
3 G' ^1 u; S5 k6 D' B559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
3 K% h# K' y* d6 f7 H- |% k 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。
6 Y/ {0 Y$ J+ F( Q% u9 a9 D N/ X8 _" R# S560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.2 a7 {2 r. D+ u H3 g
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
) i7 t! S- D }( ~$ J! k1 g561. This was indeed the case.& I' ?/ T) Z+ H( q3 c6 {% z
但事实上确有此人。$ T3 U+ U) u# r$ ^) e f1 D/ C, B
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
1 W0 G* V/ t/ \1 \9 u2 ?8 u 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。7 r) \- E6 s0 {, M6 e/ r
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.7 V0 b* Z8 k, _% Q" o7 D0 ?' D: Z
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。2 G8 m, L7 D) t ~# W% k
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.( x; D A7 `2 P3 K
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& y2 }+ N$ E1 u" f$ i( t9 N565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ z( O8 Y0 T- u
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
9 G r. F1 g b0 Z566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.& B! j# e' |. j. |* m
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。 B1 D9 w0 m9 a5 g( X) G- t
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
9 L4 H- `" P* L* ?% e" [ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。+ S0 ~9 o% _( N2 h( D
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& s1 q% F# J( g: ^9 t6 I- 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。
# c8 w$ \ @/ f s# l569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.; a% `/ c, c) Z, v' v; _8 A8 w6 ?
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
1 X; U e0 _, h( }) t570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action./ Q4 N" d# t1 C& U0 _
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' q( r6 ]5 }4 y. y# z571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
; D, k1 B8 _' W+ V! l 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。( L8 \3 V* _! Y/ L6 `
572. They did not even tell their wives./ G4 Q( j8 Q5 C6 R l/ \3 u5 ~
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。9 q$ U( O1 m, ?' V. K
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
3 ~, }3 V0 H( w' a) ] 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
: e# _0 v# J! X! s0 r& X574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
! r. V3 r; V+ X5 K, J 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,8 M( h) J$ N, \# F' q
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.$ o) y% S1 `! Y. Y
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。& i! N& H3 u4 ~ J6 j1 f
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
o. l! P( o$ l. J3 T0 L0 I5 { 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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