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课文30 幽灵之死- |! s+ i: {2 L: f
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
- A1 @8 w% e/ b 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。$ R. \8 i6 f- g0 a1 e
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.3 i0 n& J1 b0 @3 b+ y
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
5 t) Z4 f4 R2 O2 y8 _$ O4 X554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
+ d) p- t. [5 }$ s' x3 t l3 W 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。0 D5 Y# l% a2 k) f! `$ r
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
0 x, G3 ]8 j T 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
; ?1 x( l: y, L0 E9 L556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.! s: O4 B/ n6 w3 H3 D4 g
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,0 T6 e9 N( ?+ Z4 ^3 S4 q" w
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
$ ]9 i, L [( j; p 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。9 r9 L$ w/ B: t- y
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.$ g6 r1 F! G# _3 Z1 r
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。% H* j# M2 e9 B* q$ t8 [' n& e
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.4 N8 ~) v8 D9 \+ N+ O% z: z2 ^8 K+ S
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。
, T% r+ s& p5 R2 V560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen., g; U! N5 s$ \2 w1 f/ n4 R
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。' f3 `. J/ L; f8 b+ a2 ~ ^
561. This was indeed the case.
% b. Y' d' h6 F# K' a 但事实上确有此人。
) o! u6 w6 u: _% h562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.. b0 K, \: r% `8 }
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
& Z/ k$ Z3 g/ Z6 T) ~0 K( d+ ^) [6 R563. 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.+ \- P f5 h) q1 R5 @
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. I+ K( j4 R4 ^% a564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
5 `/ U' _7 O1 [1 S# d6 J- A( h8 r 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。1 T7 i% i) p6 r* I6 _
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
; W( M* A+ y& F4 R( u& F5 E* K% K 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
2 [9 D G) l& B. B; Q7 N566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
8 g( X9 z( D) c( [ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& P# u" }9 C ]$ V: I* Z# J/ A# @567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.& X5 B* d9 V) e9 z+ r! V( z
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# U$ r5 ~5 V% @" A$ V1 V568. 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.# E0 r" a! j: z, I7 n( M- t) q5 C9 X- r
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 Y5 m) u J( F9 h- {
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.7 b( ?1 Z. `. ]/ i
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, t B0 |' N! q. e% ]2 [! S
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.% `3 K; [/ ?! X* p- D
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
+ g' P- n) }/ ?0 |+ M" b571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
# i- {9 J; K0 e5 ] N" A 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。) ]7 p( h8 e3 Z9 \1 x
572. They did not even tell their wives.. k5 W6 M/ V6 L
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。" ~7 q/ K; F" v' O. h
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
. D: j% G4 f, l2 _( s, I+ | 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。2 ^& r- P: z/ w
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
7 Y0 F5 V: H# n. h" W0 y 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,, G/ L2 @3 v) d; m
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.
; s$ z/ }3 m1 e 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。 w# q Z6 H$ t0 @" T
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.1 ~' [1 o! K) H5 j; j" q- ]
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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