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课文30 幽灵之死$ }) H- w$ I, p0 q! _% l+ s
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
0 V# k( \7 ]* J, S- ~7 G 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
2 r1 B3 U8 u, N0 B$ J6 T+ r, U553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.3 g( D: e, d7 X+ U! B- n, f2 ?
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。 |* Y( Y8 q" U. X; F9 M0 R
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.2 H6 v# L4 K2 J- ]' \; Y+ O
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。* E5 f% v$ B+ [, ~6 A
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.# g2 _& e/ h9 F( U% F
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
' p& p- T, U8 u& C6 p: @556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.7 Y( o" X: j2 A& T! l+ \
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,) h4 L: }, e1 G
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
: R% _1 L) i" x4 k/ h 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。. _7 I. L7 a, ^
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.! G( Z9 I) O$ ^: h
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 S* j: K; R3 e! j$ }% f! a, z
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them." ? l u0 V! V ]; 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。
, b. V9 s1 d* q! ^$ q560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
* y. }! x) y2 \5 _0 r% O 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。4 H3 }+ c$ R/ n, H
561. This was indeed the case.
" B9 p/ J' o# c, B/ F 但事实上确有此人。
, f/ s' j1 t/ |& `$ C1 }562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.9 T. D7 j- X. e) Y# t7 x9 a# ~
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。+ g/ Z% P; b# H& F% g# D
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.# D/ @, {& K4 t9 e) D
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。
$ Z, y$ C9 a) S4 E7 m9 h2 m) g564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.- k( K! H' R8 ^+ 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。3 N0 Y5 t+ v% x. W% n5 K: r
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.3 V, R7 X8 D( B. ]; H
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
* B7 b5 `. J, ]8 c5 {" r$ x: m3 U566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
* v/ C+ ?+ X2 x' L6 J. ^ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。' I/ l8 D* \9 E6 S3 s" M
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
, Y% A7 x* _6 x: W 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
) k$ y } Y% i8 {$ l" c# H, V: o568. 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.3 E R" O: C* Y/ B9 D
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。
# G, V1 e2 E$ t+ [/ Z' W% o6 G6 g569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
6 c5 Y2 C% E# ^" b" z) r$ c 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。2 k S# l6 l: _# v0 u6 E, a6 _* ^
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
' _9 ^: \' V& @( V 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
( s8 W- d4 x9 `/ r3 z4 H/ L571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
: B& ~3 f6 A0 w- b: I4 i6 h, A 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。& e% t. Y: D( V9 p0 X
572. They did not even tell their wives.
6 \- n8 t# C) l$ V 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。5 G _2 I8 K/ J4 t% u/ l, @+ F
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.4 T3 G3 C% J5 C6 I
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
4 B8 E: s' O4 l574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.( i9 H; m! ~( d9 `3 I
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,0 ^8 m3 q+ U# |2 v
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' g/ `1 N( }
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。
3 o# g6 C( g* r$ c8 t* P; Z" E576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
0 P! ?2 d6 R- J+ | 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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