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课文30 幽灵之死0 R" |: S. m+ m
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.5 q; _4 y* F3 N% g* H4 H2 G" D
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
) K: M; [% k {* A1 ^. n% S553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
7 k+ X4 x& z9 t2 a' e: B 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。- B9 i. f% T1 K0 a! e9 x5 {% t" U
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.8 n; E4 W6 y# n4 q; L8 ]4 F
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。7 r; G" G8 K2 A. U; l7 G( F
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.3 F. o8 `/ Q) \( s1 p) m& \1 }( X
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。" Y( ]1 ~; n! y) e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
) @, f4 R3 L3 S3 m 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
0 U8 Q9 `8 }/ i) y- t5 D557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' O/ Y: l$ l* z4 N; C F7 S 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
3 P. t3 j s7 G8 G558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.* D% M* u7 _ c! g, {
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。 D$ l2 m, C- [/ O6 v5 o6 Q
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.( \; t# E8 A+ w- B# `8 N* v$ f: ]1 A
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。
( f9 t0 Y" G( w: ]3 [+ M; C560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.# i; A7 K8 N5 @) C
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
4 O$ o& p B5 m561. This was indeed the case.1 `# C+ ]' K- h% s) p
但事实上确有此人。
' \6 F# }' \+ k& L# \562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.) ^/ }2 a3 ^3 g$ a* O
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。6 v7 ~8 [4 p/ l/ ]- Z) S/ }# a& v
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.
3 L9 m9 y% u @: O) A9 R 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 R9 f1 K+ o: t* h6 `5 F564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
+ [# a5 [4 g6 P$ c! J# s 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 ~ F; N. {9 C+ B565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.; | y/ `/ m: d5 i( V! e1 L5 K
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,. \+ l( M5 G2 H- B; x
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
. D; B S T p/ o7 p5 r7 Z6 V 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。$ J! s m$ j* {
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
: D+ E- `$ X s( |/ m 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
4 G, F7 j3 A& }8 z( }! p568. 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# ]+ P' ?9 V. u4 ?5 H% Q) s
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。1 M$ f7 x7 M% y; C) K9 O
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
8 o& M! a$ r* M/ f 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。2 [* y# A0 Q5 A% P/ `) s \
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action. `* }8 a3 t7 }& h* w: o
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。$ @) y- }! R8 @$ P0 j
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.9 n- g& U4 G( K1 @2 B( y
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
& V7 K9 j- `0 o+ y7 G4 E, Q8 z) T0 c572. They did not even tell their wives.
! d, r+ K7 X c 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。/ L% c! `7 e0 m+ G, o
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.$ q: N, T: [. o( L. \5 `
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。6 p& S+ Z8 c/ ]* v! B
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse." }1 C4 q; }& C; L1 f: U
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
( j1 G: _! N( a7 ^* W6 \! S575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.9 h6 k g8 C& v8 ~
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。
' O6 ]3 ?3 H( h2 V1 V576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.; N: J# I. Q0 \7 E9 r- s2 ]
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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