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课文30 幽灵之死
& F4 I( K" s) U/ B" f! F" d552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.% Y9 k& J9 Z4 P1 N) M8 h
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。3 R& p/ c$ n, L, y1 s
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
; N% I1 O2 V: ]7 \4 s" S 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。5 ?7 p* W" p2 n# T* Y
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
) I& n: j7 C1 I3 N 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。! j" L L+ F2 e$ O8 U, t
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
9 R- Q) `' r0 `) ?2 X 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。( @2 Q, i* ^' z! I% ]3 g
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.! n1 E2 w: ^2 O5 n$ s
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,/ S' x+ H5 F/ ^5 Y. X I
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.7 N1 h' Q$ a. H# m* a( O
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
T' V6 M5 J+ r8 Q558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
/ t1 j- s( D F$ F1 _ 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。
# @8 n, [6 }7 H8 v5 [4 O0 V559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& W) R! c) f3 n7 J5 z+ R 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。
$ o" ~' J# d# @5 M* H560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.1 ~" s$ } c& B
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。& m) Y: [1 [! v: B; i7 B: R" ]
561. This was indeed the case.
. ~8 ^4 j N: Q( T6 p9 {6 T 但事实上确有此人。
+ `8 F/ ~9 W& a0 W* q6 A8 ]) q4 I562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.* m3 q s5 A; Y! F1 |& I* ~
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。9 ^. N {4 ?$ [7 m" a% L0 O3 P' e3 S
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.+ G Y: _% W. W. _/ g
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。
9 Q" S( _7 k( S% M564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.! G( j) u2 t9 \( L' Q
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。/ @+ M3 B" U* R4 g( w; Y
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.4 Z/ x9 N l) e: u
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,$ F. v- H* j/ p/ P. j9 `0 A
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
+ R; X* ]5 o7 m6 Y# V. s* j 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。1 X4 P. C N0 P- m* C/ v) c- G) `
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 l5 j' G% t) S0 ? 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
+ q5 E6 @' @" _% L e# `! L6 n568. 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.
+ W4 m0 @2 D; W 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。
' v% V5 [' P4 }% _- y9 I569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ J- T! M0 n, i: l8 ]2 @: S. K 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
+ L8 T6 O% |4 L& f570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
- v. f% i K+ ]5 R* \$ p 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
. D( K1 J- Z& C+ R3 p$ H: @7 j571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
7 ~) T- ~. }+ h( ?+ w$ Q* l* X 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
8 a& L" {0 X. a, b, U572. They did not even tell their wives.
) l: X% v: f/ Q) \0 l* { 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。2 q) E: C* q' B2 i1 U
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.* ?2 O% m9 v( g. o/ y% W% Z' j
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。4 ^ j7 X% K6 B8 C6 F6 n6 V: Z
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
* w8 }; J+ Y k# T+ T6 U3 p 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
- w, ]) E& j: ~! O7 u. \9 i c575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.0 m/ b* T* K0 F4 D- i
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。6 k8 C3 E$ h8 T" ]! S" U5 C
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
9 I m9 B, V; O. i1 U, X 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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