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课文30 幽灵之死! i& R; k: _' ?! _# T% R( A/ x! {; A4 K
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
" e" s' ~$ H$ A! G7 e% f' a: T* K 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。0 Y4 }. ^! M' g2 A
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.0 c* A4 M0 ~( v' t2 g
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
& Z2 D4 [* I) S/ z& `554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
- a$ H/ e$ D& J1 u) W- h1 k 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
( [( z. I0 N, i3 {, e: R: y5 P" \ X555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
; Z; l+ S8 a1 A- ~+ o3 b 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
6 i4 i2 V/ f% ?) U556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& t# c- [( J/ x9 T& H, O
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
B+ @$ P9 q5 e, A4 b3 E557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.8 m G- g8 B) ]8 U5 Z3 [ O
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。9 H3 J3 n, A% \" l0 O* ~2 t
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.- ~1 j( e9 Z, `, I5 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。" s+ w, {" t' C V3 G* y! ]- t
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& u2 P4 \. p* f 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。5 V4 H) p' ~8 c |6 q$ ]: J
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen." |9 c6 z$ b+ [; F. Q( |5 O
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。, y2 g- n4 _ G+ q
561. This was indeed the case.
6 g! ]6 N1 N- H1 Z5 [/ Q8 @ 但事实上确有此人。3 Z( x% K6 @ k" a3 G7 w
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died./ _4 B8 u: Y7 g7 v0 d( p
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。1 c2 F3 r6 k }# k
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.' y. ]: v: l* j6 n6 O" C
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。1 }' ?% ?" E; r' \) }
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.5 ~: m, b/ S$ z8 w* j+ \0 G
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。# H6 [4 c! k* D$ t" z4 ?; U
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers. _. s+ N6 }4 S4 y* r
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
. J* z" V4 |# O' p, N8 K566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
3 b3 I1 r! E/ } 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 Q, n* w2 J# f- h# K- K
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.8 J8 C- [# n% t" i- T
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。/ N2 Q$ s% g+ s" o- u/ X
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.* g; a/ U/ b- f! y1 [8 O) 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。
6 ?. o7 b' K* m3 ?569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
( V3 v6 k$ {. A5 H+ s 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
# T- r) \3 n: g" a( M570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
! o _; q5 h8 W: ~" m 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
6 n. G% V7 w& D. \571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
+ | U! y- r! r* z 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。& a: E- B3 _. D3 ~. |+ H
572. They did not even tell their wives.
) |0 @2 w( I8 U! B$ Y! B 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
8 u" w9 }+ o6 ]) C" s" \573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.6 | s0 R/ O# `8 n7 j
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。, U9 p: d% J0 D& b9 i, w
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.* v! v; M4 `8 t
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
. c' \4 X& k: {2 k. T* l575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.$ [* ]3 N7 m( v" j5 f3 f& H) l
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。
& F) x) @7 T o' d" ]4 X% `576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.2 z7 h. s z/ r$ ^$ |( ` \1 t9 i
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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