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课文30 幽灵之死8 ?1 I8 y5 u* t
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
& ]# U+ k- n( W) T: R9 h 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。/ R! Z' O. P! C' T7 P2 V
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.6 o: l" G1 H: r! s
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。9 `4 `* c; B5 }. F) y6 Y
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
% ]# ~ O. d, s$ G5 f 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。9 y7 q! c* H k8 O( }7 o6 O/ a
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
4 \% E3 K# V; m' p8 c4 O- @ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。( c1 s; J% T* r5 q- j
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
" t( n* `) a' J8 Q 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
4 g8 a& S8 b/ |/ O557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 U8 a. L9 t7 a4 n2 e' F 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。6 v1 [( m2 ]" y6 L! x. e1 ~. z+ I
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% g/ ~4 p3 F# ?$ T5 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。
2 A4 }1 [3 n' m: H* R559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.$ B. T" D; `9 _; J8 ]: H* y
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。
2 D) Q* F3 T4 f" m+ `0 _) Z560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
+ |' I1 f6 |) W8 K 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
0 H0 m( N2 C7 x* I561. This was indeed the case.
2 l/ B" ^! F. Q 但事实上确有此人。% A x) D" q+ p
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
+ `) T5 u: h' M 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。6 d" \0 Z/ m1 f4 Q1 [4 {% D* F
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.
4 V( X4 V& i; ]/ K& V: o% k$ d S& J' A 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。' H) O0 I0 w- O1 c; E" n
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years. E; c! I6 W9 \. [, o 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。) W# |$ U, I% D7 I+ ~
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.! `3 |' z. C+ N2 k6 g
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
9 {6 Y2 l# y* }! w& G566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.% F' g6 T) B' B
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。3 q. q C+ E% I, M
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
L( V7 C9 v6 k( A, R9 t4 t5 T9 y 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。( h/ @6 U u3 R" o! D8 F( 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.
2 N$ V. z. R+ R7 {4 g 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 w* w# `; H4 A) |# ~+ K; e
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
' S; K- S* z3 |1 n; j8 i 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
0 u* w4 |7 G& l% g! _. b$ K570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
( M; f4 U+ a7 x 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
. `) {1 w. P# H; ?+ c9 e! I4 n571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.; ?5 g; m% [3 j% x. B5 d% K
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。$ o: }' h5 u3 [8 z
572. They did not even tell their wives.
k7 _8 W; k! Y- H0 ? 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
+ s9 S5 Q/ W5 P5 m573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.& ^2 S* ~$ V# F! F
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。; J2 V, e B# f: t
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.# O& D+ p, D0 _
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
) w) q q8 r) Y" k* n575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley." }" `7 m2 R: J5 N o
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。
( h/ {9 ~8 i) P9 e3 b: j( H576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.& m; K( f, Y$ G
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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