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课文30 幽灵之死6 D8 ~: E _" Q0 e0 I9 L2 E6 O8 c
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
) k8 S. R+ u4 w6 c! S 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
! C6 o5 o0 T% Z3 Y4 {553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.! B1 \& N) [6 v
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。6 l; ~ p3 ?2 \5 f2 W2 |
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
/ [' N# _& E' u+ p# c: K 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
, W; R3 ~8 A" P3 T- m555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.& y7 ~, c. d+ Y7 J, ], w, J
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。2 ~( j! P/ H6 h2 t
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
g. c+ e( m- t+ ] [ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
- A' N4 b. k+ s) D. X |557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
2 R! @% i, ]* x# r! j7 V. i 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。! D P5 `% l+ @1 Q$ j$ z
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
# N l q9 k- y* Y 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。
; R/ s& J* B8 t# H+ g# k8 d) `559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
" }. W: h C( 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。" p' h8 D" \+ L% [2 [
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.3 E% v9 r/ [1 u' f0 H' t
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
0 `6 q# p* n& t2 Q4 t# @# l561. This was indeed the case.
0 U; t( k1 l7 F u4 ~5 |* S/ H5 m, ?3 \ 但事实上确有此人。
; q9 [% y! U3 a3 I, s562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
t! {/ Z. |% X 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。& m1 J6 z$ \- M# Q4 H4 \
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 m7 o+ O! h: P, G$ Q% x
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 P+ C2 ~, s2 B- C j) J564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.( n! ]# ^( }$ w* w
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。4 y7 \* [! b0 ]4 G& X- L
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.* e0 m; F8 N3 m& @
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,& s" i6 n* Q/ m. F+ V
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
1 C* S& @$ \, }4 |" v 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。, c7 A h% {; o" x
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
7 E T+ _4 h( l$ c# U9 k 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。 F7 S$ B+ R! i+ z$ |* 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.
* k0 l4 M/ u; c3 Z5 F8 ~/ ]: o 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。$ y3 y" S+ e: S' I3 E: M
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.1 ~6 L! ?' v# P/ P2 f
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。3 ^* h; v+ C5 {4 y& L: d
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.) }* f5 c4 @, M% U" R# |( m% ^! i
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
! Y) s- w* p9 Y) R Y( i- h6 {571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.3 a9 L( W2 {+ Z6 A$ c- l
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
% r/ b f7 h. i: d+ Z572. They did not even tell their wives.
" j0 ~5 w9 p6 H8 z0 D9 f 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
! V+ r1 Z9 G# R& D573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
+ u: T3 c& c. R7 S 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。* c$ j) [9 S9 j. X' b- m
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.) {, C1 ^/ M( q
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,2 w y( K1 o9 _$ |
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.& S$ a- h2 ]/ ?; ^
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。
' a5 F) u: E/ H' k/ {9 ?& z, a. Z576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.& W/ I2 m' c+ A1 f7 ?) ~- H
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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