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课文30 幽灵之死6 o z9 [/ m2 c$ e+ d
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.8 M' s7 g1 O( K# Y% h; a
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
2 C' i/ Z a2 d: I8 x553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
. @# C" D9 {& O! x 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。" r/ o$ y/ j1 v% M( ?' I1 u; l
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
t4 T( Y1 C4 T. X# ^, k 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
" x( U; e: V7 C1 ~" [8 K6 B. l# p) z# c555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
% a/ E% q+ H4 N! v 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。* H" n0 Z$ }! d2 n$ t
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.% z# [( s1 ] S. z7 j6 k2 y
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
0 E" q1 b9 ? ]- Z557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.' F/ I; B! Q& N$ L
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。9 P, U2 a; b) L- ]- C( `
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
?- c+ K& }( M: F6 |% Y; S 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。/ F2 ]+ ]; _; M1 l; J
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
$ K6 C+ l% e1 H; h 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。
( Y B7 p% k: F5 q3 J560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
) A4 O* e2 z) E& l1 `* i8 t0 Z 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
2 ^1 Y+ J [' u9 i561. This was indeed the case.
7 H$ j% R7 K% {6 X2 O( s. E2 j 但事实上确有此人。
; w1 l N$ [0 c562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
$ m" v0 ~$ [. x: d1 A 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。7 h/ Y8 ^$ ` L5 w( l, v9 w! Y
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." E( c; B' o R* E/ z
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。0 @8 i( p) j- X9 R. K9 g. ]
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.* H1 D5 _0 w( A h+ p6 T6 V/ T3 Y
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
/ L! l" q' y: v8 P: a565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ D3 {1 g% n$ [2 z- i7 x 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, ]. c" B, Z: O0 t
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.9 G) i* h& _9 q" E
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。# Y: {, z) k- Y3 b' }
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.6 J$ o9 L5 V; k7 u' K0 K( \
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。) t( X# B3 i( N0 Q
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., K( b" K5 i6 e% m& y. j6 B7 q1 H
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。
+ `% G0 @6 m. ]9 j( `* r. |. V: _569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
m- p4 H1 J3 k% ]2 l% @ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
0 n$ ~) _# l- I# }570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.6 F# b" E8 |5 q: b! x; x- f ]- N
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。8 Y% t& I: N. O4 C' j
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.4 N( w+ h' v! G
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。0 N# W9 Y/ O3 x9 f# B+ G; L. P
572. They did not even tell their wives.
4 V) G: E6 j7 w1 S 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。 _$ u' j4 P! X6 j& z+ N; s
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
5 D6 K9 R' o( V6 T& V 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。" E4 l* N) {1 P4 v ?
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
- W- H2 _' @& ] 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,& x4 e9 V. O, v- ` w) r
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.
; T: o6 D* Y+ k 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。$ a3 V( j9 q4 A* ?2 ]
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
/ z, h0 `. C( u9 C6 d 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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