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课文30 幽灵之死
. b. b) z6 }. |2 j( `+ x2 V7 N. V552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
* C3 |# Q! ~# Q 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。; m# y$ E- ~/ K* X
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
7 M; o$ k! X$ X 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。$ U# ^, X% L: h+ O9 S9 j
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.' q( K' y7 d- h0 J, x
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。 c$ b/ F9 x# N {* j4 t+ z: i
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.6 n3 @0 O. L6 v: h" Q8 M
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
1 ~, @2 F. @& s6 L6 v5 N ?556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.: X6 D! z- f1 P, K" F! t
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,2 N, c! T( i4 V! `
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.) |2 o) s. C# v6 X0 g" ]
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
2 j" y0 j) ^/ r* Z9 r4 c558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.! ^/ w1 F6 X% j! |0 N# b+ ]% \( E
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。
! m; H4 D% \; ~. ?" G559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
8 t# p% B+ r& s" G/ S/ Z 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。( V D& y2 d+ G5 W
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.& R ]7 ]! Z7 m7 b
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。' X4 y u% y2 A0 A0 C0 ^
561. This was indeed the case.
4 Y K5 a& }0 g) E$ o1 r2 ` 但事实上确有此人。3 M) o! P, `# D4 M
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 K6 k5 U; A/ |
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。1 }" R1 ? R; o/ a
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.
" A& m5 k6 L( n" @- ?# ` 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。
2 N0 i3 u# M+ G; m- s564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
, v) H6 C6 X7 x- t0 ^# D, d2 f 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
5 J+ B) h' l; N) d$ x9 K565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
$ ~9 }: F- N% y) y1 _5 t! G" Y0 W 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
3 e1 `' [( x+ O. m566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.$ s6 H& `$ K0 Q3 P: V* O
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。# F( `1 Z4 w8 d' G3 q# G
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.. {/ W$ S5 X; F1 J5 Q' t/ r
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。3 s) F% X L7 A9 K: U3 [
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.
8 W3 M- g& J) E3 J2 ~ 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。+ ~3 E6 X* L& Q+ k) X+ L, X$ @
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
% y* u* n5 S; c# \" V2 \4 W7 \( I 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。; Y4 q* E1 P" C0 M/ p! J
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.2 W6 T8 a+ b4 ~0 |
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
" N" X% r- D3 n/ ]( ~2 e571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.! Z& {, O4 a+ f% G% O8 j
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
7 _9 A# L. c! {' o3 f3 U572. They did not even tell their wives.
1 P2 F! T; Y, g" u: D, Y 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。+ x& e- h# `' _; B# u' S
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.6 `3 A1 r `7 ]0 J% ]' f
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。$ C& I( a2 x7 b: H. F9 [- `
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.6 {8 b, k( R/ c( U
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,% w% g! ~$ l, A" s. d. `: U
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./ f( O. J% o+ V- _
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。- c0 ] e3 r: p3 o3 p
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.5 q+ [6 _+ J" n0 E# F
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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