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课文30 幽灵之死, E; t& }8 n8 ]* V4 k& S
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.4 Q M6 K4 t; ^- M9 U" f, S( P
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。( d- V! T2 N7 H' E
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox., c+ ]* g4 F& I2 U$ s, v4 S1 t
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
1 c) M8 Y& w; R( Y1 [8 f554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
) g+ _0 q) f' s8 a) e+ Q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
* W, L0 L2 K& B/ {" Q5 x555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story." z# f+ t3 a0 I8 y
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
/ L! u" T- {; ~# K556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
' c$ N& t' E+ e3 u: Q! V- k8 z 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,2 {' n& ?5 p3 A4 G
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
; l% V9 R( x; t# p% g 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% D% Z7 }' L& r( \* {! m6 ^) I558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.* |. b* T) O1 Z% O l
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。+ g _ e0 L0 j1 U% N' U
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
1 p' N* A6 c; q# r' H* n 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 B: b/ U5 r5 n0 o
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 } [0 K" Z8 a) Z' H 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。1 R3 J* Q1 p; K' Z
561. This was indeed the case.; Z: S9 s% _2 |/ x
但事实上确有此人。
0 f8 e3 Y$ n5 d# E$ m& d9 Y562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died. K! n8 W% w- O8 R# S! j
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
4 A% m/ l! \0 M. I% e- 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.7 p3 p$ c* _& E4 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。
/ G5 ^. F+ k; q( B; [564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.! P+ k& R0 ?) v
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 d2 `" G9 n9 R% z/ W0 S565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
% |9 J1 [* q1 i- @/ R ?/ |% Q 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,5 X" ?; H! z# I5 t. {# y
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War./ c* n" P7 d$ L& G! K
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 B: q) c, S5 A
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
! T$ Z% {5 A8 @% v 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# i: q, S! o( o# d. O8 }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.# ^. S6 ]% i; k* Y$ 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。
* j2 f! O/ j7 d4 C' f569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
8 I* V& z# A5 \4 Q" D, ] 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。: R% U0 J% i# k* ^+ T: @9 o
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.: \& q! L: e( ]
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
4 q2 P5 V6 ^( P3 Y u) N571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.% P3 [$ r1 E) m3 j" ]! l" [' ?. N
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" l; \4 @) P6 n8 R9 c* I( R572. They did not even tell their wives.
" }0 A2 W( b* e0 M 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。 O- m$ ]# }& J
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
1 b! o4 j& B. K) u 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
( o) B; `* f4 y. j) C574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
/ ^$ q, O9 L% f5 T0 R+ c* j 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,0 X3 n# F) y! j3 [2 o: A; x& \+ Y
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.7 B& t- a% z, n" j( O. a& w9 u
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。9 O' B- m! w4 t' I
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.8 e+ r: R ]' f/ @6 f; y
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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