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课文30 幽灵之死) `& ?( R/ B9 x! M+ M8 ~
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted. ^3 d* p/ M( Z7 T$ t
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。! h# g9 F. g) j+ D$ S) \- B, G
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.; ~" w! I1 M3 F0 r% o
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。8 [" j# v7 [- I% V) C( R
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
8 o( B3 [2 c$ F; x" m 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。% i, [. h5 X0 g9 h1 H# _+ _
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.3 J2 B9 J T& y6 M( E2 F. R
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。7 Y- K% `7 N! j- z7 |
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& v" c" X2 Z( o8 q$ s
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,, s9 ^+ ?( ~& g O* s+ n! B
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' V7 q! x( {! W! [9 n 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。/ B+ w1 ^- w+ r/ U" q- Z+ i
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
4 j4 [" R7 O& s# w( y z T. z 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。
7 k, G q4 r; r2 z7 m; u/ {. u559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.9 b, M* ?1 {" ]
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。
+ h. v5 a" q8 b Y4 K/ ]560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
. Y$ s9 C( o$ @. { 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
5 t) G, X" M9 V% S561. This was indeed the case.% g4 n6 _- [8 X
但事实上确有此人。9 }" O' y& ~! }% Z1 S
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died." E( |8 V4 y2 D8 E5 a4 f
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
3 n) w2 ]6 r0 R/ {" K: A563. 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.
- R) I" |% I$ @5 I$ |1 r* H 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。
" q8 y. L; c& n' j* ~564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
+ C; N) h' H. v% M+ M 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
( @- B7 f: S$ }, R% g9 j565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.9 ?/ c+ U' w" A& M
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,* L1 V) R6 u: h1 V
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
9 n/ \) y) n/ N$ G0 X$ U 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
K" o A* m# {! u! F1 Y( I567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
' k' U: Y* P! C6 z 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
% q2 c7 ]$ S' o- w. S! |) }& H568. 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.* L E3 C) K6 r
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。4 K8 z; U+ e2 {' t3 ]
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
2 K' l* X% R. u8 \* z ^$ A' v 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
/ g) j& F7 J4 D! B. S+ ^570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
+ W. e: K$ g& ]* W; X 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
2 A2 ]0 ~0 F" L0 ?( |571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.: T4 O& Q# w2 z. B/ l1 y
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。% | `2 u( j3 A8 v" U m) L
572. They did not even tell their wives.
$ N7 B* i$ p- ~" v, u$ G 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。7 V" I9 I# B A+ m- B
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
% I* T# `( ]' R 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
) g( q; t: Q9 a0 a574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
- N% h& r& v% S+ H) q8 l* ?) Y4 r 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,$ I( C! q" C' _
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.6 E3 U: w; {9 c) m. p: ~: F
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。
, _- N2 @0 Q- V1 c1 F3 n576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.! }1 }* \; F+ z# e7 n
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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