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课文30 幽灵之死
6 h) ^& k, t2 B% O0 I: B/ C7 ~6 d) {552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
5 c8 ^; q. N; j" U2 u+ s 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。7 r, @: j4 x3 L2 ~" F) Y7 _! s3 }
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.8 l6 J3 v" ]9 E" [ d$ q
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。& S0 q3 R W$ Y1 H6 Y- e& D% r. e( r
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
- [0 h( p6 C" r 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
8 B- R3 H1 x- |) d8 h6 @' U555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
9 z- v; v& f4 u k# @ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。# a- B' h% E6 q$ p1 E9 w
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.' L' T4 i# `. X$ `
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
& H# z1 S: k* t9 Y557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
+ ^" S0 E) M7 N6 I" S. ~) ^ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 n. @, p& J u0 V% Y6 A558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
9 ?1 Z$ I7 q" q$ o$ D1 p' ^( ]2 p 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。
2 R4 i$ |. k7 u559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
9 O U8 ~% C& \# Z7 g 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。. {, h6 k2 Y, P- q) |( X
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
3 T! @- J- K/ Y/ u2 g1 v 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。4 L1 ?' H1 o" z4 B; v0 W' u
561. This was indeed the case.
3 g; c# `$ ?8 a 但事实上确有此人。% [: R/ q4 e: C3 T$ e' ?
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
6 @" x- K+ u& h; n& G3 O 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ T1 `1 F6 F1 P, d: M. l563. 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.% p0 |& t7 |8 ?$ _3 i* o
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。( j, G4 X+ ]. y C" r% K; c4 m
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
' t% q, j3 A5 B" ~' V, l5 V: g$ @! A 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。3 u0 n, s9 d, t/ E
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.) C. U6 Q3 H, g4 q* D
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,7 n3 y4 x& g* m- r% l; J- g
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
5 o7 p+ U( V6 x$ f- q& | 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 f4 j, J( T) s1 J
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
; T: v% X! l" l4 v/ V, A0 { 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。& B7 j# c% N8 y J
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.; Q8 b1 z% X$ U R5 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。
# _# ?! t* k& p1 K! j8 K569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.% H' N) B* n8 H
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
$ U/ D' O' u4 l" i: m5 W570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action., I0 p- {5 Q! G6 V
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
; Y' j' K b0 x# s; ?; u; r571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
$ r" w) V* j3 A* d- ] 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
7 P- e. Z: r, X# ~572. They did not even tell their wives.
4 D% i+ T( k& `# ~ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) {% g! t! J* t$ v( w/ {
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
# T. z3 i! [7 Y: k# r8 m# C 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
$ b l* N/ A* {7 [. C574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.4 Z( `0 \5 M% }) Z7 X2 L% u
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
) ?) \1 w1 }' G6 H575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
4 U+ U) q" g/ {6 z 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。
( V- j9 y W; B" C* R6 k4 p576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
( f& p. u5 y' C o 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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