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课文30 幽灵之死
9 _% v$ h2 ^' A- i' v2 ]4 s552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.4 ^4 x7 t3 l& r7 V J) L+ e
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。: |* s- u8 I# k
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.# d: T7 W! i8 G) l* B$ t8 B
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
6 Y) W8 D- b3 h: j554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
5 Y0 Y6 U1 X2 [- \/ A; Q& _ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 s3 _- I. f$ c. s555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
) N# l! q9 k0 s* ~3 o 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。- _3 q0 ~! K; D1 w6 L; |" ~
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& g" x2 Y8 o# `" c$ \ J# F8 r+ V
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
- [( T- g* p2 }8 D" B+ ]557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.+ \, U' |* b/ i1 `9 n
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
7 C# `$ |: r7 R# V9 G558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
; q9 `0 j& j, E: M" q 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。
) p7 D, j* e" _# Z! n" m559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them., c. V+ p* L8 j( j1 Y1 K
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。
! ?6 i2 O4 k) d" }; R560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
* T) h! y K+ s& y: f 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。1 x- R4 Z# `, w7 F3 ^' S3 K( j% b
561. This was indeed the case.
! d3 k6 w% Y! } b% Q 但事实上确有此人。9 s7 A7 r8 `% @' m# i. U. q
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.0 M; R% S& t- ?2 T1 S) i0 o
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
2 |8 U$ D( O2 w- T( b563. 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.
' P/ \4 N4 Z" v* o2 ?7 l, X1 a 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。$ | {7 i- Z& `6 k% G. P# ?
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.2 W; V! Q0 h" {; E5 s2 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。
8 P) P6 k+ Y$ H0 x1 C565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.6 E6 j; g2 w9 e& k; n" H2 |, J
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,% J, l4 J& D, \: T6 P8 t3 _# C
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War." e) T' l2 ?! v0 r) d" |/ b: ~2 C2 O8 x
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& }2 D. ~1 q7 q( a( n567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.% M! r; o. N' H
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
: v9 s# t, ^8 |7 ~) [/ \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.
. U4 \. l' F7 m2 `( v. Q 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。
+ K# O# R4 M, m569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.& k6 h q/ P& S+ G
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
8 W3 {1 ^5 d, ]6 m; s2 o8 _570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
- {) p1 j4 l6 \5 f5 i 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。# J. |9 U' R! P: m% a/ T
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.1 |+ w- c" g) |( a' X
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
0 V9 B/ Y% W+ L: z572. They did not even tell their wives.
5 n* [ S$ I. P. I0 C 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。1 v2 l6 J5 r& T& w2 r% B/ j
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
) K. I8 n' k: d 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
% C* h1 T2 U/ _574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
/ n3 v( H) [4 O% ]. k+ { 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,7 z) v K. U, U+ W
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.% N: K6 ]8 @9 D& n: G
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。8 {- l( O y& @) } [
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.' Y) {* c! {3 v- O9 S4 p4 ?) 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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