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课文30 幽灵之死
' q) n3 l3 ~( Z2 p! V5 ?552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
+ q, [8 B" Y% |* j1 W( m" s 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。: O" G N+ L" N0 @' F u. A! i
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
* g2 s2 i3 F! |+ _( m) G* W" t 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: r/ d# \% [0 L' g* n+ D9 i
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
7 W) r: R! R; a- ?4 l& _8 V8 R 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。# I6 q" a4 @- B: A0 `
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.1 w9 c8 T7 _ a8 _& q7 s) o
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
3 I8 J8 N. L+ @, A0 I556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.* x5 f1 i& n/ L
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,+ S- E# ~2 ], D) h# j, A% a. h
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.* b2 [) h, n$ l2 H D
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
& V) m; d) `9 U1 A. C: {9 `- w+ H558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
, Z. K5 ~% j/ H& S9 ~ 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 H+ R# q9 K$ k% g V# k559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.! |2 r, C: p' C8 B0 p
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 O9 ^- X# ?& X+ p
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.* L4 m) N% ]6 }% q
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。; L) _% e3 ^# n0 l# E7 d) o! t
561. This was indeed the case.# G- F1 R; b C
但事实上确有此人。- W: L; g& k: D+ B+ V- n! ?$ R
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.* w) S) g3 o- a% M1 g7 W
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
. q7 `. f! t6 Q% B) m563. 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.8 ~2 e- a: b" `5 Y0 \# v
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。
) E E$ l- D0 t K6 k564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.; ]5 p8 D! \: ~
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。$ m% g* s' p2 Q3 `4 a) k
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.) t/ ]+ k" i) U: x I
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,6 Q) }$ h1 s$ B0 K- `
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
Q1 h1 K+ ]) Y6 t 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
+ @) [+ t3 C/ e% _1 [. u" e567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
0 C$ R5 K. s. l" b 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
5 M) a I7 G( o- a" @6 Z X568. 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.3 d. ]/ M( j, k
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。
6 |$ _ O% W. f0 ?3 s8 l569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
+ |5 i3 g3 y8 F" N5 y" a+ e' B9 O 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。! @" l. ]/ m# b3 F( \
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.6 Y' M0 J( C/ C
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。" q3 f" F5 I. j& z' w& I7 G, C8 Q
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
( U- A8 \/ C9 j+ a% T' q1 | 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。, m# w, \4 M* g7 `. x" H9 n- H
572. They did not even tell their wives.* q+ [7 R0 u. ~5 h l. Z1 L
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。0 K/ t d! \4 G4 z- K7 Y( ^
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
# @5 w, E9 M0 z 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
6 `& b- S, [; m6 c/ t) k3 o574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
! s9 J0 x. j7 w. ` h 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,! Z& H$ e+ \$ y* S7 S9 w8 L
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.
& L0 U4 D9 u3 h* o1 J 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。# S6 d6 |9 G& W8 w+ T' P$ L
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.) {* C: D2 I4 u' j: X3 W
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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