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课文30 幽灵之死
4 R. x$ ?( r6 A; w" x552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.0 P/ a M: H' d- l/ Q+ c! g
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。9 f. P6 V6 Y# p; U
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) ?& h9 c9 k9 F# a' I7 v, t 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
8 i$ Q' P1 N* G% m5 Q+ r554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
8 I4 L2 F6 y* x 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
5 t% b- V/ G1 D* b8 Y/ M- s) t555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story. c! W; |# i" \9 Q3 `
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
3 W _8 ~$ `& \! Y556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.% a7 c& N4 A, T
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,8 G0 [' a& Y/ o. Q
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.& e3 Z( \. y! n: _
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
5 I6 N3 k) r0 d558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.1 L7 ?% ?' u& H% ]9 X. y+ L5 `
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。. ~9 `/ M0 `# m4 o
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.* P" S0 Q7 e7 G9 ^
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 G/ R5 {# y, ~8 V. \+ V0 O J560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen. ]) B0 k2 D# k; m) L
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
* ^: J! e/ _# v% a! d6 m561. This was indeed the case.9 w, n' g9 l& a1 r, o/ @3 T1 i; ?; `
但事实上确有此人。
|' Y3 E# T2 q+ k3 m562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.* f y$ F$ f0 } {/ J8 `9 h
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
' \% }+ S4 |9 G563. 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.; q. D& ^& e) U) Y0 P5 t# r( J
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。' M# v# Z# |8 t* R
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
2 y" M ~( V. c0 b) z 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 S, D! U3 k+ \5 r9 l565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.+ j" i7 r7 v6 o# p6 ^7 g* S4 y
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,& J o! n" A0 j# [% W2 q/ T' [
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.* z* r% B2 a( L8 M5 Q
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
+ L3 ~, U v4 n567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
+ m3 c# H& n; F/ z/ n% P# W 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。; {0 h* k5 H9 ]
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.4 S2 p/ \: u2 R2 v! T* S; @0 v
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。$ d0 w$ F" K7 Y" d- @
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
4 ^9 \' Q5 R8 T. u |: Y" x 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
. U( X0 j9 F0 W8 X' M. q570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action., K H: v$ t8 o+ z
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
# L* ~! p( F2 Y2 H571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
9 `4 n0 ~. U' M8 g; m; e7 @ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。7 ~8 }/ c+ z |3 S7 ^; o' u/ }
572. They did not even tell their wives.; W& x0 _+ Z/ B( P- j/ J
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。! c! R1 e: o8 h6 c
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.# F6 y* M. x) i. A* }3 W$ t$ u7 v
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。6 i, w, P* w# l2 H# {
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
4 e. V1 J7 O2 k* w. F2 z: F5 R+ x 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: h3 R. i3 h) z0 }+ w/ 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.
% i1 l9 a0 ?& v 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。
; p: g( B+ r5 y5 ^! c576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.$ g7 a4 A4 _- E
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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