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课文30 幽灵之死
! r+ {5 ^! {- Q552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.; T: {4 P, ]" S' l
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。9 b b0 Y) r3 Y% ]% }
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.2 D3 s+ u$ [/ M( u- W
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
9 Z; k9 v0 k& t: s554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
7 D6 }6 r8 F4 m" b 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。1 d( ]: H9 v) U2 }' q
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.5 p" }5 t, g" p) S1 w3 f
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
' U2 M+ g3 x$ q4 N, v C9 C556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
, `- r7 p) r% M9 k0 U 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,9 \7 ^6 j4 w) t7 u
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.- X' z0 J- F) _+ I% X! V' A: V
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。; A6 i! T( [# {8 v' q O
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
- g2 Q, ]; V, m' 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。
( l2 v- i* @% I- d559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
; w: \% J" x$ x* T' X 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。7 F/ g' F) ]$ L
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
6 m/ {# k8 t) X2 Y4 S! Y( ?! i( ^ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
1 K6 _" |5 q- e. E561. This was indeed the case.
. |9 m+ K# ~; J7 N9 H+ R 但事实上确有此人。
u7 H" g6 P# _, [' j' m562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.8 o3 @$ u% B0 z* A$ V5 a
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
2 ?" H0 t" j5 I# ]563. 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.
- e, {) z: w8 T- I! N6 u! M' V$ w 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。 a* d1 J: ^) i5 P. ?
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
7 D( I4 _% W9 n3 F 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
" b/ r' p5 x- Z' O l, ?7 a$ T( x# c565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
p" p# Z7 W1 t" p M8 q 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
* |2 E5 q0 Q: h* Q566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
" `7 f7 E% V" E( H f3 ^1 k 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
" V' f7 h9 x+ ?% p" L- e; M567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
- W0 @/ b. R/ I# ` 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。4 O! p/ H# S& f( a ^' _
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.: n( x' |. f% D+ z& K5 w
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。" m( ]- y8 F, y7 e, W/ R
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.( W1 r; T& S) @, l
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。0 B( a& V1 v! n1 a% l( S5 |
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action./ N' k' S1 q& N+ `: T; c8 M
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。$ B, e5 f6 B2 Z3 I" M2 d
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.0 |. w( P( {4 d6 h) W' m; |" O( ?
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。: ?8 Y. k7 u( H% c
572. They did not even tell their wives.
* I. G; k" s ] 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
/ o" K: G7 o7 N* H) u9 n+ s573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.' M" ]$ _) }# T0 F p% Q
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
/ e3 S* x, `% P1 y) m% V574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
3 g, q+ ]: V- ^ I( ^ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,* z# \! {( l4 |
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.
: W" [; q, n' |$ W6 t 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。% j1 V' o9 y8 ~6 W2 u
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
( Y6 G0 r8 F9 x' p; h2 u+ V" C 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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