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课文30 幽灵之死
# b' a5 I* \* w% n# l552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
/ _4 G+ O$ ?, d3 T: e* I 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
; z! y- U* ~/ w T& m+ H; n553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.4 [) t7 `+ m3 H% T
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
$ i) ^( z }% J9 l% |! s: K4 D `554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
! a+ m1 H p# A! e 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。$ u; K- g. Q' v: [" q5 C2 u
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.9 e0 G9 z+ h$ n6 N
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
w2 x, k4 U& e. L! O556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& ^3 ^ c5 E6 c) M, R
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, q+ D5 \; m) }4 t
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
& q' F! U. ]# a9 k 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 ^+ X/ x1 g4 Y, H558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
1 m% |. D' 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。1 K& p+ ]: O! [0 c. `" ^
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
) g- _- L5 I3 G; g2 |# o8 R' Y 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。
* n& Q" z% Y& w9 E# W560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.. ?8 S3 q3 l4 x8 K: _
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
7 O4 }! W8 P4 r3 Y( a561. This was indeed the case.7 R% C: A( O0 Q: R# L6 X
但事实上确有此人。
1 k/ E) y) q# o1 d+ Z' T562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died. u$ `7 Z( K' x6 k, N3 }
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ L! e) H/ Q& ]. i* @- C563. 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.! h" s; N3 g+ v' i% i" R) k/ h
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。
$ ~1 L1 u& H* n7 O1 \564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.: z* a- O8 d+ H& r: 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。
8 Q: |$ [% ]0 B565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers., p% f- q& u* A) r" [
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,# L. z$ ^7 J) F9 L" k4 R% }
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
& r7 s: b( @0 g! [& x 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。7 a6 |& z+ j+ b* l0 J( C+ W
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.4 [/ I" U4 {5 X% S! f- H
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
y. p5 j; x. v, q: J568. 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.
. a R7 C! j4 N' k1 \4 Y/ c 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。
8 n3 A9 O! t* l! M$ ]569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
9 m$ x% j3 I/ ^9 E& y7 w3 i 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。) P* p% b' ?' U1 a! q) x
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
2 N: J0 x' t9 _ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。! L) ^0 I1 n5 L8 e4 n }3 u$ z/ r
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
" \: J! P. A2 X5 X- ~$ `) Q 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
# S! Z* u& `3 a) _, D6 K4 i1 n; v572. They did not even tell their wives./ S5 q; L2 G* J
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
; U5 N- V( `' ~" ^+ g* T" s573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
% }" Q' D4 n7 B1 R$ \$ @9 Y% S 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
) n; ^# j6 Y& ?" Z( [574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
5 Q9 Z$ D! e3 h- i 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
) W% ^: f3 u7 C575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.- @9 Q) Y0 X& A
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。( N; e0 y4 v1 G# t
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
0 V4 z: S1 G+ R8 J0 M 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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