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课文30 幽灵之死
) N4 g; b4 |. r552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.( L( Q- {' g& a) Y
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
; c, t) ^1 b ]) a' B553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
. H' O. J( H; s) D 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
9 t$ w8 D; j8 n, k3 w, P9 w554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
: W" m0 h5 W7 i( q# V9 } 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
) b1 b c- K8 g6 x555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.% ~; J# @, D7 z: l9 d' s% y
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。; K* f, z0 N# J1 }
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
+ R# F h) M; K' T1 k) |2 F9 O 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,% e# T0 v4 i% _+ a
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.# T- d* J v1 Z# f0 U" C
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
k; O% M- y: W0 g' |' w6 P558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.* e8 A" q6 k8 M v" O9 v7 ]
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。
) T1 @+ [# j7 A5 f% O% C559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.' k- Q5 w0 D5 |1 c" k8 G9 R
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。; W) V# N" g; M3 I0 _1 ~5 w
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
- |+ C$ c3 R( d2 }2 _$ C! V: l 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
4 K8 C/ y8 \- C561. This was indeed the case.# a3 A- c7 n. S" i- Q& P
但事实上确有此人。' H) ^3 l) l" r
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.1 d- m: M7 E7 [' e
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。1 D9 c) \9 }6 ~2 d6 s. y
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.
# S* ]; e x! @6 V. H& m 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。0 J' I0 T0 G0 [, t, C- K1 _2 S: n6 @
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 K8 W% L; ^: W% c
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
; `4 t% `0 s: c565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
V6 [" K' k$ N3 ]5 X# ] 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,/ [- _! J/ l# t! y& b- p4 L4 `
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War./ k1 T9 g* i* o+ |5 j; P
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& i* ]5 [( t/ i3 d567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment." ? W5 r6 U6 Y
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" L7 X' }" g3 i/ w( M1 x( i
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.# J& D) Y9 T. ^
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 ?, W u5 E, R569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.+ F: j# b3 i( B1 t5 \/ B
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
1 o* ~# q- R7 w( @) X. b2 i/ ^6 G( ?6 V570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.( f6 @6 _) h& Q+ R+ [7 [1 S9 _
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。0 A& K) v# A0 ?5 g1 S, U# D9 H
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
+ o5 y; Q" F1 Q. S5 [ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。( |; G- v8 Y( s) J
572. They did not even tell their wives.
: y3 r. F1 d- K& }. H( P. d* X$ w 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
& u! B3 E* s$ v/ X0 {573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
% W2 [0 t/ E6 B 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
9 n3 f; ^# \0 L574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
5 Y9 Z5 O; V4 J3 ?6 J, g 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
; J8 w. J n' e3 j1 n575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.% n5 {7 y* R, 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。+ m2 H" g4 H! |; R2 n& m- R
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.+ ~9 J }: N' I! l& w6 k2 g! m1 H
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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