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课文30 幽灵之死
2 L3 ?! S# h) ^" I$ y0 R6 p" K552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.* _5 p' e, |$ N, _/ Z
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
; S; @; p( `% b; s! o( g1 X553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.* N7 u! _$ d* ?+ y3 ]& u( \* }+ J: ?
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。- e3 i& u+ H9 C" c% V6 x4 J
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long./ K, `5 K& z+ p) N$ u; G. \' n% X
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。9 l% Q* S4 q( t1 B* U
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story. U2 R! S$ |, y0 {) d
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
6 k8 x' ?- e0 I8 `7 @3 ?1 R5 J0 w O556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
2 S6 a% a2 r8 Q9 u3 [$ l8 h2 E1 N1 z 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
# v6 u: V2 f2 v: D557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.( l/ S3 \6 H6 Q/ W7 E# e
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
1 o. M+ f0 P6 n k' Z: E558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
; I% ~, H- P# Y* \5 Y4 a f: _/ v 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。; e3 M) t( { j+ {0 I* ]
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
! a6 n2 N8 |1 _) X5 U; Z1 S. ~' V 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 v) I7 F' D& L6 g- |" \+ ~560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.- Y; ]: t$ {' h2 @# q2 \) z( F
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( L" Q4 j" F8 s8 p5 R561. This was indeed the case.4 | d! E2 V' v. a. `* d7 M
但事实上确有此人。
; m4 d D) a( W5 Q, o- u) g562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.0 m/ ~+ E4 ?+ U" h
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
, I6 P/ m9 n. y8 f563. 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./ n) ]' O# E3 N' \2 C4 C/ p
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。
6 Y7 r8 }5 Y1 k$ R, Y564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.# h8 g% x/ X* F) m$ r
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
$ ]1 y" K* }) |4 d& u565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ y1 H5 }! j3 I 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
/ S( `' ?) W: f- @& [2 _- ^/ a566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.- y: Y# P1 P3 l' I7 B# }
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。+ c& L/ K: ]3 Y) i; w. r) Q7 X- C, y
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.- p- N3 v9 W! ^' p
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
( H$ \/ V! s P9 y568. 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. }) p# B) }% Q0 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。. e" v# e! O! O3 ^) L
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.7 O' M7 I h- a
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, `2 Q, X8 N* ~; ?
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.) R8 d( F, @6 J2 W: I" m9 H; W
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。6 L5 G2 u$ }6 V2 E
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
+ M# |" D3 R" L9 a& a& Y 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 x6 f2 J; D. ~572. They did not even tell their wives.
2 _) d8 K3 ~& m7 Q7 S$ l" |0 p 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。& D) X' A8 U. D+ o
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
; G) Y# o* c# x# Y4 }. R3 \ 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
1 V8 @* A) l) h7 L1 r574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
; D R1 E' j7 W* o; u0 F' o; R5 T2 u 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
- `0 R, o5 t* e( J* g575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
& j* p6 q5 J; p 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。; s! s* q% g5 ^, w. U
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
) }+ r# u7 p, Q' K. @( T 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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