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课文30 幽灵之死* I$ S) y7 e1 t8 f0 G4 g. V, j0 A
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.! K( n* `: S6 F$ j2 Z9 q0 B+ g0 O
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。8 g( @% Z5 h# H& t# a
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
` R b' v. E# k( y" v9 q- E) t 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。7 t3 U4 N4 P5 z. O N' i* n
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.4 g- @$ P7 z; k6 p9 `! X/ O' E! i
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
2 h, T) {7 ~9 ~$ p555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
! L0 y% m. s7 w7 a+ ~: C* B 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
8 t- e3 b1 M; t! M2 ]# \9 d556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.5 x5 Z: S/ G: X' j6 |, t$ B
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
: z7 `) k- M. h$ |+ `0 P6 O3 ~! K557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
: @- x; k4 }1 ~7 ` i" T 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
" M' q$ Q0 W+ S/ q0 b' ?558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.+ l! w* |3 d2 g
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。
8 _4 v; A/ d+ h; F: i. c( X559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.% J7 ~! a+ w6 M/ H
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。 y, ^3 A2 Z6 L
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
9 g( C' p9 i% v5 J* R 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
5 H. F6 _1 Q$ b4 T. } \561. This was indeed the case.
: j" {' i) F- \3 e% M0 Q 但事实上确有此人。
0 c: w! k7 w5 q3 y! s562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
( @; _* ^! u) N2 E: R! n 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。- I! C8 Q- P, _. G9 Z, l: H% X
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.
2 i1 f% h- P i; s6 a 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。8 Y, j) b: f! X' E3 T
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
/ I% r# R; a+ 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。
0 K2 `" k" ?% q; U) n565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.) S* Q/ P) M( \+ u# a' E+ P
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
/ r" H) u6 c3 u# z D566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.6 S1 B. N3 [6 Y
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
/ z+ M, i* d7 ~0 b9 z567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.% Z$ i4 Z! Q; x+ Z
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
" k) @3 |3 _; Y9 D+ Z) ~( |' F" F568. 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.
6 b% j# ^8 o1 {; S& z 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。
! x, d2 p1 E! R( S# h6 ^$ d569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
: H& f! X3 m1 \3 K 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
) K+ a! L- n: G F6 \& l570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
: ^0 g8 x* W$ |# T: K 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
5 U$ j! H+ E9 f6 M8 X5 u- B' [& K571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.! K8 p* E1 P7 x# }0 ?
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
2 z9 n, p# L7 w7 z; D" r! R572. They did not even tell their wives.) l) u4 R. @+ @% |1 r
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。8 H3 W# f+ h# D; M$ h& p( h3 M3 L5 r
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
* F1 e4 m8 N7 |1 t, }; W 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。' n5 b$ L. q+ k1 F
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
7 g2 L8 e; ^; s" V0 `: f 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
& H% @3 }2 X2 n6 Z; ~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." P2 @9 g, E+ v8 Z1 M. a$ U5 S( 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。: B1 z/ B: c+ B8 S. B% h
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
0 N; h6 I0 l* v 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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