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课文30 幽灵之死
1 F' _/ q2 M# a/ P% M+ o& {) t1 u. h$ y552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
& D3 T3 s$ I1 b+ j* b/ N 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
v d% o2 V3 y553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.7 t) |+ d" g( Y
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。4 w% V% |& a5 h3 V
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
2 h) m' k1 i4 D2 B8 q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
) d3 s/ q4 V* t, o2 i555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
3 }& r7 h/ n7 ^- x7 r; Q$ T: Z 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
% x, W2 `! _' M% n0 b556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.( N3 m, j O9 S1 l- Y5 D" X: t
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
( Y9 |9 D; {+ }557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.3 N; T3 Y! p( N& Q
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。, i' g4 c) n* i( P( ~; n
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
, M# h7 l. W1 c% 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。
+ g1 `- M8 a" g- m559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.( p r% ~/ S3 o
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。
3 S/ k f5 b) ^( T560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen. @4 B6 v9 @/ m _2 {, ]6 `: ]
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。& T2 s+ K, r* T. p) }
561. This was indeed the case.
+ ?, K! f; U: F* D* l2 ^% [9 {" Y7 ] 但事实上确有此人。
3 ^$ x/ K* e3 v9 ?- V4 x562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.7 {4 X" }- d# b# i: q
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
" e, S) a2 }/ M+ J9 K563. 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! @1 d: E) Q2 Z 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 |7 G Y6 n: P9 |) C, o% o8 `
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
0 w1 W- T/ ]! x' _$ w 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 h5 \0 K; C: d5 a0 o565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers." A- S h; m; s% t8 f: B/ I4 \
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,! \2 |% d' f9 a8 d0 O" V
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.# V0 Z" B. s6 J" C5 q' S
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
, G3 J2 u2 G) }% y8 v6 R567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
2 x1 g2 e* k' x. S! w* n 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
k& K5 Q6 S/ E568. 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.
5 e) l) Y% a+ ]+ [+ D3 A+ g 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。
5 W+ ?% }- e$ B" T0 M569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
6 A- G- i; ^, X5 p' m" \ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
) h w& o/ ]( ?) s570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
! \+ [- Q3 [, F) e 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
' ?. Y* n4 G$ n8 l( M571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
' l. I/ Z8 h" F- ^- c 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
& X# l7 g; G* r( F) u7 \ j# \572. They did not even tell their wives.7 g6 g" q6 V4 F) d
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) j6 c- x7 y+ |& R. l7 K* Z
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
$ f1 b7 i; D/ S0 z 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
: O& {7 w. |7 V% N5 n" E574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.# ?5 n7 U, d2 ?! c+ K2 u
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
1 h# ]7 P" R2 w& \/ M R' Y4 _% J6 _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.$ N0 {) N, [5 k9 @
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。
/ v5 b8 r8 p1 l2 f" R1 E576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
, c/ y3 r. s. F. l; } 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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