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课文30 幽灵之死
) }6 c; D9 W, w# {552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.! ]3 R( R( r) j) r) V; T1 s/ _$ q
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。, Q& X5 \- s/ n { N: ?
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.7 l8 P7 D% B( U; U; I: I
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。, Y! N8 d1 ?6 A' d# b3 I
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
, D& t& l4 N& Y F4 L4 N- c! q8 C 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。, w. n/ V9 i( F; V. ]
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.$ P, S* z2 Z* j0 g6 {7 \) Q
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
1 Y+ ~- O. A2 U556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
& R! e6 Z$ a- v$ K4 ] 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
0 t2 v. d$ T5 E. M557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.( n+ j7 q, S, O8 O
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。% a: \5 f# r/ }
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.1 B. C; f; s$ e- o8 Q1 O
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。
) s; `' M+ v" O' ^$ S1 N559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.8 G+ D0 [; W4 l' s# y2 `) M. s) j" G
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。
5 {) V7 N, I: n4 a; D0 _1 F: ]560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
" D t$ r0 M6 g2 ?! B2 P6 A 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。" T- e* p3 `, Z% Z% R( y0 Q3 w
561. This was indeed the case.
9 v/ v# p1 Q3 U8 `/ l, ]1 i 但事实上确有此人。
0 {8 h4 [3 T8 k3 z9 I; R562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
( K8 B; z2 x. [, { 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
! q3 q! H- e* o( M) C; I563. 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.* z1 K8 H+ s0 J+ 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。+ ?7 w6 l4 y2 M! Z Y$ s
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
# e7 m* c+ j3 }3 P" t$ c' X% `+ Y 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
% v) [3 X* H- h3 w565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.& N5 k. }0 C+ A- [! o
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
# ~7 p, |0 A% K8 }' f6 Z* E, f566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
( X- ]% h/ U/ W; E; e, u 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
0 h% W8 F) x2 S4 a0 x& H567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
! {1 ]4 f: J& H' W9 D% b 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。; E8 T' @6 [0 A/ f0 ~6 e
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.
# X* h* Z( F, _) A2 R3 o% z7 X5 b, x 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。
, n2 O. N+ f( ~: d569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
" F3 [$ S! m' p! O# U7 E1 q 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。. z6 V2 b2 h: H" K# Z; N, V
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.9 z6 e! I- ~; F p6 s3 s
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
* h, }; W; b# k! c571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.9 ~: |# d7 W1 }4 x" g- v3 S
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。$ a- B+ v T+ U: U
572. They did not even tell their wives.% O. `, n& y; H# b; [& o X W
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。5 U( n0 d9 O3 ^; L: q
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
% @( {' ]6 [# c# m% j) \8 C( v M. v4 A 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。. ]. u+ G2 I" M/ I( h, i/ |
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
4 b3 a; I- r) p* R 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活, i9 T+ X9 \. _* `8 U( {
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.. S% p7 \" M1 s3 V- E
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。0 ] ^3 f& U0 e4 D3 q
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer. T D! i n: M* k+ q7 G
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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