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课文30 幽灵之死" K( }# P0 v8 a( @$ z$ [. o
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
9 m$ G% d' i- w) Y$ t 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
! N) o/ R7 t7 S# F6 b553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
3 Y R. r" e, c; @" u 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
5 P; l l1 R6 v) V9 {' v6 E554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.9 B5 x: m# [: `( X \
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。3 [# F9 g# X* W; x( i4 W* @
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.* W2 L6 g8 z K2 m
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
) ^: B" ^8 G) P; z4 h) o5 K% u556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.$ |& i% z2 [+ z2 ]$ X
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
% ^$ e# y1 C) G. u7 B; q# Y: c) @557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) h3 E& {! P5 t3 K# S1 B* { 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
0 h! U& S8 L4 |558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.! A' R& W' h0 t! N# u& Z& @% v. f0 h
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。
D, x4 w5 O7 ^9 N* X% {559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them./ ^5 S C/ Y! U- v- l
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。2 [3 F$ k+ _/ s8 u5 P
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
8 H; Z( D6 d2 \$ V, M! p 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
1 a8 | W5 b8 h6 h561. This was indeed the case.
* G, i8 o& c. C1 ~9 l! J( @: t4 w 但事实上确有此人。# y" V1 W$ h/ M
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
- `! c: J3 o! J0 u) R& Q9 I 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
3 i. r+ _: J/ x$ u' N, ~! c% a& A563. 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.
# m& I G* w0 z4 s0 r 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。
( K; h: I' J& |' X2 B564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.# u1 i* m( H7 l' `1 D% O! n S& `
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。3 r5 N) N" ~: {5 u+ y e
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
# ]3 q( ^+ j8 f+ E( i* {9 g N 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
! O. T0 J' p5 O, ]! {566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.. `: ]( y% G% n! c& Q
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。2 G8 X8 c# y: |$ B5 A
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment./ \* L4 [+ ]+ c5 z( L& b! Y
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
* `. H. z$ W' v3 w, E- w8 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.8 G/ s# ~$ K" k$ ^& J
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。
+ a. P" h" a, f. a: H! Z- G569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.: W( ?/ a: N0 }8 y( Q1 Y. T! K2 q0 |
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。& Z$ S/ z3 |' _9 @+ x5 M% _
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.8 [' G- a9 [$ f( z" a. s
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
, _! r% |* i) G! [) g* C571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.( g7 W' ?4 f+ u) F+ v+ w% C0 E5 E
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。4 t- i: S0 V7 {# ]0 E2 m: w- z. P
572. They did not even tell their wives.% A$ Z$ o, T1 |2 j
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。8 M- W; ~3 [( ?5 q6 k
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
" u5 g A4 ^/ v$ G+ ` 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。' [, i7 c1 J# p) m( b9 r/ V" u3 x
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
; r: T- E6 k$ F) @' g* I0 j# l 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,+ [5 ~' Y; R( L0 w" e0 ^
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.
9 z. d( b; v. H( W, l9 O" j 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. J1 p: @1 _; p( e1 ?0 m: s576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
' e, h0 B( i4 s v; l4 c 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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