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课文30 幽灵之死
" w4 D0 h5 B5 [% v# |6 {2 f5 e552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
$ y! Q$ b3 Z2 B 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。" y ?6 @3 P* ^9 I7 F
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.2 y/ ?9 N# w+ b9 Q% g" U
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。! n4 o5 A! u/ f2 e
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
+ q% M, z: t1 \7 B. M' v7 S' B0 s 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
' a r6 j2 D( D555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
) {. R4 V. u5 p+ k0 R; | y 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
5 [* V: u) \3 v0 o0 _556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.: B7 \8 y$ a2 n' L* ?1 }- I' g Z
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
9 [, v9 c) \1 m e+ U' @! b1 ^! ]/ a( k557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
/ S: g4 t, P* Q- a1 e. _8 F* S 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
, o/ P. f8 A8 P/ X* @, ]: \558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.: C4 g7 V. t3 {6 Y- \3 P
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。5 M l- g1 \1 r; q
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them." Y& m7 d$ P3 ?4 h. i) D2 j
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。( u5 x; H q; d F
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
& g) Z7 P- S% c& b 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
% n, d) M+ g+ j+ M, y& I3 v/ N561. This was indeed the case.! U: B/ i" a& \9 {+ o
但事实上确有此人。
1 m9 m- K( J0 X" A562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.& r3 e- A: T1 L5 I) s. H) W6 ?
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。! P9 S, N4 C, c
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.. p4 K/ x) H% _) o" E, Y
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 j) k# R3 Z5 y
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
5 N# C7 Q- x5 e' g 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
4 f7 j" E+ ~ C565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.8 g6 }' e) S( R' J! k) a) s _: h; {
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,- w, P: q& R' x
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
# t9 q& U( M, o9 ?" ?9 ~, F 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
! ~8 j$ }$ V6 v6 n1 ~4 P567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
& B, D' @ L4 O1 ^6 g! q* j1 E) h 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。$ W9 C3 R* V+ b0 s/ J- J
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.
" l. Y# b) q9 ^ r( 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。7 D$ H$ `2 W* f% b
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.6 B) ^/ G1 g& G6 j" F: H' r* {
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
$ P0 {0 r' {: i! n. z570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
1 x( B' D% D' }5 a( n 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
& h P: e: z5 P3 @0 p571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
1 K8 N+ U- B# ]. W# |7 v 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
$ @- C7 ]3 f: H/ N572. They did not even tell their wives.6 m" K5 ~3 X ^: P/ q" s# [
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
1 a1 I3 }4 [9 c) _9 T, k573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
, `2 v; Z7 {! @& r! W 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。- P0 S0 U$ t! d6 T& j5 ~
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
% m. Q, R$ [4 {! u" K" I 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,0 X% R' k; {9 E3 L! W9 e+ c! L
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.
/ @2 V6 H. X: z& r- D* }9 d 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。
" _% C {: [% R# T0 d$ Y576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
7 a; G h) C) x5 K8 R 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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