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课文30 幽灵之死2 w% E$ f P& k4 J# [6 u; p/ y& R9 w
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.! g) q+ w% W) r, D
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
! u3 j) a& W9 a8 I) ]2 D: M7 V% k553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
0 G) v+ H* c) N4 I. y! \ 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。$ p/ ] m+ Z8 [$ J/ h
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.: _! U) K W" ~ t/ w8 g
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。6 e* i- d% S. P7 Y& I$ }
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
9 ~; p( C2 q) g' w 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。& O/ I& n* p! X3 l/ L7 t
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.' Y' N" _2 M8 E! { s
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,+ u! ]( y/ \; x1 m" C2 ~
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.( L2 C# @- S0 j8 G+ W1 |
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。$ a) j+ L5 [5 |1 M* } v. C
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
; V- n2 C% I5 D 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。
4 g9 [2 f! y, n; x' B559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.: G4 b, p6 ~* y5 u
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。
B( l( C1 _, l3 V+ n9 j7 E. W5 ?560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
! [& H, Z3 Q: s9 J2 a3 V 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。+ k# f# J" f' O& I
561. This was indeed the case.
# S4 @0 t2 m6 d( m+ }# A, K3 a 但事实上确有此人。
3 S( b5 }. o9 `9 B% h5 {$ V562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.) j2 Q0 S3 }$ r; s; a: t' }' r; C" o) O( e
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。+ Y5 [4 {" ^3 g
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.
+ n7 ?$ B# Q7 s/ L# h' G 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。2 G7 L9 J* E1 p' p
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.6 M0 V: U {9 \6 A& y0 ] M
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。) Y( V+ |; X V+ e5 [
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
2 d7 W$ R/ \6 D: O- Q B3 f8 x 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,' }$ \0 V- ^. z
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
2 a$ j3 D h7 K0 K 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
) j( w" r* D" ?' @! x# s567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
/ D! v) [8 ]1 T2 u 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。7 X1 y8 N) L% V0 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.: F5 ?2 u( s4 A; f$ s; g/ J" 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。
" o' h) r) m* w4 U569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
0 O" D- V1 Z% x8 n6 R7 j 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
5 C9 I7 v) I( r( |" W570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
v3 K, u! s+ ]( `2 J# o 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
4 b! K4 q: ^! W571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.0 q. X9 ^& V/ v6 G! S
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
7 e8 d/ o+ y, m1 P572. They did not even tell their wives.% H, N, m6 N0 f" Z
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。& C8 r( K) r- [( r8 {: o3 C7 @/ r
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
2 h p6 N" D* \; e% g 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。% _' W6 f. a* W9 P: r0 r
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.+ C$ f, F, w% G6 @3 s- N$ |
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
3 M: R& [& Q8 J2 l' U& D8 N575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
7 c$ x6 D+ {3 K. f# s 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% Q/ I* V- X
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.3 H7 `6 T7 b, M6 v$ N
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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