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课文30 幽灵之死
' j m7 Z% z- w/ Y% |; C; A552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
3 ]( e" b7 ^1 o7 H. M2 p6 _) {, S 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。5 Q+ J+ r# p& [8 w( `
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
/ M7 U% ?6 x& p% O( E3 ]3 I 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
/ x/ ]* c7 W; ^" O. W! H. f# n m554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.4 Y/ t# o' k. s% H1 |
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
* f3 [0 R; [: Q/ j5 A/ t5 ]' r" x555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
2 b( P3 ]" r* P6 n# s 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。- b. {) n- M( \+ d3 P9 T
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
2 O5 f* C: O, a: ^) e }6 f 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,; e" X: L+ L. J& X1 t
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.. O+ Z$ O( ^# \! j2 Y' B; k
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。% t c/ C. s* I/ O* I
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.& o5 I( Y; k4 ^. o( P W, B
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。$ q# m) ` a3 z& h3 \* u
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
' v" M& q& L$ L8 y 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。
' R3 z1 H# u: z* v1 L560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
$ Y; `# S! T. G" N/ ` 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。# ^/ n9 e, ]/ U/ ] G
561. This was indeed the case.
% m: W- g; T0 X1 c0 W$ c6 A- x 但事实上确有此人。) |4 W) b7 _3 I; W7 x U% r
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
1 k* z8 t o* }+ v/ s ]) W 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
9 G' _0 _6 y0 W563. 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.
: E( \' C# N! k- _5 v: b f. V 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。5 m' Z3 v0 O& L
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
0 d! p) n1 |4 |# u. F 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 y! V' \4 G, s# l4 B
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.% X3 p- J- k0 S% ?- H
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
4 W! F T1 M: h# F2 P566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War., Z) X, ?4 L b( L
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。% C, q0 s- I! h
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
% j. {9 G0 j" V# D% M( ^, Q: a 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
& n1 i4 o9 @ b$ W6 b7 R$ Q568. 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." `7 Y! ^& w& b' ?9 N
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。& J! M7 L4 h/ ^$ R5 _( [
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
7 S1 V) U6 H! ^3 J. [! ^! X3 F 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
: q& N; C% b# A. v& B7 c$ x570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
, O6 l6 b+ W" l" Z: Z. F. [ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
2 r7 Q, j. o- b( N" P+ t8 f" q1 W) m571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
7 m3 d2 D; z3 [1 \* ` 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
2 [6 C) C4 T+ H+ [) V$ {0 E, \572. They did not even tell their wives.
4 I; k. _# V* Z" a4 j 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
4 Z9 z& t5 K% @$ i% ]: M! X$ g573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.( Q' K% a) V4 W& a- c" L
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。3 w, ]6 F1 Y9 r6 @2 ^( J1 u( t* C, N/ ?
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
8 z( ]: Z4 l8 u+ u 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
" p# X, g/ C3 }/ T; Q9 R2 z575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.: A j% v- y9 p) h" K, g
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。' W% l6 @8 R% J( t0 Q+ T8 X
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.; W5 j# t7 N, |3 ?5 X+ U
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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