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课文30 幽灵之死
9 O+ @6 p# f2 b, L8 g: j552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.; j! r, T6 `$ z- l* W1 K( [$ b
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。# G# I* r3 O0 X" }
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) Y4 D/ {4 ~; c' T2 n( h' f 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。. N# Y% U4 A, H- l, ~
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
$ V% b$ Q7 o) P 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
4 M; k. I" [# Q* o7 `6 T. _555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story." q8 `# q( i8 R
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。$ d3 u3 `3 _7 _# ^ w0 v
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.& o7 F# q; t$ T/ G* _) \* S2 a( \
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,+ G2 l. H2 F' R0 ^3 p6 Y' e( _, ~7 `" A
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.' w9 O' j! h0 @7 o* R& i# @
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
; } B9 C; h$ X! C, p. H% C558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
3 f- s$ w5 I) W 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 X- Y8 Y1 U2 s+ t
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
. x& {$ l9 N# D" Z) e" C 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。+ Y; Z0 S+ P! e. t9 l; V
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen." \9 |/ d! F; e. s* o
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
0 K$ A; u8 z) r561. This was indeed the case." ?/ H: |* O. Y8 M- a# z
但事实上确有此人。
/ K3 p- _$ f- G562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.! P( d3 a7 L) v- ?& |
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
" x% D/ c/ f8 u# I, U- @' h: Y. y1 _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.
) w. z, \: c' ^0 b& e* T 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 B" u! [/ P! R, G
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
& E+ G/ x, I3 r _ 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
' T' I. P9 A) H4 m565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
; j0 F8 p5 Y) h' _$ G 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,5 t! O9 D4 s! {$ k
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.4 i% d) V) |2 w" F* k N
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。2 u: y' }9 i( N( j
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.& ^* ?% c5 R# @. Q$ }
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。4 ?/ ?5 u- j; t
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.
* T. ?; B0 f# X5 l0 _& y 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。% l8 ^( O1 I2 A( ^
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
& H- ^! h: i. p" C5 S1 ^, s 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。" l( T) b4 l( d% l# e) y Y& c1 H. {$ j
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
|7 Q" Q/ b5 B 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
( O( G. B4 L9 {, O+ M& H: b& z9 A571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
8 U u9 P# s4 x2 B0 O' E 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。+ [6 H8 e2 K6 E# N( E+ ^8 f k
572. They did not even tell their wives.& o- a) x* d7 B- s; J% M% [) H
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。( ], O% o% p* D
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.( V; T% E7 U: }
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。6 A: b* J8 G0 r6 }" i
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
5 L$ u, a: K5 @3 ~: c/ _ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,4 n4 s) L; H' u8 F A1 _
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.& o4 w1 n9 {7 f* _; B8 `
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。( ^6 d) u" c8 n' P6 ?; m
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.1 _+ E) O- y: A" V
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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