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课文30 幽灵之死
+ F" `$ n! V% j3 p; U g; |' _% `552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.( E! Z6 ~0 C. R+ W
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。% w; i$ ~& ?% I2 @! p
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.' [! ~4 s4 G( ~ F! r5 X
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。8 W2 [3 r0 U7 e, a
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.; b, d1 y, k1 X" A9 J/ `2 I1 k
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。0 [* Z: [- ~. \
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.9 }' L9 k% o% T7 @7 L) ~. d0 l
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。+ g2 K& o* |4 e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.. @/ h# J" |# k( o9 @0 X
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
6 g# x( H7 _7 w2 l" l* A557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
_/ g: N" a3 j" v2 C5 ~" W I+ P 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
5 M3 E( Z% \8 _7 X0 X1 l( T. j P0 y558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% z$ K/ I0 D! N4 t; V 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 U3 \6 H+ j) r3 }+ r
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
3 K5 Z$ X% r7 r" S 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。/ t7 O; Q0 e. Y. ~7 \
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
& }0 ~- q ^" G0 Y* z) t4 I 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。5 r. g0 }" I+ w& g) v2 f1 K
561. This was indeed the case./ h. H e+ y) T- U6 \4 j; G
但事实上确有此人。
8 b5 h7 R5 W u; M+ Z' o( X1 I562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
8 Y: _; w! I3 {; g; z 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。6 q2 ]6 E$ F1 Q! P4 a! `' ?
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.1 @) w6 u. K) Q
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。 |! \7 k) ^' _5 P: x* I) ?
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
9 O, i0 m0 I1 x5 N3 C- X5 d% X* |$ x 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
/ V. H7 e+ e" ]& W, \4 ~0 S, o565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
; y3 v, d* ?- d8 h1 \3 B* `7 s( i C 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
$ M, Z" c8 Z6 m t$ ?1 O566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.- [, ?2 }5 }4 J" C8 N9 u( L
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。0 ? A0 G0 ]2 J& J% z7 w. G5 ~
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.! z8 D! R" C0 g( {( m1 O5 q7 ~
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
2 l1 ]% u, l/ t" Q- F6 p568. 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 ^0 ? p$ R+ F+ U 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。! x# w9 q3 v( o
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.+ u+ O/ N( w! C2 N& z1 B" }; ]
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。0 q. G8 k/ q! e# w, t
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.9 c) |7 H& K8 b# K9 E, M
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
; O9 B3 v* v6 ]" J* d4 o571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.9 Z' p0 r1 }) p5 [3 a5 ~4 U: A
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
( x( T( L) K% v6 w" T0 |572. They did not even tell their wives.
1 d" h9 p8 m; q# u( n) J$ C 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
6 A3 V+ R/ U O1 z8 ]8 ?: h573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.$ Z: g ^7 ~ s* E
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。, a4 D5 {0 ]. i& J1 C- O6 ~* w U
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.0 p. v2 t8 B: b: ~) R. B
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
, T/ r2 v! b, C575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.5 x+ t( V! U6 h- t, f8 ]/ @
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* @; o4 n! G* v5 \
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
& ?, K# b- n, i6 K! j' s) x# m 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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