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课文30 幽灵之死$ C* K8 c# r" O1 {+ Z
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
1 r2 O. N8 l1 g 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。. D! d! S N& i" S, ^
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
8 I! i9 S) v9 w5 O9 Z/ H2 q 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。3 ~! s \, Z" B: N1 E
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
( C: r7 E; w& \4 w9 ? 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
. _ S/ ~2 X6 t6 e# I5 G555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.( u& i/ \6 ^, h E9 | A1 v4 n
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。8 J `% I/ m, R/ x4 U# ]* V+ x
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.7 p/ y0 B7 M& U% j, L
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,- j' p8 j) G8 J$ T- H
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.' [- n) E& @- a6 ^5 Z9 T
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。/ `% B5 q) H# J+ l+ t
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.! y0 ~' H/ m3 t4 P# }* L0 ~
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。/ j, F! l5 z8 c5 n2 O
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
2 S# g% { ]% ]$ I4 ^ 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。
: m& ~) d" ?3 q# b1 @7 i- N560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.7 w6 k& J, P; C% ]9 l( \+ G- G6 {
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
! s$ u+ A( p4 k) S; w561. This was indeed the case.: t0 o0 W. p* s4 A( U0 x# I
但事实上确有此人。5 d1 P6 q+ L4 y4 l @$ v1 O" X
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
$ f' x. ?) P' C3 N5 Q: G/ K$ H( L 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
4 i3 U- L3 \9 W- @9 u563. 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.. c7 Y- w3 X1 p% m. _- l
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。
) g, L/ g( A- ~564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
* E) d/ ^9 D G1 T& |! 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。
7 s# S8 J7 c& j- ]0 s# J4 f565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
: h$ U3 d$ r/ ? s 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,$ T6 d# o$ x% y; [
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. }. X$ G1 \. N! c$ c5 S% q) N1 e
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。# x2 m1 K4 _6 O, g
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
( c7 _6 \" o7 j' ` 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。& k4 X& x4 T: H# H3 r
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.
3 ^3 A: N6 E* ~, ~% K8 C; S 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。9 J/ X" f/ s. K1 o G
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
2 Y6 o4 H8 |7 N4 l 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
/ Q1 h" c! Y) E I570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action./ F G) {, w9 N" @. i
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。/ L3 _- N8 \* p0 X$ E* E( w" Y
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.- W0 C( w2 f! \0 _5 Z
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" p9 |- K2 ?) ]( l572. They did not even tell their wives.6 N- K N7 |4 n& G, A
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。1 d1 ]7 r0 A. W, L3 Z
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
% G' x6 O# p" n# r. S, U 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。% p( p& |+ U: d; ]
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse., Z9 ^8 {) P) U. c. U% J h; a" ~
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,% m, Z- Q; m& v% d( H( \! V. O7 e
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.
$ l1 z. H7 K" A- h3 F6 } 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。
8 _7 F0 J5 D7 F1 R) t' C6 F- ^; a576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.5 j. }3 B& 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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