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课文30 幽灵之死" y# `& l0 v! J) T! C
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
0 ]' c& i, p- y; |, P 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
: _$ E) i# X6 P; \553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) b! }/ ^8 N) m+ {; Q' ^. d 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' P0 @' I" C8 f5 b2 I( \554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.% R0 g; k9 r! O! a9 W
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。, [+ H7 K) T3 d& I2 d4 z- l
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
0 b/ Y$ w. f/ q# W* c* k# \. P 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 h: S0 }7 f4 k9 \/ x. E! B1 q
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.6 Q6 C4 x7 ?. [" F8 Y% [$ I* ?0 O% ~/ t
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,- u- E" G0 O2 Y- O
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
# b; Q! @( ]+ \( n% _ ?3 M 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。* k& b( _8 y5 K* o8 ^6 x; H
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
u1 x4 o$ x& N0 S( E& { 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。' t2 q6 X( }# m" f
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
4 ?& W9 J( Y/ 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。' `( {" V8 c. @
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
- B& e0 `' v) S& R* {% T 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。 A# c* \$ I2 T6 h: e8 A9 N1 \
561. This was indeed the case.; n @- y+ }8 w/ b0 q0 f5 m
但事实上确有此人。
) {. a! @$ O% E9 C$ y" ~6 [562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.; H7 t0 g) w, v
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。2 I( \0 K" _1 J4 r0 v1 q/ q
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.
3 ~7 x7 S% c+ b, G i# e0 L; W1 W 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。
3 N# W9 d- o6 f2 {564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.1 q6 t" z; y2 y7 d* 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。
# ~* M% Q( ~ X6 R565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.& G: j+ @# m" B# c. W9 t
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
4 I8 {5 `/ P8 }! F2 o* u7 I) F6 \' Y4 L6 F566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.( `% B8 h5 N/ v
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
) [: I8 F% j [- h4 l7 a; C567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.$ B1 V; }2 K2 T* T- [- ?5 [7 G/ J
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
9 ^7 c" F8 g5 L568. 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 `% a; t8 u( X0 ^5 k7 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。
4 t7 @6 g9 i8 ?2 }0 @569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
- Q/ q" [2 c4 T0 j$ a6 U( V 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
$ t7 Y$ f \$ G* N, S* s570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
% v2 C/ h& Q8 ?1 u& G0 h" n 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。1 g3 {, I0 b$ O- q P9 ]- I& i/ @
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
; T) T. U: p. S& l* t& Q* A" y4 A; K 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
% J4 [+ ~& N: g/ f9 y1 x% W572. They did not even tell their wives.
2 y" L/ Q i O# D0 l 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
6 }0 q2 q( O9 A573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
- }* i& G9 m2 O4 h+ E 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。" b4 D+ c& M, D7 D; {8 h- P
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse., z7 ^6 P- S" N1 v: p9 H
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,& b' l2 F0 z4 s# ]- z/ ~# V
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.% d' o5 b4 |* E6 C7 {( @
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。2 ]3 }8 b: h* C& x/ }
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.& k# g; {6 V: \& f( x; W
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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