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课文30 幽灵之死& J: \ O1 f+ H1 M
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
4 `: f* n0 a. f: U8 H 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
9 T& t ^" G- S7 v553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
9 ~4 z! Q: B3 B- A+ H 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。, z6 F8 G3 e) t8 m5 ^. c
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.4 k1 ~, K3 L9 O, t8 m! o0 J
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 h7 ^$ T6 [+ ]- A3 j& v555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
P* ?% P: T( a+ {* X 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
, b" s8 P! g% c. V* R9 i556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.! j _6 z. C6 ?# g3 q7 C3 J3 Q
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
' [4 ^4 E3 m& b: j* l557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
$ W& z0 k1 Y+ x% q 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。& [9 R3 }, l8 {6 Q3 Y5 t0 d3 U( K
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.- `& A1 p5 _8 D
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。! N& p) L% s6 d* w( U" h
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.) G; n. y9 [4 | P, v# ]0 ^
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。
* C& @2 m* m/ k$ T6 G$ [560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.4 H8 }* F2 p) ~; k' j: f3 V
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。( H- A( I' e, ^1 v h
561. This was indeed the case.# a/ W8 C- n/ {( ^# x
但事实上确有此人。7 H# O m" u' X! a7 q+ v, b4 D
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
" _( K2 Q" G8 w$ j 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。! ?9 }1 q8 g8 n) 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.
+ J4 g% j4 u; n8 P7 U1 A* Y2 p/ r 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。6 C H- n! t% e( I. P+ O% S1 T2 Z
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.+ @1 c/ e6 S) e2 K- ?. ]9 Q
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
: `9 X4 w; T$ `. l9 z565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.* G! U' w8 g Z( T
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
( \* v: @1 x) L- q, T/ A566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
7 L' j6 M2 J/ B+ Y* w& R4 f 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
7 M! b/ D" J' Q! V5 L567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
! u: I* t7 O/ ? 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。9 @* ?, O6 I- Y; O# h6 Z
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.
2 a0 j p/ B- {1 g6 T! @6 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。
! ~- r6 o7 ?5 A' ?569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.( d% l$ _5 F5 U- i
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
% d- s& k) _# J5 x4 C570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
( ]: n- z# q* N( r) Z- p; U _ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。: D+ `1 }% @$ n$ K7 ?, x* |# f1 J
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.% X; _6 L; }. h* e% ~8 q% V
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
' e( X- q" F0 ?4 _+ M3 N2 y572. They did not even tell their wives.
+ e, P" ?7 o2 J3 G# T& \3 ~ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。+ a' l' h& D) }/ K' T: j0 W. j: ?
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.1 `# n) u5 Z. X2 X
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
9 q! y* o) f- b5 c, |0 O574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
$ Z4 B4 f0 ^( x5 b 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,1 b* T7 ^* u* H) Q
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.! p, z ~0 \! A! r- W$ S$ _
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。# T5 t% w( o, I+ O
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
- P. O3 w a: Z& a1 ~1 P 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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