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课文30 幽灵之死# r2 m- i1 r9 G9 d
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
$ G- u) z4 m0 A/ Y0 r5 | 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。7 e% C* {9 |* W0 \7 M
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.$ E c/ d" m& ?' `+ Q- H
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。' n$ @ o' T) L: L6 @# A
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.1 D) n, f$ f, L3 L" N# s& n
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
9 s: t) M" J) j, ^2 l555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
7 F1 R9 S8 F! }4 f) F4 @- ~ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
. P( r0 {( o4 G5 t556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.4 f2 F- S, H. J+ o+ p
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
$ n3 A0 J& ]. X& i- J6 [" x557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.7 d6 W: ]/ P" ?; Q. H
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。 k; e5 v5 O3 J
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
# b8 v! s) i6 A5 A 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。8 p) h- }3 b; Z) ~1 W
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.( |, ]; C! u& x% [& r- H& M
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。
/ j$ Y+ j; Y+ n% g% @- _4 v* e560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.9 w Q' o8 W9 h4 H( C9 A. v
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
% M' D! Q+ o1 ?561. This was indeed the case.# l0 n" g$ N0 }+ g8 R9 p
但事实上确有此人。, k5 A% N% T5 K/ |, d; E. _, V% u
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
6 t; b; {' s' m2 u ^" Q9 U 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
M1 y5 c( [8 Z4 g& ?' W- }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.# W7 `; w/ m# w# h4 Z
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。
! \2 M' J9 u& D! U564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
0 b+ l1 F4 y% W6 y; J& ~: | 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
: A: ~9 }% j& E9 J& a$ D565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
7 R3 A5 t1 J8 o 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
! N5 K/ z4 v) N5 _566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
/ A8 e4 ^$ |( l/ ?$ O6 ^ o$ U 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。 N$ z, ^6 E8 X. T6 k i+ ?# f. I9 }
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
]; j$ @- h4 X7 d+ e4 [# _ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
% c" O* w& _! D9 {6 r568. 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 e+ q/ Y) `/ {+ x$ ?' k( B
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。
) R0 o6 |5 `7 L& ?; O569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
- r7 ^* I; P& J, @' m 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
5 j% ^' k" n% u" S570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.; a: @* W. w( p. l
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
8 a8 V7 m) ?8 r571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
# v i, n% \2 G 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。1 j8 H! X1 R3 I9 `3 J
572. They did not even tell their wives.
2 y# F& E. }, L6 U: Q) J 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。* m4 n+ x1 T! u K9 O
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding. x3 L; k/ w% o* |
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
/ _" X: u4 h; H5 O2 q# r" b" k" [574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
# ~# m3 y/ W; N \- t! i9 z 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: v9 b6 \! E6 Z" V6 x
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.
. b" T6 t m4 o% G 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 H4 b+ f) J, c1 v! C
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer., E8 ?. T/ k; Q2 ]& X
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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