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课文30 幽灵之死
. f" S" a2 n ]+ _9 R9 r* U552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
: [: k7 J: U8 x" n 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。3 }/ {0 B6 L2 R2 e* ?5 I
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox./ o# B5 `* m; I) {# D! i
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
) B) U5 e8 W q: g6 P2 Y554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long." f9 H; _% @. {4 x2 n0 q
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。# ~+ t! }3 Q" E- @( {
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
0 S: J! e4 K' X8 h 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。 s5 G% ?- E" ?% f8 i+ V
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
' m' T5 \; W1 B1 Z 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了," e! n+ _3 ]% A) |8 ?% k
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
( ^* L5 y! J: L1 I* l: y 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
; U; T4 P8 V" k) e3 a558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
5 X4 ]2 n# k: H# I7 b9 _ 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。
6 A% P9 {7 I& V+ b4 [559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
: @: }. e0 c! j: r; X4 ?) O5 P) a 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。
, K5 v& F' d% |* _560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
" F' U, c, i; A. v/ i( _+ k$ v 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
$ Q" {9 p; k0 |* b561. This was indeed the case./ s$ B* P9 O! H2 F( [/ A8 x
但事实上确有此人。" L, {, ~7 v2 r: d8 j: i
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
: e% ~! U- i1 b 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
6 Q1 O* u4 L m5 l% h# X6 @' \" 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.: b% Z* H% I1 O$ E
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。
% C' U; S0 E2 x3 f3 p' e564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.* T$ C/ t# \6 V$ a9 E: {1 T. t
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。4 V; W8 M! y- d% x8 \5 D
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
! ^! a0 G/ F$ P( K' Z 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,: d, u, c' {4 R" f, n6 {: j( z
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.# [2 Z* x1 ^, G
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
$ W. m$ R- Z! C: o) v567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
' {3 t1 W& R d; v* y% j% ? 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
% @6 B, q' K- U$ q) I# r- ?; 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.
* Z: m/ T( s$ ~6 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。
# h) h- k5 q7 F569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ w) |5 h w! L, N' U 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。5 E& L; _0 y# N! j* c8 {) n
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
) T2 k; r( Z! j! L4 T, W+ [ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
/ f4 ~ C9 j! u; F& _3 j571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.; d. O8 t6 M+ ^, ~2 H6 X. G6 t
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
" Z: R2 @* @3 P8 n572. They did not even tell their wives.
* E: P9 E+ k2 b: B" D 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
6 n, u; [5 E/ g0 l5 C1 i7 y& H573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.3 O. O! [; N! g3 n/ T; s% w) K5 m
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。& p+ i6 l$ Y5 s- q0 e$ `
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
! h4 ]4 W7 ^2 @6 o) u9 c: _# \ 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,7 x5 U3 z; A: J' Q. t4 Y
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." s/ ?) i+ ~, ]+ D/ {
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。
) ?+ \* |% w$ F9 g7 r576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
2 p3 Z0 o' [( v/ s! F9 `+ 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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