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课文30 幽灵之死' s$ I4 a% X4 K3 Q5 T
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.: `' S5 n% g q T/ J7 k
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
! l( z4 y: y5 C5 W7 `553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
2 e4 A+ ]6 [ f2 T" e5 H$ q 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: l# `! C/ }- |
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
/ I% D" ~# @9 F* v7 ?" s 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
9 \% q( r5 z5 W) F) h' I8 s$ q555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
1 p3 n% o, e" m% J* I! H. N. G" o 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。( H8 O7 ~6 ~6 Z$ D3 I
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.' d; K8 h E" b- m; g$ u& }9 F
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
% h" i8 f8 i5 C; ~0 T557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
% z! v1 w' J# D4 Q6 R) h 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。6 d; J3 D' j7 m [; H: C
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
8 l" x/ h/ m/ z& o+ Y- @ 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。
, v: k3 a; B+ w/ R" x; f559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
0 g( d! f5 j3 b# m( S* r1 e& M4 M2 V9 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。
$ T6 _3 y- U3 G" T560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.3 L- G/ I& A N& B' d+ `- t
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
8 A H8 g( Z/ v& W561. This was indeed the case.
' @1 s* u) H: `. M5 | 但事实上确有此人。
$ ^% B+ u. I) v9 y/ Y& l: N" s+ W562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
# f4 ?/ d4 Y8 F. \2 ] 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
. w- X% q! X4 j4 \3 v! K5 E9 }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.
2 J+ x! d: P/ b2 d2 X1 ] ]. @ 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。
$ W) `' C& x( F5 ~$ Q, j564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
+ w: Z8 ^6 P3 X8 ^- e 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。% ? E0 R/ R, ~" d N& F
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.9 N8 N" {6 V" B+ q$ f
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多, @' P7 I# t8 ]2 U! O1 l
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
% P' w! L0 z0 j7 b* _ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。1 x% p3 ]8 Z2 m k+ X
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.5 I: d, ^2 V% ~3 {7 }" P$ _& v
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 X! G/ O8 _1 Z7 _ a
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.$ u' E6 M8 D1 Z- D# A1 F
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。6 V* d- q% R7 l' u5 b# B7 {
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ `; F! H" Z2 C/ T1 z d" c 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
6 n) [8 X8 S. V570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.7 W! O# ?1 D5 U9 @1 U8 ]
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。4 W' G8 j9 m) r" U
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
' \* X% q4 |: z8 F! Y; E 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
7 E% c7 N8 |+ v0 W572. They did not even tell their wives.
# A' y/ g* h) E5 j 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
/ s! F9 A7 y1 [6 x7 [: A573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.6 s1 Y5 z# {' \/ O
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。- Q! r7 t$ ~7 h* ~) b9 f/ y
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
) {9 F5 t9 ?9 \* C9 C 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
K) h; y! l4 I1 C9 [2 b575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.& M: a- C# o3 o) i
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。3 V k7 _+ X3 l/ \5 O$ H
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer., B2 [$ v; l" 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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