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课文30 幽灵之死
5 O9 S6 y Q( T! ] z; Y0 `552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.5 q1 R7 p) z6 m+ r
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
6 v7 d K E$ N3 l553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.* e+ {1 y7 O: `4 ]! x0 i! D. p
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
- M2 s- p/ I/ U: p' }554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
8 P. G% p0 V5 g 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。) G$ {5 h& U, Q2 J( ~. P
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
* x" ]) W ^- @ l1 j 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
% f% M% I/ m" o6 t0 O556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.+ m0 H2 w: Q$ E9 E
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
5 [( k. l U5 k9 t9 o1 g b% W557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.2 G1 F+ G' K7 z% i
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。. x- l' V- k% Q
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight." h' q' \; u) d3 y* G5 U" r1 V
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。
9 w8 a+ b7 |: _" {; E' g5 E9 `559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
/ z6 s* g$ q/ D3 @9 J! x 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。
; A; l' s8 I) C9 D560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
/ \# {1 w) Q* x0 o5 K0 T0 a s 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
3 I4 v2 T) j4 r561. This was indeed the case.1 M M2 l7 u I
但事实上确有此人。
! f' r6 j+ J' p562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
Q( ~3 T( O% V& r3 R 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。. s/ s+ h. s6 R m) Y* R1 U0 _
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.
* E' x6 i) o6 |2 x0 F3 L 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。" @4 s4 @6 j/ o7 b) I
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
7 p" T& z* ]3 S. Q% S1 B 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。5 B9 T/ ]) F" y: Y, z! i- z
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
; h0 W$ ]2 L6 \ 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
8 X- W& { G" J* B566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.# [+ p6 g& ]! L6 G" G5 H
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
/ o: @7 M# U% w" {/ M. M! x567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
+ t) u/ p: B) d. ~; d1 \/ } 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
; `* [1 i+ }! P% E568. 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.
, v0 p! B5 W3 ` 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 r/ ~" D/ K0 {( \; {( w) {( i% v5 M569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
( F7 B( x5 h) h$ e" i- ?' U' H$ E 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。! C5 f1 M6 J+ \# k k
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.2 X# j! V+ F- ]9 O1 p3 n4 }7 o3 K
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
" D7 R% Z, L% |, u% a571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob." t2 l0 K& W# }
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
- y- w+ s) ~( U/ k/ I3 u+ `572. They did not even tell their wives.
$ p+ B7 e2 M* k 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。. q# O. ]0 f/ [& d1 G( D
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
+ O2 a8 g2 F8 J- ] 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。1 }: l* p! }. R
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
+ L" ~+ ^1 v% X" r 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,; }" {0 H2 z G3 T
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.
/ T# m5 c- g) ]6 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。7 [* @' R8 r2 N; n: k8 ?! C
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
3 K; r f ^" b4 s% T 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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