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课文30 幽灵之死
* I1 k, Y( B9 \( y552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.6 R& O' ?+ L b* `
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。7 z$ \1 S# M- d+ I
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.; U- Q) x4 w3 D) W2 N
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。5 V! P6 g7 R1 C
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
' I8 o/ H2 p1 A: d2 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 H9 r6 D4 k. D2 w1 p4 [/ O% p555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
: `2 `* e5 W% j 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
- _/ v0 r7 } I1 f8 a5 D5 J556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
! V- R: X y8 ^6 K" b 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
l, J$ F1 R% F* ?557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.& n8 I9 j/ R# Z
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。8 ? K+ p6 C- u4 g7 c" }- Y& S
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.8 t& b8 Y3 _, { p3 q3 _+ R
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。
4 ?2 R4 ~, W7 u0 V, S+ r v/ _559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& V% o7 Z, {: N1 e 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。
% ^* M- L) B' ~% s& E! g p+ E' w: L560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.2 A: ` s6 }& ?! W3 {* s
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
, H1 y9 G/ ?) @, s n' A* l561. This was indeed the case.7 F% S; L5 N4 @# R
但事实上确有此人。: ^9 ], L5 Z. h) n
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.3 O. b% N0 x9 R' b$ u) i+ ~
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。1 r; D6 j+ t) ?% s& C, P6 L. J( j
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.
" X: p) [' w5 P u4 n$ s- F9 i 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 N' u$ v8 e( l9 [/ o4 f564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
$ a3 Q" o3 I+ C$ r: P+ r8 F$ s 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。' R" |! x3 g* h9 y
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
' e0 S# _& q$ F- ?/ \ 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
# D4 s- F d1 g8 W8 U2 ^, A4 i7 h2 W566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
" Y$ T" D6 s: O* g8 F0 a+ v 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
I$ J' P2 O: i9 d5 b567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
% x% C, t u6 b/ s. D 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。9 e/ T9 Y/ V6 Q/ ?( @
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.
m3 F0 c* K6 y) |8 @7 i 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。
9 ~9 s6 b' {! z/ c) o) a& M569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.. v: E; o% i! i
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
" l. T; S: n9 E. a1 e1 N+ H570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
+ A! H% a% I V7 x 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
+ j* p" N$ t* M: G/ [% K V4 M. r571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.$ H$ l6 `3 @, O* n' g
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。3 T5 e- |+ s/ d: z* C/ [+ r% y
572. They did not even tell their wives.7 g/ Q Q" w+ w1 i- P3 c' t
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。0 F/ A4 R' V' I
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 ~9 n W" N/ d
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
0 I1 |: ?; R5 r, v1 \) m0 S3 i574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
+ c( d3 ]/ E% U; X6 u: `7 x 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,$ Z8 r' g2 P4 X5 w, i
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.6 E! j# Q; z* I$ y0 y( A' T$ z4 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。% l1 N! |6 p1 z- s, [( v# n' {/ { L
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.( o5 \9 }+ ~/ L6 l! f
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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