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课文30 幽灵之死
& W* j; L( H. @; b* |# k552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
8 d% C+ |1 ^: |8 A: t 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
! b6 Y8 g" w$ ~553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.6 g4 l% b1 n) x) o; H
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。2 Q" P4 y4 {" V+ K7 t, u# p- n
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
" o% `; J2 `% k7 \& W, Z 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 k- a& m7 [. U H2 p" h555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.4 ]5 s& I, \7 e9 C
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。& X& Y/ z' d' m1 L/ I2 w
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
, v. l" T" N+ c0 f y7 {8 ] 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
?. Y: J5 ?9 k, @8 X557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.( G: R$ ^# J! ?" [, }7 T' J9 ~
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。2 q1 a3 E0 O. r, V
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.+ ]* k& o0 O8 T. m
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。
- t7 t4 q9 K0 C0 y559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
$ `5 r9 P0 `( |9 k: ~" G/ 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。
% {% L2 P( G ?" W( d560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
- u2 }7 l. F! C4 d- T; E! X% d; {" s2 v 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
" F/ p- M: K, F8 t3 A6 m" z7 A4 y1 S: x561. This was indeed the case.
9 K0 h# {% M* D* Q 但事实上确有此人。
+ P, j- a/ J( @/ ~: i/ |562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.' c. d6 } F$ w0 q
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
' c# z$ H* M( o/ E6 j9 _* ^3 K563. 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.
3 k9 p; B2 b0 q; o: a9 X! v1 D 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 F7 }7 ?9 v, p# a6 z
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
# d) r1 U; T2 `! d 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。' I6 n! ~" {( s! n* ^ r% m7 U" [2 G
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.1 [ O4 a# ~# m- |) T
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
. U( @; G2 n; S) R7 P/ I566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
1 h. n- h, N8 z8 K4 E 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
; r' f* v. i( r8 f567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment./ U {) e+ g7 E3 N, x
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。9 }8 D2 l7 B- {! b3 N
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.
( v$ r$ s& U% @1 j! s4 `4 R( l4 { 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。; f0 o* W3 S6 g( X) @! T
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
& W; D# c. @( w! }" z 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
. N5 K0 O% O- L4 o! }2 F, m) \570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
8 j L2 D% V, w" D 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。" W) d( K" b) b& E& s
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.5 B0 ~5 H" ^' Q; w0 ]# [
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
# p! h8 O! S( X6 a2 b& j! r# W572. They did not even tell their wives., F9 K) K$ e5 X) R$ G
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
* Z6 |; l0 j9 B0 `8 A* s3 {9 ]0 n& K( D573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding. ?7 x+ B; m) I. _* K; N
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。2 S! u. z/ b6 f: _ k3 i5 U
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse." C$ N- ?7 I7 @' Y+ B
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,& e. Z, U; S2 Z3 }( @& {* U- L
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.
, O* X( O$ i! X3 K2 }1 P 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。
0 P( U, l+ q! Y. s. ^! P$ C576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.5 g7 [8 {! S* `2 x! 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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