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课文30 幽灵之死, [1 [/ g O8 a' b
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.& ~. }' @, s5 S6 [. W# l8 W
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。. K- b. V! [8 k' G/ P& O3 o
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.1 I/ o% v3 _8 k6 R( [+ o
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。- o5 I) {% R! }# I/ {- @" ^1 ?
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.* `& Z* N' J5 a3 b$ u+ f: x+ K
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。1 T# y) L# v D( i' j8 P/ C3 ~
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
2 x1 R' ^; U( D8 ?. e9 f 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。7 B, j4 Y/ P; \7 }) S) _" e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.2 p. D) O% {8 r4 z& {2 [0 r
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,2 ^6 I q% m1 g1 U
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.: L8 K+ o$ w, ]- s
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。8 t" d r, E# v2 d
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.$ i; T7 e. J9 i& S" @) n1 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。0 A+ e/ d d4 U0 x1 `6 w
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
7 p* V, L2 x, m3 q' s4 w/ o 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。
7 |% W2 D8 q* ]' G560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
% q- X; X& U# |6 w 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( g$ c( e4 N# L/ m" F561. This was indeed the case.
2 S, Z7 |7 g& n2 [7 o. C) u 但事实上确有此人。+ J" S/ M, s* N4 M* U2 G5 C0 Y
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.$ D6 X) J7 \, r) Y' Y) x) `
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
0 S- y9 X, I; B6 a# ?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.
& R$ i, b" o, r) X* c7 U- ]& w 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。% y, ?) e3 I! O/ U; N0 O
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.5 l# \) G# k1 D( e$ i1 }& g
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。% O, u. l4 M* e% r7 i
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
7 h/ W- V# B) _5 s% j( V. v4 w 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
2 w* e0 l9 u7 h6 l( I1 q; }. ?566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.3 p8 b7 ]- ^' ?, |4 U! C
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
* ~; g4 v1 b3 q4 u/ R# q. \! K567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.1 y/ z# p5 Y4 R- f) T
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
4 d& `8 {# z* w8 D568. 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.
' {$ b2 _' x6 D; M) y V+ 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。* m" c8 L: b" w, b+ Y" ^* B
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
1 @9 H" e! U h 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
# Q# z( p4 |& B- @4 O d7 t570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action. m$ h* \" M: U6 Q. |2 v' A0 F
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
. ~- Y$ I* `2 [ B571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
- `! ^+ a( c* r7 K! x! W: U+ U 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
. m( @5 d! Y+ W- a572. They did not even tell their wives.
. F( N' n, j( I) k+ q3 K& ` 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。/ [6 p; o% a5 i, a8 e7 B
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
8 e5 a% e/ y- E6 e$ z+ t 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
! V0 G4 [8 ?: a574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.9 J$ Q( ^2 K" k( R6 _
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,9 q2 z5 r8 q w+ b4 c- K9 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.( r: d, @% q- q' f: k
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。: w0 z& O8 y! w- g% _
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
: Q" G- b6 e' X4 j 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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