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课文30 幽灵之死
+ R1 Z9 h5 y8 J, |5 I552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
$ D# D4 T! {9 h* `: k 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
4 U$ s- e% \5 ~& o/ W553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.8 c7 E1 Q) p7 d1 F: t
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
4 R0 H0 e! E" X U9 W% o$ s554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.& c" ]! B4 c* i& ~% h
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。* `4 v% c+ b m. I
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.+ A& y7 Q" @0 g$ ]
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
1 ~$ p) W ~5 N% b! l" o556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.* w6 s* q# q4 J2 U( C$ W8 ?. ?3 V3 R
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,5 `1 j; b" M3 X/ [
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned. t1 |" I; }8 h1 {
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。1 D3 ?& }. b2 v8 E G+ I& p H
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) j# L6 B2 J9 @( X$ G+ 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。
1 h! e8 M g j# l! G559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
( Q8 c6 G4 H) ]6 { 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。
% @+ u) {5 L3 H/ J& V% B2 d8 J560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.; m( F/ x$ j) @+ o- D' I; z; P
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。# ~9 N+ F x+ \9 W
561. This was indeed the case.
2 N I- @9 w7 X) h+ C4 v. M6 v; h 但事实上确有此人。3 `% h; N# [( Y% N3 K& w) {' K! @5 K
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.. z. N, O% o; |" s% w' U
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
X" u4 [1 h# d/ \$ B563. 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.
4 S* w/ P7 q+ ?; o* 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。
. W( T, {* ^0 s2 a0 j0 s& a564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
8 i8 n3 [6 A) K, h 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
3 ]# Q4 ~9 P% w$ q; O% Q+ I565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.: U# d6 q& G( w1 R- Q8 v
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,3 a5 j+ R6 L- ?* s* H7 B0 b
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
4 T0 @, ^8 K1 z9 G" f 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。# }6 D7 m- z; z! }: h4 p
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.! [- C5 s+ b0 f
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。% W7 R9 B' o3 ^" r2 u
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.
) |# r: V0 Y$ z1 e& ^0 {( M3 R 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。
; _+ w5 I! p6 c569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
) n) r: b% i! D' Y- U" ` 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。! K' ~7 E4 v5 z- e: W8 A' M' p
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
7 @3 ?5 g: i7 Y9 z3 O' I+ o- t 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。! m4 o5 e& z) }9 X) A$ ?% m/ }
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob., P4 |7 c- h, A& W0 G
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 `! n7 V h% L3 C) E572. They did not even tell their wives.7 b4 t! a9 o9 D8 T
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
0 o4 f% r; c2 a3 V: [9 I573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding." `7 `2 N" P; w5 l3 k# L! s7 K* z
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。+ F+ j1 h6 c$ i- \# L+ G/ b
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.9 z8 J9 O3 ]- K: c1 r
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,0 d" W. c& L# k6 a2 B
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.
- d+ T |' S4 q7 _3 D, y 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。
! V1 c5 M. [. j( p( B576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.9 U9 O b/ r# N7 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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