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课文30 幽灵之死/ k% g# A2 F L9 D
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
k, Q) N2 [+ e" z8 t( a! i 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% y' i' Y5 Y9 P( `5 ], h1 I: d7 v5 @553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.0 W& x+ t4 J8 @ A3 G" o& R# J
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。9 \4 o0 G+ N& o/ _3 f. z" N& ~ v
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
# _/ V8 w" W4 ^' A- X, C# m5 p 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 s+ ~* D3 ]7 I* H2 C555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.5 l+ _+ Q5 i7 s
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
9 a5 A5 J1 Y% X. |0 L5 Y5 a' e; t556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.( v3 A" s0 h! r. h5 p) `
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,0 m$ a/ G1 a, |& F" N1 L
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.$ K5 k: a" r/ g8 z# y1 R6 k! F
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
: B; Q# i4 B V558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
' k7 {& x5 }+ l. Y# V3 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。$ `# q# y# \* ]( w9 D
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
$ k I" Z I& D) q% O3 L 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。
5 e5 K8 l* G3 [- B560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
$ b A2 m$ U# r7 V4 n 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
3 S/ n2 a! D' s2 s+ x- v% L! e561. This was indeed the case.
* j T6 R# A+ [ R4 c2 |: G, [ 但事实上确有此人。
& E3 I: W9 x/ o562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 T( J% v k E7 P0 l t
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
- z F- W5 ]# f4 G563. 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.( ?: p) v1 f0 G/ o
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。, n- J$ Z. _; G4 G' n
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.' _7 ]) @- J% U4 y
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。4 }! E2 n# l1 c5 J, A
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.$ n: r8 R& { U/ ]9 k9 D8 I+ n
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,* K& G* i8 K) l; R! }( ~" `
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
8 G& ?- w/ i) }' b/ E$ S2 b g 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。. b) L/ g7 [* E$ i
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.! T6 I+ g+ [8 e! S' m$ |8 g3 {
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
* _% X* X" r# s; @ X568. 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.: S, k8 r6 n$ e) v/ E
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。6 ]8 ^- R- [% [% q# e; s( j
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
( n, d% J6 M" s8 z4 C( a8 w 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
. f2 q7 w" R6 W/ m6 t* M* d- O570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
/ b! ?2 X0 a Y/ Z5 Y4 b" e) f 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
$ L8 a( B' h; I+ G' a* n! D571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.' Y+ u3 e* S, T% }5 H4 G$ p: Y4 n5 n
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。9 s2 J8 I9 x: H% N' G1 U* {6 Y
572. They did not even tell their wives.3 h5 o1 ^3 @. V2 _. P5 ~$ o, f0 D( y
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。; a$ h" V& l' N& i3 ^8 v8 v
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
$ X! H0 s! O4 J 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 T/ R' z- B6 m _
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.- [# m% j: X0 B$ V% S+ t
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: f2 `# x( ?0 n
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.* n- n! n# _8 j2 J! n
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。( L6 n& ]0 T6 U- g( \; o. k
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
; v6 z8 {6 i! U5 R# e 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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