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课文30 幽灵之死; V2 w1 d }( U- _3 @$ y
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
- ~6 I0 g) P/ f0 b$ U 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。1 `% N n4 T* X% c$ O. b1 O
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox. B5 H* M% i7 @# \8 `: D* J
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
+ a9 o) C* Q. U- a3 s, p554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
$ Z, D @0 U3 K* _7 }" W( c5 C! X# F 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。. Q/ B! p: O* L
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
: x. p( c4 {+ d% i% Z: P 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。( k! F+ k3 M2 g4 k
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
0 t9 h7 M: u) P) l: H 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,- E) `6 Z0 g: @' f0 m9 F2 X
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 T: n7 R0 Y0 w8 s9 Y 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。0 I( H$ [, ^( K+ M. N4 I
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.3 l- ?, {0 }; O' b
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。
& w3 b" Q1 a" s: ?5 W; f& h- X559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
) N0 J% T' L6 @& O- P& e1 y 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。! _% q8 E# e/ ?
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
$ E; @( ^; h# G6 N0 H2 o4 f 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
2 [8 a5 A' |' D2 t$ `& h% z561. This was indeed the case.# v, @. l P" n! x" Q0 I" c2 a
但事实上确有此人。 }, Z9 f @$ L3 M `
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
4 @- n- S8 E; ]! K1 G, s& @1 V. z 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
9 U' ~4 l7 l5 @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.
$ Y3 ~) ]0 n* A2 q7 g 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。
" ?; q+ W- h3 b# u- S% J6 V564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
% P7 r/ c6 i$ }% ]1 u9 ]/ A 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
, g; H+ W1 R J0 |565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers./ g% _5 P1 f0 V0 J) D8 w
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, Z) e( M8 X2 T7 o8 z* q
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
& ~7 m/ V1 O2 ]( L- ^1 `4 R 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。: F. C" n0 ^# u! j# K' q+ j2 X
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment. r4 g7 j, E! w9 l/ v
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。0 N& z B1 l+ e+ V
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.. l+ f1 A# D& z* ~& l7 ^
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。) j. V6 B2 I, [2 v# h& o
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.: e# U y: g$ W
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。; h: ]5 C% F5 B- V
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
" Z- n/ o* p8 \1 L9 c5 F: O) P 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
1 X6 D9 q' {0 t) _+ h9 q+ {5 _571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.0 o) {( C: N* z* p; |" x( E% v
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。; h% k+ f3 ]* C) R" b1 r2 M" T
572. They did not even tell their wives.4 A& c' L& d% k1 F: e2 I4 Q
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。% ~# u: b: @3 U# y# j
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
- e% z1 B8 B& K& P9 V& G& U- X 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
; K) J) ~, N, \- E574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.# B, I3 p& K$ V
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,8 j* `# a+ ]: A# A; o/ 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.
2 r- @, f" u/ D ?) x% K9 [! r 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。
3 V( q! L7 R- t7 o+ m576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.' e4 l9 S+ [& y
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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