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课文30 幽灵之死
8 n- F* s$ }) Q% [% L/ b* q, |0 [552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.8 Z/ ~* U# }% [! t6 X$ B
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
7 y+ d; U/ V( V8 y5 } v1 P) e5 D& r553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
4 ]/ y% N l; H+ _' \) g4 J; o* B" l1 ~7 F 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。* a$ }- k/ V4 E& `9 ]: o
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.- T% ~7 R' `9 F3 y
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
9 k, F: u0 \5 F9 u" D a555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.! v) F; Y8 t: l) ]6 I& {) O7 H
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。, [5 C7 A, A3 A' w) P, c
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.6 a2 d+ f3 w8 Y
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,) s( W/ Y/ B) H) |8 Q2 N' K! Q. o
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
* O' A. u, Y% M0 h0 x0 \ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
" i- s7 E' F: f0 l0 M2 N4 h4 b- T8 p558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.' X' _3 R- x' Y$ N' t* V' H2 w0 v
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。- E' s1 k$ Z# S; U
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.4 s2 N, i! R$ u- M# d
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。# w$ z8 l) [" x+ M
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
+ [; M( a% t% D# k" Q3 C' S# o) Y9 e2 Q 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
' W2 ]* @) V+ M$ ^; M: _8 _561. This was indeed the case. S- O9 T+ z$ s% }. z4 l
但事实上确有此人。& a4 w- j1 _: I1 x
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.0 _, X8 n; r0 _9 {
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
! M. C, w4 A* c- w: a9 O1 n; ~' M563. 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 _5 M% \8 Q3 V7 m$ y 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。
) M8 P3 u9 s% N/ A$ b564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
w# g* \& S6 v* v. N1 o Z 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。, e( } ^0 ^; K7 \, o$ c' t1 F
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.% L0 w! X0 o4 \% h0 V
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
) B& c. M! Z2 }! I566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.$ \ @2 P4 w% A+ F- r: d6 j# z
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。& s( I3 _6 R8 s/ Z& l( a3 n& @
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.* o1 N6 L, x5 A- r: o
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
$ n) L; ?% W* M0 j3 _& I568. 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# @* F* u" z Q" y 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。: Q2 ^* e: {/ r9 Q
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
9 L$ h" x" W5 K7 P 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
9 ]7 O6 K. O" I# [( b4 y570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
. j: W$ {4 i1 Q 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
) b- M8 G) R2 x571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.% j1 g# t% w+ B
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。9 y$ x6 {% y' \
572. They did not even tell their wives.3 L$ f3 N2 c: N! p) ]+ o
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
% e( Q; C& D7 |% I$ \5 q, N573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
- D. R8 W! x4 [- J# t 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 ~2 V" e9 l- V& L9 z1 ^
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.% r# y" q( x3 q
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
2 h/ W7 D( w' G, P3 f, B575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
% s8 y3 w& g% f' X/ w% o 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。
' \; @$ F h- b/ ~! b576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
. C: D& v/ f' C+ n 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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