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课文30 幽灵之死
5 z4 f& ?: \1 C552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted. {# {( i7 n+ O' s
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。* i( A [( ^3 L4 e. Q1 x' Y/ Z: B. z
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.5 h! u7 T7 o6 j) v$ P
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
[& l1 c" E8 S3 J0 p$ l6 z554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.5 b& B7 u0 z7 V
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
$ |& ] o) C8 U' x" d. c- m555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.& ^ }% m( P2 e' b- m: L) K. Z; q: x
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
7 F$ P3 Z/ _6 X# _ h0 w) R5 c556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.% S7 D- r. ^, L, |
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,. ^9 W5 r+ U. R' Q2 _$ {
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.* Z, ]$ j# `) Y. _" I* \: h) g1 y
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。& o( \" m9 ~9 T9 ^2 u: S
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
5 a% l( f0 D3 i+ W3 V. I- ~5 r+ T 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。
5 \( \- G* ^. Z559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
0 t4 P7 @8 m9 e/ O: n 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。
% o) F1 I# d( {5 W3 [7 J560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.( n: K$ `- Y4 s W2 a m
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
* a H( F/ p4 E8 p `. B561. This was indeed the case.8 z- v& b- q$ ]4 {7 A( m
但事实上确有此人。0 z6 I5 M% h" n' s3 \+ y4 q) }
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
7 y+ @) v3 \/ |1 k( N8 ?% O$ a 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。7 _4 D6 t6 E+ Z2 ~9 r. F
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.
5 {( D- N0 O9 w" \/ E; Z 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。
7 w7 w; t" q' L% m. t3 U564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
- S' M# `2 ^# ^ f" p- h G$ V 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。0 C8 n2 \, ^* q0 ^
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers., N9 `9 W' V7 o7 j: I+ e7 S9 U) r
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
) v, b6 T6 |) e+ l566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
$ v: L3 Z& H" p$ B 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。% ]: q! ^# p) ?* o
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.; P% v3 ]: e2 E# p9 ?, z8 Q
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。+ b5 O/ w* U4 P( j3 m
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.9 {* I+ r- F0 H1 q& x: a, H& |
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。
2 E" Q6 A. G# w( `- u569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
, b! l+ H: m; o1 A 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。0 J. }7 V- T+ l, a3 L
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
$ O' o1 s6 `8 `' w5 k; t 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。; R9 {# a6 s9 j( q: q) N
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
7 Q# |4 }1 e' n/ u# I4 J' L$ ^ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
6 Q7 F+ B; K& N; V N572. They did not even tell their wives.
: d9 d; [/ |0 B9 } 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。# U' [7 [. @" n3 z& C
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.% n8 ^4 r9 g; a6 L1 F9 X) m' ~, Q
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。& z: i; u; C5 a6 x, w& p
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.0 U; k" r+ J* z
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
; p% Y# a+ b% B% K* T0 H% 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.8 @/ Z. L1 u( b8 h# C
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。# g3 t" y; x5 D& t
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
# N; v" E, P% k' y/ S! F 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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