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课文30 幽灵之死2 W1 @; U) h5 {) M+ f; t- z
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
6 [$ ?1 }4 Z4 L2 l/ f 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
6 o- f# `1 J! H. D& |7 o5 Y553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox. z9 q4 H! A5 ^6 P E$ n3 e: _
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
0 N+ R) q& f! t6 c554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long. v8 O1 A- s5 o/ Y9 X
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
7 e& \: [) b) |555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
' e3 m$ B$ H$ d 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。1 F6 t. e: e# _
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
6 Z2 g0 `: P( I 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,5 x* B& E4 N& ]: M- a
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.6 [% m+ G* [' f
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 q/ e" f1 V' |4 C( x% W. ~558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.- X# E) A7 u/ p. Z5 J
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。
. _8 R: a4 r1 H: Z, ?: B559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.5 R# T( a+ u$ R& M1 `( Z( j
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。2 Q3 \+ _. P! |+ \
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
# T, n6 [! |8 z5 ^ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
& L9 d) `6 V( A. ]! M g561. This was indeed the case.( I4 P) c4 \' C; ~0 E" E( V5 S& B
但事实上确有此人。$ A' w, U* Z6 _' z
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 M3 F* ^- w# B$ ^* q* |& |
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
7 d9 `' W2 v4 T. P7 H9 F/ D+ 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.5 t7 C' n' j7 `) l- c$ U- W
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。
4 f( |; u3 q8 s' f( H, ^: H/ L564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
3 N# J! P1 j& q# m% J; F- C 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
$ b2 m% b8 x7 n. D9 U* r$ W565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.# h, U J( E2 d" l4 }8 i Q
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
5 Z( r2 t, f1 F X H, q566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
" D: I3 Y" Y3 K+ J& f8 u 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
9 ?6 T$ X7 ~* s C& f567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.+ d _. \$ R: K
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
4 f) A" w# V2 i" z568. 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) a( C: S$ k+ E& |% A7 i. G
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。
/ Q+ r* {. O! W4 A569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.' Y( M2 I5 w. K
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。7 A' ]# H; a( X- \) f% w+ z% Z
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
+ G1 J/ b) W/ U/ K- P0 W 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
- j, ?! U* N; O8 Y. _6 B571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
3 ^ ?6 d- k, A+ ? 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
6 @/ K+ D1 q) O" b" Y7 o572. They did not even tell their wives./ l9 T" `% `8 |! g
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
4 u" C! x- B* d n573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.7 Q; u, z' y0 m& A, W
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。4 k) h: N# z5 Y
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
1 @( h- o0 N. z 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
# ^2 T0 o6 ^- Z! V575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.* H9 S' {( u, 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。0 a3 ]! M) ?1 A5 i% A7 W$ [
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
. ]3 |3 m& i+ M* w8 Q1 Q 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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