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课文30 幽灵之死
' R8 i" p9 ~3 [0 f; R552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
9 r* j+ H& ^; x* X# c0 k5 Y 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。1 X9 a% O c- q2 }. L
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
" A t# X, V% i } 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
; K" A1 I2 _$ y554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
! R, l4 V2 }/ z/ [% R6 u 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。$ {' W% h; b6 U2 L L6 U0 p; B- {2 O
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.; {; U. n8 c. d, C" m6 J
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
% o& l. t) X4 p4 h0 Q556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.1 o& e" c& p4 _1 ~ k
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,( j/ W8 B& G2 }
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.! V H8 F& x4 j& _$ G
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。3 l7 [2 B$ g; b/ E4 O! J
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.4 Q# y- f0 d: T- C: N; I
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。
# d; q2 h% P1 ]559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.! ^( W7 U# [9 c \
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。9 b- z e. ?7 G+ K
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.& Y8 [7 m) K; z
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
: q! W) q* h4 W; j+ ^ R561. This was indeed the case.
7 S7 s% N: H) ]* X 但事实上确有此人。
0 j4 a' W6 D: R) u562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
" D1 }' V8 q2 ]; Q: U( C 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。. T$ E3 C- D1 [$ Q
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.
" {' y o9 p& }; [) g6 Y# h; _ 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。5 V" p& T) O1 ~' v. p* F6 c4 y
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.' I* `- x: {1 @) f3 p% R0 m1 s
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 ^9 _1 k! e D4 t' B565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
0 B; N4 z" W3 C 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
& D/ c/ I% v* {% u3 l566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.5 } w6 c0 N7 T [* g
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
2 R7 q5 X& t; y# g, Y567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
; N8 S' I! ]$ f 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# ?% [& L/ s9 t0 _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.
7 E: E$ ~% J. w. R 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. }, \& C5 C1 o3 M2 `1 U569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.: O2 Z* {* o* U7 F
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。8 ^% ]# R* G; O0 Q7 b6 G9 i
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.8 F2 N+ ?- @0 W( H/ c. b
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
& ]5 ^& f- W6 l O( F571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob. U; W) i1 s6 j. Q, ^; L
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。/ p- ?# f( w" L8 U7 c; M
572. They did not even tell their wives.
% b( M" J- C; x2 A: x5 i' V 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
8 u0 Y" H' ^& g; m" X573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.# R$ d$ \# @4 ^: b: j! I
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。5 Q9 z9 @" R; X# p
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.& f- U( P' P# K: X( V. K) Q# k) P
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
/ c y9 F/ t/ H3 v- [7 @% C575. 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 c3 ~" \1 k* F3 E, Q8 ]
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。
" e- T6 ]* B1 ~ b6 T576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.: a% F2 _5 D3 U! q) _4 R
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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