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课文30 幽灵之死: N- D4 n! [+ o' k- u2 k( p
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
$ Y- ~8 D0 [( ?1 m% F+ z& [ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。0 G+ Z# `$ P' C" m. F: ]0 |! g
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.) z. z" T$ \" f+ X ?
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
- m# }! b4 Z$ M554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.' u% Q! O) P; A: J9 R6 I' K3 |. c
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。 ]4 ?4 X w% _& X; |$ q' t+ }
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.& v4 T5 U7 e/ a! r
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
$ [* G: [9 a; \1 @556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.5 t7 p% g3 f( c- y/ b# {
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
0 v. j- }8 u( K1 F9 {+ A$ n) [557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.# r# K$ i' l. ?8 y; D0 y1 S
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。% X* @' O* b/ `5 U, A2 y
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight." h+ ?- H/ c- X3 {7 T; 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。
6 o5 p' [! c0 ^- p: i559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& c1 G7 ]- h3 b 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。0 t; [: h% @- S! U1 F4 w
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.5 n6 L* i$ C. r% J9 Z
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
, H2 y! @+ S" u8 n- l2 r9 T0 F+ n561. This was indeed the case.; b q% m9 J: Y* `9 r8 s( X
但事实上确有此人。
$ u3 b4 s* x9 u! r562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
1 Z0 j2 @. a& d6 [" Z 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
- |; H/ G* ^' s563. 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.
" s9 E r6 ?$ e- D# E 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。
1 {; Q- G$ o/ W564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
) k/ b8 o7 i4 m- i 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
; x f6 x& j1 x* B. J% u565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.! U7 o- S9 _# ]6 B1 z9 `3 N
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
# I2 A Z3 ?/ N: J& {- F s566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. u0 K8 I" [7 Z9 ?- L( s
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。0 s$ c0 Y; G/ J' n* R0 R) U3 S
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
5 o! J. D, r1 K 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。# r* g3 \6 y% \
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.
0 S! S$ I2 q7 l2 _2 v1 ^% D* j 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。# f( q* f8 l- _ N
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
' E" Q4 b5 e! T( o0 S 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
: D6 e) G! _, L5 H* d" i4 h: {570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.7 @3 ]3 ^1 y! S3 a
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
0 t( E' A) V1 r6 [% y3 d8 w+ k! n. b. q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
8 K7 I$ W9 i' i5 I 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
! K( s( C/ n# ~! Y8 I9 x* U2 G( g% i572. They did not even tell their wives.
! U/ @& {. L" j7 U* d/ D: y 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
% K- k( ?. ] ~, M- b* I573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.# k$ x/ B. v' ^
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。9 F# c9 ~% {5 D3 |+ J
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.* d: N. G- L$ s; [8 T) C
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,4 o/ v P" B) c0 }) O7 S% E
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.
, Q: a% G- k( 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。
* x' ?! D( K% n9 f/ u$ E% G) J2 Z576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.. q$ R! D, H8 @) M
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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