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课文30 幽灵之死/ A+ `9 V% h2 i" u: Q A. M
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.# M9 N4 F" w( t& E2 `6 q+ r( ~
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
+ o/ A5 W# L% R, P/ Y, }553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
% k3 X# i. e3 r 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
) q7 x& v* }5 z+ c: z5 ]: w554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.6 |; F) r* o% z( }4 ?
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。* Z; Z0 v& a2 p% O
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
, x3 t" ~9 r `; E) ~ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
L3 M3 Q9 H+ m$ d! t& G; {556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
" J. P# M) ?6 T; t U. Q9 c) D 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了, V: s8 k; g5 X5 }9 c
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.) @- ~6 Z' z! e+ v
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
1 h, C- J- p) y4 e4 C9 m558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.9 y$ e V. e3 S3 o' a
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 |+ o: L" x4 x/ ]559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
0 z4 N6 l2 {7 |% ?! z4 M5 D5 J" X 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。
# }5 b2 C( q+ a( y- v3 y560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.3 R9 E) Z6 n9 v" W4 K& n
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( X% v! r! r, f9 n# s4 D. j& P. @561. This was indeed the case. e' \1 L a- v) e; }& u
但事实上确有此人。
: S: u$ c4 t% b; L$ R562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
# M3 J- d& x4 {. o! J; a/ G, F 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
& w' C# [% E! v8 }" ?; k z% q563. 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.
* f) p8 t/ ]0 ` 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。
& r. f" F- c+ K' j564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 i: G# I E9 c7 A
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。& V, @ S/ O5 ]# z( c% ~7 u; c
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.! g2 W8 L+ a ~" _' E3 _+ d7 e
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,, t2 V/ n& D; G' G( c
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War., e& l+ j u' V3 q
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。& o% W9 g5 \7 k9 Z, o) e7 w4 F
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
' a, }) y2 F. B 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。) J/ b e6 ?; @; _" s
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.
- S. K$ X W% g% G% P: E 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。
- ^' j1 f" t, x& X, R: Y569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
! B# N% l3 l6 j! j1 n 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
( k! U2 H3 i) P' c. {570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.7 F' y' }9 x ~9 F, j5 s5 G
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
2 E6 \) T; H- X2 Z" H& t571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
! o% X/ j: N3 _! N9 W* ^' I 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。 x6 \3 C" Q$ O( g! T
572. They did not even tell their wives.
6 e1 X" s5 R0 B3 [: w, e0 q* Q 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。/ ~/ I8 ^4 Q5 c/ P
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
/ n* H3 m4 G, n) v. 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。
7 m2 j& K/ B, w; o574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
7 Y! Q5 P0 ^1 b+ J 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,- b; A. u* z6 B( z( h% ~% ?; A
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.
* V/ W" L' R+ r, b 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。. K: l" H( U8 m R/ R
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
W8 C7 e2 D3 J* D9 Q9 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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