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课文30 幽灵之死
9 k- e" S# r5 K) \ s* S! \+ r$ O552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
. @2 Q' f# H- f( \$ i 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。3 Z, K5 }0 x& h
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.$ P$ I R; J* k
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。6 d% g3 X# `0 b( b
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.! {) j* _9 F: k2 x' n
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。7 k' A0 J; R$ A. V! p3 I0 i
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
2 b( T ? y/ S* x( m 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
9 l2 B z" ?, `# y# H0 J' o0 K556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight./ `) G2 F. k/ ]* x0 ?3 \7 K
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,1 t! R5 M& ]% h+ }
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
5 r3 k' b( B" T6 `9 M6 T% a p; K 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。9 @1 S# i- H1 i" ]
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. E+ e5 Y: B1 k L+ r
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 g: w7 j2 Y. t7 ^# J! t559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them./ ~) t# G) `( j/ G3 Y7 p- 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。$ G8 o# ^- ~/ M8 R% X' l8 u
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.( k+ Z [/ a/ j1 C! {' D0 U
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
7 s) I# U. Q& p$ t% I$ Y1 p1 U H, q# k561. This was indeed the case.
1 C, A# `/ w' Y. m3 L6 v# q 但事实上确有此人。& Q3 S. t0 F4 M ^1 \: B+ p. K6 j
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
: C$ S% }- _- H+ l) d+ H6 D 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
9 `! l* T8 U X( [; |: z& U9 _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.
" T' X- a2 ]' o7 q 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。
2 R% V* v- y4 ]; U" H564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.8 N! P, |# ~. _' I; r M, @. P
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
" D0 a; d5 H, ~% ^4 K0 v3 q565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
5 ]' ]3 z7 h d* i0 q% H 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
/ e8 `' K; ^4 x! ?/ f566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
: w( o) ?1 H+ y6 o 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。# s( E7 b$ ~: S3 c0 P1 j
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
0 e1 F( I5 T% _ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。* X* o: h& ^! D4 A2 J o% b; Z
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.
, Q5 k+ x5 n+ ~, p! Y 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。, t3 L& B& \' Z: R* g5 u% P
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.- d6 N4 H% ^# |% K7 L
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。. Q4 C' e. s( c9 w+ f
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action. p$ m3 I! w4 q% S
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。 M1 C0 ?# A6 G5 X( e3 n7 }
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.* g1 V) v. n3 j! @; ~* a
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。" d, r( g4 m& Q
572. They did not even tell their wives.
! P$ m1 J, u" b' E) m 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
4 [0 S' h$ E+ a0 s U573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
S' g$ ^7 }0 L. a+ F6 W' w 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
0 u7 c; I& p% T/ Q574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
$ k' P2 N. L% R. l0 c 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
9 K' z' j4 h' {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.' I. S) f" q& A
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。
6 z5 E$ t# X* s/ r; D576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
5 S' c& [; c/ b) S4 h 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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