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课文30 幽灵之死- m# `7 c1 T! ?8 Q' A
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
4 @3 j, ]" |3 D4 \ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。6 O: e+ j5 m" k2 S
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.% u% _6 l: D. S( D4 Y3 N7 e
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
0 W+ a v9 C v554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
1 Q" h, w8 x- B% I' N' W& d 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。4 u7 \4 f o: L4 j
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.% {4 d# `- O* t. a' T
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。, A U3 O1 G% [3 [* K
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
1 | {* v# V& N# s& R 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
1 `: E" m6 H: e; s, U3 D8 d, D& T557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
* o2 {5 G3 l1 B 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。" {* A& J2 h q- k: t" o& A2 N
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
1 s4 M9 S) D' D6 s% v% s 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。
5 x4 f/ g( e0 W' q( ^; Y r5 k3 I1 r559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.8 ~' J+ s( u( N" u4 g3 H
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。) K- |8 O i' N; K
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 [/ R- {9 f- Q6 C ^% w6 L 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。$ N6 x# x" h d9 [- {
561. This was indeed the case.
P' {# w8 j1 Z: I 但事实上确有此人。, |' s8 [0 Y* [) [, t& d; f; ~- ^) C
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
( z. i6 _* ~8 y( ?9 j 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
. c: l( V+ g9 o" l* N563. 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.
8 m ]* Z1 E1 n 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。: X0 ]9 O8 N t! U/ G0 N
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.- L o. `" u$ P" X
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
! p3 b7 l" X/ F565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.' k& H: m: X. B- m4 ^5 X
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
# g. j% ?" {; z" E q4 ]( _+ v566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
( _- p- I' B$ S/ e( J 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
( V! a( S3 T! r3 [4 Z567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.& Q9 U8 a. r0 [ P# L; Q
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
- }& K5 ]+ Z- v3 J' ?" ?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.
9 r/ y! p+ h8 R8 L 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。' z7 I: i k6 A: H: O9 r3 M/ F9 @0 O' b
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.6 o# f2 k/ G( b
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
* o0 t* I# v/ j570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
( c" |! p; {4 D" j7 G# C/ c 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。 l' X: H! Q0 m6 b" o9 _0 W
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.' U) E8 \% E; o M2 c& O
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
2 U! }# r* H& Z: I% E572. They did not even tell their wives.7 ~: P$ {# v2 M: x$ h) G# p) D. T- \
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
5 n; k8 ~0 a; m- m+ S* V) D573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
* w% p% p @6 _4 v6 M 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。! _7 i f( ?* s1 ?2 o" c! a
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.( X/ k2 i) Q9 f& K t
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
* i0 y& @8 X7 t9 }- W575. 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* R( u' R2 ]+ Y3 G9 U 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$ h/ n; \+ o) l4 W4 w) F& y* z
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.0 ^: m+ g. f% W
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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