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课文30 幽灵之死7 A T" A6 t0 g5 H
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
+ w% }: _& ~3 E0 B 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。1 E, d c% o2 @/ g
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
& n7 ]# c0 L" p: F 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
$ }; m: ~& m& E5 B" k554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.; F( j% l! _) V& {$ Z
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。8 G/ A6 R8 x; ]2 p
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.; O, }3 _ g: A7 m7 L. l
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
* {& w6 G, r7 S3 e556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
$ V5 i/ d# X, H( d& Y% `% R) s+ U 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
* B, \! a' M8 A: _+ {557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.' k" V1 h1 m' y
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。, k8 R+ i X, @" H2 k
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.# p7 ]: x7 _8 T7 l- s% h' q
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。1 O+ Z* R- ?+ ~$ ^' H! E3 k
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.' e9 L# K3 Z/ J/ U/ o
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。+ p2 s$ X& E6 T" \. _9 l. P. ]
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
7 O/ [0 v! w& r( w0 [ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。2 z9 x- M b0 x/ n/ m1 x
561. This was indeed the case.. Z, x$ v6 t: v; l; x
但事实上确有此人。
. H8 C' j/ x4 ]562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.! ~4 Z; r' j' o" n0 R
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
) |$ r0 s# x& a% H2 A: u4 R' [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.
: C: l2 f. B* R2 U! S& B, L: p4 Y2 k) b 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。
0 @& A$ N- U. k+ c/ U% G- Y4 T' |564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.2 f: E7 {# R+ r
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。1 w3 G5 d0 O+ {' `
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
7 S d( u& k; l4 d9 b 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,# J* ]3 X. }0 ]! y: T! [4 K( G
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. G- [( k" L, O* S4 k4 M
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 }" N- O2 \* S- G; ?7 K
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment. Z: ]& H; r* _4 V
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。; S$ o, ?: ?$ N. S0 v# L* v. G9 p" \
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.
3 G1 |) b& a, P1 ]( h; r3 G+ N 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。
8 w$ O3 S! w. L# I! M. M569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
2 I5 B, K% [" T& ^8 R+ ^ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
: s* \6 f' {* W0 u% c; r4 x @570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
$ w4 C" L, l) }: i 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。: B0 }# _$ Z8 `7 j. G/ x
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.0 _1 S, Z1 v8 N/ B f; l. C
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
4 v6 ?) ?, y% R# e% K4 u572. They did not even tell their wives.2 Y' [( I# b( S; [3 x! b
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。( z1 ~. E! K7 V' I! ^9 _1 ?
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
% c( k/ z0 D3 R 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。. o( `, v' Q( z4 j g0 C# {
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
. X& l1 V) b3 | 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
7 U9 F' u( b4 W( R575. 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$ v6 A# i+ q7 L+ B& Z, w: n 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。
+ d0 m9 K- j) Z; z% {0 z$ ?576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
3 ]7 u% C6 F3 z& 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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