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课文30 幽灵之死
B1 F) r- v/ a8 r# l0 x552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted. f {8 i7 N6 I# r8 L9 ^) s
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。8 l) r* D4 ~( n
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.( B2 b* M/ G* L9 P% L: }4 e* a
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
( o# K: c: g9 u. ~, J554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
( k0 e0 a3 B3 s: i 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。3 y2 V( i) m9 s( ^" ]( L2 ^
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
1 o- P* ?) }9 r2 m 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
; N# d {8 X. \5 r% r556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
( ?0 F: I! t& S* Z8 r: X6 w 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了," e3 U p; v/ v3 d" C5 e2 h
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
* A2 K* P' z# a; q1 } 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。0 Y+ I Y' N" Y% l: u
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.. S/ N/ v* o+ G( |3 a3 ~
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。
( o. {) L j7 ?$ V7 J559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them. `- h( C2 b* K' P1 v1 q y' \
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。: Z* }! l9 D4 M4 d9 H
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
$ q" w" p) p$ i 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% M, ]: U4 [, v/ G- O; @
561. This was indeed the case.
# p* @0 r& z8 l' H/ t: Y6 J 但事实上确有此人。
: S6 m$ H7 ~( X; K* g+ g562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
- }8 l" V/ J: P, j 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
- l n: T6 a+ v% H, B563. 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.
- X6 b; ^% g) x8 L 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。
+ V P: @/ L. O$ n& B564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.% E- i* T8 x7 w" F
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
2 j& \4 w' c7 e* |' R565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
* u, Y' q" a. x9 g3 u1 h& y 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
; Q0 n% e- o$ }% d8 b566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
: e* s- y6 v) Z$ r) J1 v" i 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。9 X) r: Z, ?# r- u8 l
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 e B. {) v$ k# @; G 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
" l/ u8 ~' T& A! E4 K; O2 v: Q568. 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.* t1 h1 ?7 E3 m8 U6 o# q9 B
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。
l0 j" M7 D1 D z569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
# H' S3 z: T% O V* K; V 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
& ^# @) X' R( b9 c% N p' n570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.7 W0 z" z2 ?; ~2 N7 R
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。/ {; m. U4 P( E: r
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.% @6 H% X% C) g
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。! V; j# d4 a- y% a# Z# R0 U3 A9 ~4 Q
572. They did not even tell their wives.$ s5 G0 P3 z5 z. Z7 L7 {. }
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。6 N5 L$ G8 V; H6 q) ^, X. R
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.) m2 g9 e6 S F% W" u9 @6 F
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
) \3 m/ x2 s" P8 O! y574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
* }- d2 K* O" v* k5 W 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
: c% Y8 `" q3 H' F( q575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
% B+ _7 j: S4 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。) a$ D" g8 @, M
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer., k" g6 ?0 @; B1 e& t) `, C
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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