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课文30 幽灵之死
4 W) R2 Z0 [8 ]5 X7 b552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted./ b7 a5 U+ D( T# Q- S+ h* C& ~, ]
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
5 O9 T \: \1 D1 Z% S; d- U, d( j8 k1 O553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.; l. \4 g9 x x% ~2 B- K) G
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
+ d, K. u. `8 j# ^. R G- y% O1 ?554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
& m$ T2 `+ g0 M+ Z) ^ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。0 x8 |, t, T% c0 j, ^7 W/ E7 _
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
. l6 C- {* j2 g( I& c; m 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
5 Y) h( z5 a/ I# _9 K$ K- P556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
5 j& F9 c/ F" x3 f 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
- r4 `! K5 Q, j. o) W, k5 f557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
+ E/ X Z9 b+ I0 a3 H- [+ e 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。5 X# m7 U/ E$ J9 |0 B
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
* L# Z" Q3 L4 {' O* S; v2 j* ^ 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。
& Z" ?* w( K6 t$ R0 h# M559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them., \+ j8 X# e" ^' f9 |) i) e
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。
8 P% I' z2 R1 m560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.3 F f. b: [# m7 t( f
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。" P- Y" O" d# k9 d F5 o/ U
561. This was indeed the case.
- c) p( B5 Y3 Q+ S 但事实上确有此人。" L: i0 O6 a# ~1 d5 d; Y
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.! }4 l3 d0 N$ x2 F* b& P
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。2 s, h: \7 E/ g. N
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.
9 Z" a4 ` P* ]: l4 F 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。
( |1 p) M7 e6 I1 t/ Y564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
; C1 X; d- |6 q0 ?0 v 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
; C1 O4 K X7 k565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers." ?/ r5 G: R6 B; J; q) i; Q) ?
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
# {( P6 T ]/ ]8 x5 Y+ r% g) p% R566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.3 S* y( K% W E- D
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。 s# o2 ]. O' n. u; r
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
" y/ F! o% x1 \4 a0 k) s 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" L; m; ?6 O) u$ V
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.* p9 H2 f2 y& O2 w9 S$ M1 o
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。
" G; P3 V7 }, Y5 m( g; l569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.- P M) N% O6 \8 H% ~
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。, {; }2 ]; u" h/ l2 K& Z7 i
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.% Z9 Z) F; M& @* K- J8 J' n6 r
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
) z: E% W5 ~$ ?5 z2 L; P- Q571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
- @( t. [$ i3 |5 |( g' J: l; c 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
1 ~* V; \: L( v572. They did not even tell their wives.
6 [ [$ u6 @, X* T3 |% K6 n1 ^; n 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。) Q7 O; u P: a( o+ p
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
" Y) P) p$ ~# @ 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 Z1 y& ~- k. {# x j# {- S, _
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
2 O3 u& l/ T" M( ^0 M& O# e 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
: d6 `1 o9 D$ N) ~6 N. B# x A575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.$ g: N* k) }" P Z# e7 c5 O0 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。* n$ \4 [" h8 d1 L/ I p5 v" f6 `
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
% a8 l$ }0 M% S- G 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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