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课文30 幽灵之死. ]" u3 B' }4 @. v9 r* q
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.2 Y; {* Q* ^, v* g" c
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。3 k& ] z- f, I! Y
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
2 E! K) L0 G( V5 v# I7 |- ^7 F7 H4 _ 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
' y5 O# c9 W; p: O3 I554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.1 b! N5 W( c0 c; x" g$ f
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
+ }6 b4 K, J- D: C555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
- Z; x3 v" M5 ]5 T1 H! B- S 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。7 ^6 r& O @6 ^$ K/ l! e
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.$ P# G6 o4 O1 j: g% i
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,2 F$ H" Z7 b" d0 K/ M) y' H: o. e
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' N* n7 \* w' P1 l( P! f! ~/ p9 G 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 [1 h$ p9 ?5 e7 A558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. w) z. d( I9 K3 I! ^
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。
! P# d U5 q. u$ R( Q% `' o559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
0 D" R6 V8 u) U7 L% Z 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。 P4 ?' q* c% B9 g f- N- m
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.' q X }5 F: U0 k3 E
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。* k! F+ J \; u5 t
561. This was indeed the case.
. s6 b& P! @9 e) D 但事实上确有此人。& I' o H, I' a( @ u
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.: R! f9 m1 i" @, @. V9 ~: @1 }2 f
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。( P0 N0 n- Y; J( i4 h3 D# a, h
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.
4 U$ {/ k: e3 m b% p" z; F. O 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。, H6 {" V! Q" ~8 J1 m4 d( Y
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
" d4 D2 ^/ k& ?- ~) p* p* Q& Y 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
! w) t* U7 m! a% c$ d$ ^565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
( H: q1 [% K0 @/ W( V1 i 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,+ {/ [" }4 c, e. C, \% p% r1 B. n
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.5 Z3 r/ n+ g4 U4 L3 j. t( D
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。3 }% w+ I/ K) W6 O9 E$ d3 c
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 X( h' f3 Z0 k$ l) R# [ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
8 s( e8 n k3 Y. E' @: _. g! }! b568. 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.- C" T: D- j4 O0 A! D( q
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。/ o6 D! O9 _$ `
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
& ~3 N3 ]; t/ H. r$ F, E+ f 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。! {- D# \; G) X; U$ e
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
2 V8 D% a0 _5 l 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
7 `' j+ v& w& l, l571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
M F" d/ S! v$ ~' i8 Y: ] 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。! d4 S4 _& F/ P p
572. They did not even tell their wives.; q, u) c. l9 z* @# m
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。4 C& K* k1 u( q, O; y
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.5 K2 D4 J- P+ ]( @
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
; ^8 S) Z, X0 n+ k5 Z9 O574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.4 W! X. E; \( O
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,0 C) o( [% V0 X6 \
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.; a% U c3 L i; Q& [+ M8 c9 ?! x4 h
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。
' s5 T# O, ^# Z; z: `576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
/ h( f/ ]8 Z x* S* X 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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