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课文30 幽灵之死# z* w. R7 e& j& C
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.8 S2 R1 i& c" [: a3 y5 E2 C
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
2 T1 ?% a a, t: k553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
! x9 v% ?8 ^& s" R 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。2 C: E( o/ W% n4 w* X! Z3 f6 M
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.1 n F; l! Y, `% y
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
8 Y9 T1 a% B8 r% g555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
) e- \1 L7 v5 _* P1 t, o9 M 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
?1 c) i5 z4 m# }# D3 m3 r! @- V! k556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
% G/ F- j1 T8 u3 z0 T 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,+ U. ] z( i2 d- z! L# O+ z. G; k
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
3 Q0 v& U; k0 M8 C3 V9 V 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。- I/ ?% R m) S; f5 ?
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.6 K. N* A- K6 L: f
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% J U1 u" Y/ x$ b. ]6 W
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.& S/ Y" a* o/ {2 p1 V Y6 w8 k, p
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。
) W U5 u+ J1 b1 K560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.! m: x. r1 K* g I, q. E
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
" m' A: ^. U# b$ _" J( R/ V561. This was indeed the case.
2 ~! U3 ` D/ b6 E/ V/ i3 D/ n 但事实上确有此人。( Z! P- ]" l1 L
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.* O4 ^) g, q: J' E
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
6 V4 j" J; b( G+ v$ B* 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.
% J2 T" F9 |' @$ 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。
. M! T$ a# a4 _$ D4 U1 b4 }: m8 K564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.! r% F9 H* }7 i# L# J$ G$ a' O7 b/ 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。
+ X$ K/ V7 t6 p! A565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
+ W& ~9 b7 [1 @ 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
3 l6 a8 x; j2 A* p& @) @$ m8 a+ q: G3 z566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
3 T8 p8 W9 V0 z9 ` ~ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。2 G& o6 ^; Z# {
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
% q- F, ^9 t0 c: D! n# B! Z9 ~ 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。6 H4 X l" W! u0 B
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.
; t& r& I8 m. a 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。5 L; S" a' B+ H" H8 h
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
, Z( Q4 B3 `" \ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
$ E; h( g. z1 z, l570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
* {6 [5 A5 k7 {7 K# n- n) ^ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
I. f; x7 O; u+ S; A; m# w571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob." W: v, f$ X4 w( [1 e' K
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
6 I7 G- i. y! i0 o' `572. They did not even tell their wives.) D5 d1 c. R+ S% `
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。% P% E! T2 ]0 E8 f8 O1 Y F
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
, O& Z& n8 o2 `; W7 H8 k' U 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
& }# K- L: [" @* W574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse." u; Y. H& T! S
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,+ |/ P5 q r* [
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.$ `! L8 G9 G3 J& \' s. j- R' n- E
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。/ X o% ]; a/ b9 z' {# v
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
( N5 R7 t( t- M! t8 [9 { 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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