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课文30 幽灵之死
6 O/ U: L% {. d& p; l552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.' b( G1 |' ~3 v2 i8 }
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
) P/ \4 |5 N( |" }" ~553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
, u1 {, u/ ~& X/ N& n4 v# t 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。1 {" ]1 b: j3 n T( y" ?3 E
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
( ?6 c0 Z% b3 K 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。, x9 [7 i/ `# V
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
9 X2 v- h" A* e' [6 u' j2 a/ C 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。 Y# L( c8 N1 E# U+ b0 {
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
& ^) {* c0 k1 h3 l7 B 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
. e' R. ] M4 l" ? O! n$ w557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
3 l, a8 Q' e( L" B) { 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
4 U) ~9 W$ W! @( d; Y+ z, |2 W, V558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.7 j3 F/ ^% g4 G
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。
- _! V5 X! y) r% J2 Z' }559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
8 R* v' R) ^" G 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" C. a$ f p: m. |) q2 u560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen./ t E) s) }( s# u9 [. _
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。+ s8 A, [+ J8 B, y$ E1 [. K
561. This was indeed the case.. m) R2 S8 M8 O7 z5 S- T
但事实上确有此人。- V$ d- Q* j; E6 J- `' R
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
) ]" M* E+ z: t( q3 |" b 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。4 @" A% W( `4 @( E5 ^0 |# {
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./ b2 j" L8 w+ W& o4 \ J, K; d
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。( O ~+ }! f: o7 F, g" g% F9 Z! A
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.$ x+ A9 B+ `# q5 c4 O: P
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
: S: [. w3 q' E$ f1 W" h# K1 {565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
! F& T2 Q' E! K, F. Y' M 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,6 |; a5 ~- A. i, A
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
7 f/ C, m+ h1 f 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。+ u3 s; N( E: e5 n3 X
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
$ S8 ?4 d0 }' B4 h8 w; B* h 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。+ A& H7 ~8 ^3 r5 l) x2 e1 W
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.
% ?; U5 J& t3 v( ? 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。
0 x2 u! ^# q/ ^8 T4 b7 K F5 V569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
+ f( R: v( W1 ^2 [8 K 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
+ J# p _/ l L/ m1 [2 Z2 u0 d570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.+ l1 {/ P; q8 d( M D- @; F- I) R
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
& r: S- d6 ?0 t1 O* B7 @/ f571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
) {6 ^: o! ]$ a# c5 s$ H7 h 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
$ v6 U S+ ~% H$ a$ N572. They did not even tell their wives.
2 j% ~, r# h; w; I 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
% J+ A: g* ~3 b4 m* n0 L. Q: H( u573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
* B6 b3 m8 H2 e* n" S( }4 i 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。: ] e, A# p, N; p, V
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
; \5 d9 o% c E8 o 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,3 ~: { D; \* i# ~
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.
' ^% o, a, S2 ?/ x; D1 b 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。
Y w) ]: h7 p9 F576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer. E6 q' F. V* `! z1 e8 k5 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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