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课文30 幽灵之死! e$ X/ k+ q) e9 s+ y/ m0 q
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted. s" L4 q6 l' n0 d% P* Q8 J
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。6 W2 z0 v' {, @/ X
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
1 v+ _# ?, t+ \3 _& ?4 I 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。7 W) a q! o( [6 V3 j
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.. m( W3 e3 |1 G0 s9 E
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
9 v) _. @1 Y! @+ I$ H. _4 r U& e- t555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
. j7 [) v& g" y" t4 t4 M 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
' p& `# \4 K, L8 Z556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
' e7 d9 R/ Z, b# z2 Y' n; F 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
& D8 p8 ^& O& W% ]( R557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.- l7 m! t$ D+ S4 O
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
( { Z- \4 X3 N& m: r558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
: X4 J3 m7 e. h1 F8 o& D" K 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。
J2 G% C" C+ O( }' d" [559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
9 S; |# e) z1 M( q 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。3 ?; C: Z# r3 y# p+ i2 [
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
. L# e9 e) r7 x7 I 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
3 a |) b/ v9 W1 I5 y+ K' Q561. This was indeed the case.
4 J5 D2 {0 K( x3 A% ^- u$ a, p 但事实上确有此人。
. d. n* f7 ` E1 E2 W- x9 `562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.- P8 u+ F @9 E& @, w9 m/ A
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
7 V& k# F- T9 H* d; w6 v563. 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.8 B6 g; n5 E( [8 z1 ]9 m$ @
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。( |3 i; n" S4 X
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
5 s% x5 N9 N( K& Z 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
' q0 U& Q6 X& @. F565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.3 o0 z7 q" e- @
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
& O" r3 u0 K' Q566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.. K( d, x8 E: M: L; J1 R( h- R6 }
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
6 h3 T7 z; s3 J4 R" ~567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.1 {4 V" N& W J9 z4 x
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
( ?/ U0 F- Z% L t568. 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.
V/ n+ Y+ h, [8 Z' H& 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。9 x$ D( m1 g' n$ S' r" G
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
9 }+ F2 l h! a9 E9 ]2 e: R) R; N; V 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
" Y# J- S3 Y5 B/ }570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.! J. f4 L' H7 C @! U- Y
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
/ C/ [& z+ H- u& |8 }571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.: U7 F. ~) o$ C* e' L* p) H
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
6 S% R: M6 c. P) x2 H572. They did not even tell their wives.8 F- J3 m0 r% l* S* g/ @
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
% |5 H( F! b- W- v& }$ O573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
+ r7 J; n* q' @0 w$ Q 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
7 b! S, x( {# n @0 B574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.+ g) O2 X; K$ L4 Y! A. _
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,( g# f# c9 _$ L
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.2 w9 Q' O0 j7 A( \8 }
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。
; s8 ~; X. Y; j576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.7 O# l* a0 s) O
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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