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课文30 幽灵之死
1 R* o( ~( L0 ^+ |552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.: A4 ^; I9 x( P& u2 ]
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% ?2 Y; C% M3 O# y8 C) X- D553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox., Z* h/ Z( e# U, ? Y5 `3 r
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
& W' c" O6 X5 O6 h. M8 m554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.2 t+ G- @/ B/ r: p8 T% d/ F
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。# C( K1 U7 f5 b! D; Y5 k0 j
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.7 s) b9 v$ z- B" w0 X0 s( i
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。4 J/ I, [! |/ j+ ?" ` ?2 ]/ r, B
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
" R4 r' z1 i! j% Y 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,, X! f3 A1 U# I2 q
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
4 {' _2 T0 ~! Z' y7 j) ` 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。" n: @& D2 Y/ Y7 w
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight., \/ h+ s$ o% y: V( X
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。/ U! K* K, ^: H& U' F6 @( ]
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them." E- u+ u* @8 A( V7 [) K/ K
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。
) G7 @* t( P1 o: n9 Z3 K& O560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
' T Y: ~: N9 X }5 _ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。3 ~# x. A9 ?( k+ m
561. This was indeed the case.
& F% V% _" j! y) k7 v+ M8 Y 但事实上确有此人。
; j: B* @4 T1 V R8 h) W6 i562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.( z0 Y! D6 N, i' t/ x
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。4 W- S% z1 D" X* S- y, O
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.
- C* }$ y) c- e( P* 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。
) t$ t# |4 B$ Z% y; p" ]- v2 S564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
/ F( V0 U2 p4 L' Q3 j. y; C 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
8 j- C* r2 B0 v D565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
3 l7 b1 `+ E7 F 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
* I4 n1 R5 Q6 S) S/ e4 F566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
1 r7 i' w/ v9 V8 _4 d: H 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。+ H# F8 S5 r$ Z5 |
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
' P3 Z/ l: c3 G, h+ ? 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" Q5 C$ P* J6 W3 X
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.
& h, Q% g+ q, q0 E 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。. J6 h/ c; _# }* Q2 A6 Y1 M
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.% \% m5 ^7 F& {1 n
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
& ?9 Q$ ?7 H8 Q+ I! L5 s/ n3 W6 d570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.* X7 z& I( [8 Z+ V% C: D/ Y7 t1 T
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
8 F5 H+ @8 R$ ~* I9 L# \571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.0 K( B, D9 S" R9 E! k r9 W) ?& H1 |
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。0 _/ J, k& a8 U0 n$ V4 D
572. They did not even tell their wives.& d" L" ]' j0 Z
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。- N: @3 i; s! _5 j
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.1 w8 \9 I# U0 w4 S) _* I: H6 p
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。1 [' G8 N ?2 Z9 W; Q4 I
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
4 t$ v. \/ A A- z' K2 n3 z 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
0 G5 e3 D6 T ]2 C9 K8 B' ~ J8 j575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.) k( c) w5 Q4 I0 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。
3 X+ s/ y* s( q576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.8 y1 p" V& a$ i
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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