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课文30 幽灵之死
* i z, Q% O- n7 k( P: g4 @552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.- Q& C4 n: R2 \7 p0 N
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
6 U4 ^# a2 M k7 u553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
; F1 [8 \8 q& V# R4 r" u+ \% s% j 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
9 h% G$ w: f, T4 o4 H3 O; e554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.4 @0 Z& B6 c7 F# M) V! i
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。5 f! F- B* h+ P/ T- S* p! A
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.9 k+ G, }, X E b3 u F
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
# a' C6 Z) s/ B5 l6 m556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.- m# G( K% u+ e: Z
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
% c+ t. W5 [9 \6 Q& j, P: R; N3 k557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
4 q b/ q- A" E3 T5 L 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
, a$ O# [$ u ]6 U' ]% [558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) l* v! H4 Y$ ?0 [* m
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。' I, J0 e5 y3 }
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
8 y' U) X% U0 Z7 w; @ 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。
! u- a6 {4 V% Z7 j560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
" M: v4 A* x- L 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。3 p0 @, S% l# A5 V5 S6 C$ P6 m; G
561. This was indeed the case.) \. R6 T* H8 D5 n9 H6 |: V
但事实上确有此人。
4 Y$ G+ k* b. D# @( a( h. Q3 E562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.4 a( O) U2 Y! @ ^, t/ f. A+ L
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。' G: ]+ G2 \6 k: X# M6 I, n8 F
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.
8 b) U6 {2 m) V; b2 K) N8 d, P 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。9 ? h/ u# \9 V! c
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.$ v/ ?3 L, J9 e3 c6 s. Y' |0 N
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。9 Z! Z. [% w3 Z( K$ F0 t2 e" B
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
& q6 O6 E" D1 i. d7 N0 ]; ~5 A6 o 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,# F1 u- \- q- a& f! t6 L, e+ S+ G
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
/ I5 X6 _: Q8 `3 N) _9 S t: J4 w 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
+ |2 D$ i5 P2 }0 ?8 L567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.& P' u# u7 L% z) ~8 U( g G
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" b* S, a" Z4 N9 V0 G. 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.6 F7 v9 S6 |8 b) R% X: }
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。
2 f E0 E: b0 X: p) \569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.! K. Y0 ^. K. }# @
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
3 `" Z* `+ v$ b! e" j4 Y2 |570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
; K# D9 V* c; B. b 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。3 {3 u; S' n1 e- C) S( b4 Z
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.7 V; {+ F: n+ w& c" {
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
& g5 Y {* j6 S1 y5 }572. They did not even tell their wives., r# t3 d' I* T! X( u3 h
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
I* K5 |9 q6 c7 o; a6 t573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.8 e0 P" ~% i/ N$ x
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。9 P' m: ^9 Z7 Y7 s6 E) y, F( N* |
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.' {2 r9 `* _6 _& c6 w
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,' E: l0 \" K& E; X# U
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.
1 l+ n' R9 R: m/ r/ I 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。
: B2 d3 G2 l$ D) y4 E576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer./ G0 O) e& H' i' a6 |
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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