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课文30 幽灵之死
Y0 k$ v. l. T552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
+ G; B+ B" G7 |- e: ^, A% \* b! G 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% _; |4 a5 o* V2 O8 i) d8 h553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
) E0 E: y# B& P 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
& o# ~; l4 @5 F3 e. q# t: i5 H% L" ?554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.2 a( `2 P" a# r" ^7 u
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。& p& K: p" q* K' s" r0 G* I
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.2 d1 J% p1 J4 s/ B- }
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。0 i( w2 V, v8 \4 u! w
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
/ O3 z+ r- B9 [/ l! K 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
! Y. `& n5 P7 V+ n o" d' {557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.7 l5 @/ k$ ~# x, v6 v( d
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
7 |# V0 H1 {$ m; z, S2 @! B558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.# N4 |, }. e* J. w( S: S* P
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。
) r: i! K4 p8 |. x559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
$ p8 ~7 {0 ^7 W4 G& E& i 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。
0 m" p6 j( r9 C! J! `9 W560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
+ R0 I* {% f" z 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
$ e+ u$ g5 I0 ^5 C5 q# M6 E561. This was indeed the case.
( t1 g. r2 z! [( @; N 但事实上确有此人。
! f. f) U% J5 z8 Z562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.2 U2 ]1 I# o/ _
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。8 }* i& R. a% y$ r' ?5 U
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.
9 M8 f: [0 x& S' W 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。7 L" X3 O4 V* }0 O4 M+ K
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
; f. H4 b, |& r; L4 M 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
+ y# r: m2 Q& x+ x565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
' b4 k% O/ ` W. R- J, ? 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,3 @$ T; X* e- I
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.0 d: ]: `0 t J! Z S C" ?4 n
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。$ _6 `/ I" u3 ]$ ^
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.& F' m- D( G1 n5 \
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。( N( `4 x9 T g' r7 D
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.; r) a: U2 w8 ]( G/ q/ B
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。4 z K+ F& k2 K7 T' w, c
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.* p# H9 t8 Q- M3 U# q
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
5 T0 F( d, v9 V% Z570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.! x H4 ~$ C/ ~; [! L; b T9 ]
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。8 a" g# L8 P d: G1 p
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
# N. q8 T6 F3 y, ~3 }6 {+ F3 T% e 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。# @& C; ]: @- j( h {" m) G
572. They did not even tell their wives.
* H& @8 ]1 _4 l* \: ^/ G3 C% v 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
6 n4 G% q T6 L' }8 `! c573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
7 k4 m i. A2 n1 s3 d) L 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
5 T g) t1 s: p! [. J574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
( k) K/ G4 S( X4 [% J3 G6 C 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,7 @4 R: m7 ~9 s; T# l& e
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.5 p' ]% I% j7 x
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。
6 N8 q- y; L3 E576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.& i- Z6 U1 x7 Q
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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