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课文30 幽灵之死
5 I0 s; T- g; {3 {" c" f2 D552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.: s% j1 \6 @1 s. I8 q; @ ~: n: l
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。( t* @4 X( ^- J2 s
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.3 y* b7 F+ |) ~- E2 |
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
/ z0 e5 P! x: N554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
+ G [; [( ` s V' j% y9 V) j$ @/ X 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。( f' s4 a$ l; r/ z7 z$ E9 I
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
5 r; F' z. W; M* K; ^ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
2 G9 n' n2 B8 T/ h& U556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
% Z' S. S) L0 `$ H% ` 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
; @ R5 H& X/ Q3 U( n557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.0 r$ G& J+ B. Z% D, h. A
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
! D5 ]0 v/ w0 @558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.2 `" G& E, I) f& t& o Q
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。! n5 V/ R! ]. t* V7 P" F' ?3 o" a+ l. ?
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
% t& D8 s# H \4 ]; P 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。5 |* i S" s( X
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
6 ~/ _ Z% B' d6 x 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。) ^* A- E" X% }
561. This was indeed the case.% J" Z0 @0 @" r0 a/ a: Q
但事实上确有此人。0 r6 }' A# [) F* M
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.! {3 t- ` i! Q& f* T0 y$ Y
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。( x. H: F7 t5 l8 I3 u4 [. G3 |
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.
: `: a# ^; h7 B( l5 z; R' 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。
8 _* x3 m$ R7 A5 y564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 i7 p$ t. F A/ ^9 H$ F
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
- X; \4 J) ~: o; ^! u5 @4 b565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers." u8 }6 _1 M5 `& N5 w( _/ O
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,; R% {8 e1 `7 q- |# P
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
$ L4 M1 [1 O% B& ] f 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。3 c# l4 [4 y1 `8 e6 [+ |
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.( T; C2 v) d% j
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
- l" M6 T) T8 `/ W568. 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.
& m5 f6 {& \& b6 }& r 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。
K# [8 C2 l4 ~* _% r5 T569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.2 V5 R' H3 M+ u. b, y
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
, k: x) A: ?- h570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
: H. j' H+ T: T) T* S0 G9 W3 x 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
; b- r0 v8 b1 B; I+ S" {571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
5 z0 a2 p3 x( @6 O) C; @0 B" N) | 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
& z# u% ^8 ?" ]2 I' D' u572. They did not even tell their wives.( s, r/ r6 D" V% r* M0 e$ K
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。8 M0 X' l- \* a; x$ n3 y; L
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
9 M# [, [ D3 J# P# D 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
4 \: D+ k; v; M574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.+ O5 T0 l8 y; y. ~
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
0 C7 j; Y9 X( f" T3 S5 } |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.
0 ]+ ], k: }1 Z( @2 L, u1 z! ? 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。
( L% {8 _) T! V5 u: i576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
" _) d, ~7 {0 s1 L @$ D 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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