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课文30 幽灵之死
( E; x: h) l, u4 k% j: C2 Q552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
3 m4 ^( T# Q; }6 b; B/ @/ I; s2 ?! l2 S 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
% T0 Q, P: V1 s' L6 ^- L9 s553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.( t& r0 C5 B5 P% ?& f% \
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
+ @: t" m$ U, L554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
+ p1 n! T+ L6 D ]( x 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。: P+ j( E! T; V% G/ V
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.( c( |/ }3 o4 N! U4 n
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
, U" R8 l+ F9 I. K556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
/ C! j! V4 j% \; Q' G 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
6 Z; m0 Q/ x, ?) v3 J- q p( u# t557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.+ f; K' G( T2 I% ?& A6 }! I0 B
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
( q/ t/ o. o7 h6 T558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.# x) H9 \1 i7 N+ D' |
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。
/ ?! x c( t# _! U* p7 P) D7 ^559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.+ C! K4 a4 Q) S- @# {+ q6 }" T
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。, X& K N8 d/ `2 a% c# Z
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.: d7 m3 _' j% e B8 g) h7 j2 f, y2 H
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。9 I/ r c: P% [# G
561. This was indeed the case.3 Q7 h7 K& D0 D3 `
但事实上确有此人。
: }8 Z% [6 u( e& o562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
- J9 x& u" m9 Q2 J) n; Y 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
8 _5 ?; T9 ]$ G563. 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.- w. Y; h5 y# x& f! F8 s
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 l) r( y, r4 v$ d- E
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years./ [. y+ u! E' h) ?: r
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。. L, |, g( S) s3 a+ A; G
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
- w K% T$ L" o2 x 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,6 w* Q) u$ @; C2 v0 u
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.) Z' q1 E+ |9 W6 R
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。8 @6 C; a8 i% l) k! Z, Z5 G2 b1 T
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.2 q/ g5 M& [( Y, Z
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
1 b8 o* [* D7 c+ j, z! y568. 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.
( z# g: j" J' E" w 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 M* A6 g6 F P5 R2 o3 ^% H& X; i569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.- O& W7 D9 Z" z |% }+ r9 C E8 Q
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。; l& Q" e3 f. b
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
0 `3 I* E2 S& ?5 o6 f 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
( _6 p; O, J& ^571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.! S7 I/ S! t8 J9 g4 T/ y# }
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。5 V# K; r) c) W5 ]- Z
572. They did not even tell their wives.1 \% o6 A! B9 j! ~: A
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
. R' i, n1 _4 g573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.7 G: m; u v" U# d! h. G
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
2 P; W" f! V: A( R. b1 u* Y2 K3 i574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
/ E% Z- J( p) w0 T9 R7 K 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,+ @0 g1 W$ \6 s0 ~
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 M2 G4 Y0 C# m% b) `! h; `$ J o
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。; A. u* D* z! M5 c" U1 ^- x
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
: m* s- C0 R2 o* y, R 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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