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课文30 幽灵之死) w& u5 W( k- Z
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted., g0 y; e, M) D& J" m, e) a
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。' g/ {! K7 S1 |8 Y
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.# G# w( h" u) c- G0 Y
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。( O& q& Z; u1 A2 U
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.& o$ [1 c* K/ H P! I
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
* K t. m- _. ^; j0 Z% t, P& e555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
- u2 C% G% o9 R6 d) w3 P- M9 ^* @' G( c$ ] 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。1 P/ P9 \+ [4 p( R
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
4 c( z. {* e) A B5 N! c$ D 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,) ?# g: x; c* X
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
8 x/ J! t# [" Y* Y 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
' O& r5 l& W; W3 B6 d- O558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
7 b3 f& S/ ^6 h: b# N" z8 I 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。9 {7 @" [6 E% W# s8 _* n3 }% y/ I5 G
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.+ b: ?6 U+ \ a) t( 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。 T6 D% G2 G \% t, l( }$ ?2 K% W4 j
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.7 z: a9 M, A- B$ y6 c5 H
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。7 a, D# s0 s& S2 i2 v- {$ S4 U
561. This was indeed the case.
$ t+ H& M8 s2 p$ E8 @3 y8 ? 但事实上确有此人。
2 Y" g z, k2 m) M+ ]562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
: b/ c: u2 m- n6 O8 N& a 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
5 F( g' f5 e2 i1 F$ T' a" D9 s563. 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.2 Z! c. A! h2 i8 X
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。
2 b5 U$ U$ _$ g4 X4 c* z: D' K; h7 }564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.2 F( @1 t. O7 Y
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
* }$ U. n) Q, E% z, K5 s565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
; r5 n7 b* w' i# `; F- u; y 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
) X. n' [ s$ g9 D+ g8 A566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.& o8 T: V2 a! L) s2 O R. Z
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。! X+ }% K* C% K) U8 V7 w# t
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.- c# J5 i2 x1 j! T
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。# \1 Y( f9 A. X, l" B
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.
1 }3 P: P- k( \ 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。 d/ L. F: ]- t6 ?5 g/ X
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
7 B3 @ J( B8 P& l) T, P$ ^7 m# O 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
' Q7 ]! ]! ]" O570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
& j' D2 Z( p& @. s 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。' R# i+ L# z/ D/ N' T2 M( }& r
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
% a5 q7 f% e5 {/ b# [2 a 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。4 j6 t, \ y: a8 C& E
572. They did not even tell their wives.
9 Z; h- a; U: b; _ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。6 H, ^9 b. m* B) Q5 E1 Q/ T# _
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
# {. P1 z W% K& [" h. i4 {" p 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
( X: {" ~$ U$ ]: c574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.9 L5 u/ }: ]5 f5 B9 x: ?$ G1 q- @
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
m4 H# I) w. g: t' w6 k0 T; K575. 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 U0 }) a" g/ \2 w; \$ G 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。8 f# {* s' E; z0 F& G7 H/ ^; A
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
K* s9 R( h( _: j4 A( v! e 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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