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课文30 幽灵之死
/ l0 R3 u3 C* a0 N' x! r552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.% P! P1 b; k/ `: E3 f$ r% P
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
6 L: w0 J0 Y( w3 p! p553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
3 P: |- ]) f9 E 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
3 ^2 K! e j# _" s# @" C554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long., | Y6 P( m; |" Y
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。4 c( Z: P3 Q$ G+ V# k, L
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story., ?' \3 E) g7 v% n
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。- y4 f; O& v3 c
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight. N% Y- ^9 R6 ^
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,- V; X' y! Y+ s _* J2 D
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
0 L4 S% |3 c" x 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
. A4 D# L- a+ W558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
4 `% B7 l" B2 E9 _" G( L 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。
3 x% A* X$ E: u559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
* D7 F% [5 t- V, }1 v# t9 |, ]( v 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。, x1 L! ?. q: K, O% [' e' L
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen." s' a/ @% U# }: Q
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% f% o7 R7 G( q# _( z/ p
561. This was indeed the case.. Q, {4 X! q' p' J( x* V) `
但事实上确有此人。
; I6 o' p, A5 V; [# Y562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
, \5 r+ R8 J, M; u 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。! \: y" p3 [3 _' m. O3 x5 i
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.
$ v% H+ H& e& Q: x6 C 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。: j' B% P& B( u
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
0 F M% B2 Z+ x7 r# Q" R, x% u8 p 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。0 W- i0 W6 ~, {* O" N
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
/ P3 p) v+ t b 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,$ _0 K+ V( \4 O- X t
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
9 U0 T7 X/ t2 l! D 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。% H/ Q% d' i1 x5 f" X2 f
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
9 I1 n* w8 I8 ^$ o4 S 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。1 t" Z# E) M( F. V; z. l
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 D* M+ T5 c: M) G) G 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。
$ Z9 x$ u5 c( S( P$ C: c569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
8 w3 P4 \, l7 U9 a 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
5 ~. O2 d8 T4 H& |1 V570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
6 p- P8 L7 w2 G% M 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。+ Z9 x3 j' }: t
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.2 a; W# N; H, ~
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
% j* Y7 \ j+ [1 G+ J3 i572. They did not even tell their wives. K. v: r+ s% q2 g
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
, @! Q- b, n8 O; { @2 S: u573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.) V# b$ |% P2 q
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
8 } L( w6 u% ~1 U+ E& _) H: w( D# r3 q7 W574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
1 B+ L* f4 O2 @$ |8 c- q; o6 d 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,4 q7 O0 ?( P2 H- Q8 f" [7 G
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 r# v3 u% P6 B9 F4 p' u
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。
$ G( ?! g0 u# T' Y* d ]576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.2 Y2 k0 h/ e# f: R/ `; b- s
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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