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课文30 幽灵之死
7 l. Q6 C6 o" g9 x3 B552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
" R8 Y& U: v x& v v 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
, K4 u- i) H3 u3 `3 L553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.+ {9 [) x& S) t' \! q) N$ S
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
% g. ?. ^% X) h* t6 P/ w0 l554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.) X: X/ G W7 ~4 T; p3 R! I8 _& p
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。! w6 Z( h& z. \, Y) g
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.( _% S+ p! B3 ~+ l: J
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
' `4 D: ^% i: h6 ~- P% N, D556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight. a j6 r& X. v3 X( b5 T( _1 @: V( v
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
`: o* U8 z! B) Z+ C" Z557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) O5 I5 ~1 `( A2 y# r8 M+ t 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
1 d0 I$ j0 Z4 Q- [7 J6 \558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.! {4 Y7 D( t, {/ x3 W8 h
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。5 a4 g- W9 ~! b- r
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.# D9 H, Q) D5 H2 h$ q8 m1 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。
8 |% P8 u& N7 Q& P560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
1 W2 j. t# B7 ? 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。- n5 B' Q. N: n
561. This was indeed the case.: p6 c" h7 F' i$ l
但事实上确有此人。
- B- l! C ~2 E& Q- `562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
0 E* {2 ^. }9 a( [. r1 T; i! p( O- P& A 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
/ F. d8 z5 P2 w+ q7 K) P563. 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.1 ~, O# D9 ^2 F" `! l" \$ \
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。
0 l4 y2 f2 y! B564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
' m# S; N. M/ v+ [1 `3 u" b3 S( U 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
& W7 g7 _, W9 P/ B6 f4 F8 q565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
4 u p. ]: F' X; R 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
* k+ G. T( Q3 x0 |566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. ]7 o$ v0 o% r0 h; T+ Z6 m& |
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
& C( V; n( S0 e' N567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
3 b4 w7 u6 p7 B( d$ l3 Y 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。" U4 @2 K+ b& i! T S
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./ Z- \0 Q: R3 I# O2 b, U/ t' i
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。
; Z- f# ~/ x* ]+ [569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.; h3 P- `# \* X; L
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
0 W5 d j$ H) H570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
& N& s/ ^4 F! { 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。' _, F/ p$ v# o) d, p, O
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.$ I0 t% j. y- C) n' _# [
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
8 C) l1 l1 F" v c% Y: x+ f572. They did not even tell their wives.
# C n4 U" E0 b- Y H( [ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
. w" j* @4 y8 |! ~& z- R; p573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding., ^# {* V+ _: `; Z7 ?
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。/ _: K# E# i/ r3 d6 K2 y. x
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
8 c4 c) Y5 a! Q/ G6 I 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
6 B, M3 P' t; s+ i. _; i575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.# S; ~+ Q6 ~4 t' a/ ^
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。
+ Y5 G9 v$ a& w) D! R576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
- z: u ]( a" `* z6 i1 q5 _$ ] 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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