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课文30 幽灵之死
! I7 r) X4 K: s ~. [552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.' ^" j K9 l( U; ?; P! e% A: I
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
: P4 W8 Y4 [5 C( C* h; k553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.( R1 k9 d3 C% u4 l
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
a0 D8 ^: c9 p8 r8 T% |9 d554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
! {' e% W( g5 V/ l 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
1 q2 }( }( r5 ^2 }& \& h& L# g, y& h555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story./ |) y- v. |, _( D2 Z
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
2 E0 Z) J( l n) F/ ]556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
9 {! w& W3 i7 N 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
! R v2 r* p( |" u7 L0 `' ~7 h* Q557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
" C6 B# y- q2 n/ \ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。* |; f5 D( s0 X0 e; N
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight. n* c% Z: R L2 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。" C3 p! y- J- N. a7 N( e' b
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
: @0 J5 x8 |. g% z/ p4 K4 T* M 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。
' b+ w7 z: ]- [" V560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.0 a* @1 E$ ?/ F) F+ Q
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
0 \, L* X i% T+ s2 r. U6 `561. This was indeed the case.
3 R3 Q9 U: ^% I! Q+ h9 `) _* m 但事实上确有此人。
* f& [2 E- u- |9 _" I$ I4 C562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
% Q5 `& j8 v9 T' N$ H, ^ 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
: a5 G/ f* S) W. R. a# R$ R563. 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.' g/ j+ U- v N7 S& d
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。
* p% K) j% U0 e) Q; _564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
8 j; z7 R6 e1 E" X C 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。& v1 v! x8 A, T3 h' z2 M7 F
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.0 A m5 E0 P- V, c( O# a; a* y' W
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
$ L3 d( Y8 B2 E# ~6 d7 C# _566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.7 `4 p' N# `" ?/ h4 D! r: E f5 I
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。% W) F# q z- p$ n6 [
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.# c2 V$ ]" V, |- @0 ]5 [
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# f5 T5 [; ~ t568. 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.! B: d0 L1 y" e5 ~- f
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。6 Z, h5 Q4 `4 P8 F2 W
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
! c: f8 E% X% T9 B l9 C 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
x& C6 E! J$ [570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.* W+ r4 z2 N9 Y; ~
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
+ {, o: S" w! y) l, u' V571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
5 W; p: v" b: m2 @ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。& y! A, a3 A/ V. k2 Q- D. Q
572. They did not even tell their wives.
0 }- y) p& O( ]) |$ [ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
! [/ J0 a( a) e B4 Y573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
! x* y& h$ R* I1 y8 x1 A2 m 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。$ Y2 p5 Y o3 x& g
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
[9 H4 r/ A7 \8 {9 C' Z0 |1 Z 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,1 J; n3 J% v; {$ g! V
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.% s1 y, U+ G* 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。1 E+ _: D2 q0 k% G
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer." I6 H! `" g T5 Z! `! j& X- t; L
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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