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课文30 幽灵之死
, y# B/ z2 q9 M' }8 _5 t+ M* B* ~# \552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.$ f6 ^3 h% ^( i. A3 E' d
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
`! T& }6 @1 l) |8 s0 E553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
$ \2 @: m/ {4 t 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
" ^- l" G( `/ I Y. u) E7 b554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
6 _9 t. u) t. N3 A% x9 k% v3 {- ^* f 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
2 a+ c7 H3 k* o. a9 H3 S G8 U0 K555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.) w+ c9 V7 ^6 Y+ O( y2 R* c1 l7 R6 t) A
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
9 {, `2 H0 F9 h" d556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
9 ^0 \, D' |5 S5 d5 z. N' A 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,/ x, m9 l( u2 M/ P* h `9 x4 `
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.( ^5 a. |& [- r! A# F% f
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。' i. j' F% O9 C% P
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
3 B5 K i/ ~/ R) J 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。( v' v& ?) M% Z
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
& q. r9 ~4 j3 j( Q) h! 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。4 a" c6 Z2 b( i5 O( |7 }
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.; L* U) p* u* b3 u3 ]
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。% I5 _+ {+ K- V
561. This was indeed the case.& [: S3 h& }& A8 d
但事实上确有此人。
( |2 ]1 e7 a0 [( Q" L R8 J562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died., q# L s3 J: }5 k& y
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。/ ~* O* A) [' D# i$ ^7 O
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.$ @* N. `- x, c* t7 V
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。9 M" r% a6 Y# F. ]! M* R( U
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
& J' C8 G7 t8 R, N0 W 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
) t* y4 n: H1 y& q% c4 p( U565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
4 D5 y0 r$ e0 K6 f& @6 p! L 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,' b2 E4 Q7 u. D0 i) Y
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
) V8 ^% {) C! c9 ~' H' c 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
) S7 _6 m l# o8 V) H567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.; c9 t8 J/ J" f4 C* ^. W7 K
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
6 Q6 M) [! w% X) g: w3 k, w, l568. 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.
. [( g+ \8 {: }+ C9 a' J; ^ 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 u8 D! S; l0 ^
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
% h. S \. N4 O* n 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。1 v7 k6 X3 Z. ^* B" u! k% ?
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.8 Z# ?" P$ C1 j+ X( G, z! `# C5 v
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。+ H4 \7 d8 h4 L& A- f/ W4 ?
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
. _/ X( U/ X$ \- j! Q 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。* @+ v2 { u1 q6 r2 n% v
572. They did not even tell their wives.
% L3 D( e0 |% Q8 z ` 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
2 a( `" ?) {3 \6 x# o4 [" P" M573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
, V% U4 u- u$ p 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
s* n2 J5 [- P; d" H; x% K/ e2 M9 J574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.% S6 h" f- C( f7 z: F. j
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
& c# Q3 w$ }& |2 }4 B575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.9 @& o$ a. T- g% e7 g2 }5 V
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。
3 |" p) t, l& f576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
: b8 n3 F, }* i0 {- 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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