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课文30 幽灵之死% R9 c; S% u) g: s1 ~$ L( Q* J
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.. X+ a8 B1 f4 t- w5 _- C# e6 t9 E
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
* ]2 `4 U( {) R; `& W/ n9 e+ Y553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox./ c/ i( }7 e. n" u Q
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
; Y/ d* W2 [, e7 p- ~" j554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
4 N, ]& B. ^# j: o, m0 F 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
. x7 y; {0 D. `555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.8 M v- t% c# C4 O, `; {; Q
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
0 {" ~# T4 V2 E7 W556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
, Z f" Y! V8 C 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,0 g; V" z8 K7 G+ Z# I, w0 D5 z
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.* f. K) L% s' P/ M6 Z
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
" a, ~ a8 D% [558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.6 u) S4 o f, i9 o/ c
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" u1 V! T+ k0 O% F559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.$ e+ g! S5 Z3 j% {3 [
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。
& V, H0 s' w& H% D: _; o560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.: C& F, h. B( a& c3 h/ ^. x: Z
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
$ P% |5 g& T# ^; `& }; L% S561. This was indeed the case.
$ g6 W7 Q! G" R 但事实上确有此人。
; ~& x3 L" N2 v0 s6 {# s+ s, I/ ^562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.+ a1 C6 |% M @/ a$ z3 Y# y+ C( l
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
, ^& C6 s$ b0 Y1 Z4 l t563. 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.
, t2 t. T, |# 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。8 J8 s' y2 u G5 g/ S% H- ~
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.$ n6 e4 W# B- p" p9 b
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。8 s0 O: Y5 ]3 {$ v1 u5 D4 V
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.7 p% |5 `; V; O
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,1 v% L+ g) b/ X( i
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.( H1 i2 v& K1 H: F
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
; C0 d1 b9 q9 L9 F V# p567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment. z& d0 T& ^3 J$ Q& i
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。+ p: X @# W8 R! u
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; @ W1 m: h: m7 O4 ` 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。
8 s _/ r; S5 L( x569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
1 b; y* p4 b3 ~8 z5 n- }, P4 t 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
" M& r7 s8 ?7 t2 M570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.& E( v+ ?8 w4 N2 s! `' U7 x3 ]1 ?
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。$ o; O+ z7 F9 @& i5 S; p
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob." w5 F y3 p2 h! m+ N
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。; ]. P/ O( L1 q2 t; F
572. They did not even tell their wives.
5 ^0 i( n4 j1 V2 K) W8 J: D 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
) u% B7 Y% \3 E% X573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
3 d4 u+ M9 k& f 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。& @$ {& W* B5 Y
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
' j5 A0 O- K- s3 e) }9 c7 e 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,% `$ ?, M5 C. m3 {/ ? S
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.8 F( ]9 q' a+ H3 n! _
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。
- e/ T9 ~# o" C: @576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.% V- `7 H& _# {# J" n
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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