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课文30 幽灵之死* X& a& Q% r* }. ]$ w* ?
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted./ N) \, P1 j% S9 m" O
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
) Y0 n/ c* f, F553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
: W3 o: L( r6 H8 T4 d$ @/ m 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。 _" j/ O5 h c4 r# v% Y2 D
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
" z" Z, d% E8 Y" v$ w" D 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。9 Y& v+ @3 g, n8 V# ]3 d
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
+ }; A3 F8 ]2 {& ~( { 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
! H7 {2 I$ B/ X: j Z0 V# Z/ {& W556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
- U6 m U' J+ U# @2 S 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
% Z1 R6 q$ q+ i1 A I P557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
6 n, b- w9 f. H2 m, Z0 U 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
* R. B' u. j" r8 Y; ^( [7 X: E5 V558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.+ y& `9 p2 L% T1 F9 \
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。
% \# i5 x, f) o+ G. K3 }) ^559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
# b! y) j6 o% A5 p3 v6 Z8 z 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。) k) J+ Z0 c6 }* K2 U- G$ S1 j
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.% Q2 q/ F; z) f; K6 d4 |
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
$ D8 h8 e* j) w3 I: }& c5 B, m561. This was indeed the case.
. y3 k3 }% r5 D: u! }3 B 但事实上确有此人。
3 u/ `. \7 M" D! P: Y+ [5 q562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
6 W8 W" Q" v- j$ @9 e; ]" g+ j5 R 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
* m. `5 S# J1 m5 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.3 V. {* u% k* n- @
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。
! [& P2 B8 j; b2 s) [ Y3 K564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.- g$ @0 M. O 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。
' P( ?' D4 g8 d7 Y' Q565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.) v5 w2 \0 N1 ?& R1 x/ c; Q
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
\& ~7 N, }! \566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.1 C& ^* G- @# j
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。. f9 I8 r9 c. u$ r# G
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
; C8 A: }7 h2 O( V 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。5 z; V7 u( ?- d) F, e* q
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.
2 K0 Z# O, A8 W5 z2 ^, H 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, e( a& b0 t569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.5 X% F' Z1 M* _7 T: E5 Y
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。- N2 k% T, m( {3 G: e8 `+ g# ]
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
, |( C: F# L7 X, ~ 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。4 D) z1 T4 v j9 r$ i3 p
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob." w9 n7 e2 K: U( I0 a6 T/ }$ {0 i y
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。; G$ j: Z/ J" g# z; M
572. They did not even tell their wives.% b7 ~+ Z4 y! i+ X5 {. u
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
) O2 X3 s9 Y: q573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
u$ i6 X) ^- Z6 ]: [( Z/ ] 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。7 x" w# G0 A' c" c+ B
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse., \6 b g$ ]8 J- q2 ^ {
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,4 G: } f; p; K& j5 n$ M8 l
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.
* t( X4 G8 t- |/ B 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。* j2 ^/ \& N$ c9 _8 H% C; a
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
/ r4 I1 l1 `* g4 @8 U% ` 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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