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课文30 幽灵之死( T4 Z0 k9 j2 y" Y. p
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
: k: r7 V( E+ h$ P* B# N/ _ 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
. ?2 U* R5 Z" O. ^# P4 O" M. T553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.% A& b2 H: G5 O. R: {
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
# t: N1 g; Y8 S L554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
( C9 o+ T6 X7 r; e 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
! ~. @) ]8 ~/ L& ]" l3 Y555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
7 s: P2 k& D7 s- S# i 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
6 W9 W }' X! ^7 D u* V+ `556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.1 V- n$ ]' f6 w- m9 N. e! F
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
5 e; T) |( G1 E; L ~557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
) i. k5 y& e* ^) q9 o: r: } 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
! U1 [6 h! G1 C6 M4 s558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight., }0 ?- |/ r9 o. G' |6 P. s
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。
w2 Q( e, O3 t, z1 R. v0 J% @559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
- x" r) u$ V: h5 j 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。* `% @% T0 Y2 P; n( h9 X& p0 O( \3 _
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.2 {/ b0 Q- {3 f6 v& H
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
& o2 f2 _1 S2 V: W4 G* J561. This was indeed the case.$ q/ k% |( o) h. n& x( v* e* b3 [
但事实上确有此人。
. J5 g; ~9 ?; ~" L6 K& L5 c562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
# i2 g' H1 B# c) G/ R( i1 ~. B 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。) x0 S) ]# V% O) y% ]
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.( C. f: a6 C; Y7 n' M# E
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。
5 m" @$ w2 @# M. D) x* Q" k564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.8 ]: b6 r- [- ^* U; N9 H. h
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。+ I( P( p' q$ }4 x6 o, V' U
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
. f- Z: b. x. q) Q# O 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,9 k" c! ] _ m4 @7 V* |
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
* X" g. G. i, ~5 d+ r, V; c/ _ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。/ S3 j! U& _# g0 r0 u
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
3 x- T0 z5 c' I& U+ X( W 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。# a- l" M+ j$ a, v" C" _
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.
9 [6 A& x2 A" U4 q, 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。
; Q8 b4 V. @! r+ I% ]% j569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
3 }4 |1 n9 n4 v$ V. q0 s9 C 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
3 J9 w) Z4 G$ X! ^. Q0 ^570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.& G: v3 C& F0 q5 M) B3 R5 x
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
+ _/ g x O7 X; C& X! v( P8 m571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.; V2 j5 x& `0 c" T
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。, _, ?" n; F( ?% U
572. They did not even tell their wives.
9 i) Z& h0 ]8 f6 ?1 z* W/ r. P 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
/ k7 Q! ^: C$ @: ^- h$ _& A573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.9 c; r+ b, S, b( u, y' h
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
3 o8 ~# l3 M! y* d6 r+ _) A# V574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
& j; c( e6 m! V& I' S 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
- |( I9 S4 J* B) S% 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.( e+ _* n8 P/ l1 i2 W
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。
) A/ U2 r3 o- N/ H" j576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
6 W; k" G$ @2 [; {) A 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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