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课文30 幽灵之死1 B) h( j5 _) G1 |
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
* p4 N4 ~6 a; a9 g 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。7 X# |" \9 K* Z+ C c- z+ n
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
7 S8 c7 P$ m* P2 l, X3 p 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
9 ]" `7 A& H) [# Q8 B5 s554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
8 O: B O ?( r8 u7 d& g/ A 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
5 [8 N% K: u& W$ t555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.. [0 Z7 v' _" ^$ n" Z
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
- a( l2 V; s# _( I; r6 L556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
. q+ y! p, U% D: p w# U6 a2 V 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,% Y6 [6 D: E, r, Z, k' l
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 |' f- h* S' }# u* @ 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% P' n2 W# Y; c558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.' Q1 X6 l/ W/ P( G% y! b/ u# d
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。6 s, a& s p. I( K' e7 x* s
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
: r! J/ s$ q# a. }: c# E7 D3 c 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。
8 R1 I5 y: J2 I% n5 |& R9 ~560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
- d) q3 `# z7 I/ K1 Y: X2 r 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。) y: L. V% ^5 h% b! J" d
561. This was indeed the case.$ u' p2 r" f7 Y1 b" s+ I
但事实上确有此人。
6 z; D* S" F% p6 m$ N9 @" I562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
& O" {' g( T4 l 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ F$ L# h: V- G+ E563. 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( @2 i, [& I) n, P9 S" T
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。2 l# b6 e6 g- j& k
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
8 {# K$ H* d4 u' F2 R; `% P' e 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
* w# R2 g) p' K& x0 t565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
[, o% \0 s3 p 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
! J1 a& x' [6 Q566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.( D: J3 H- }! w+ f
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
' F6 Y8 V5 I" _% `! m4 H8 F567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.. h* d) o& I7 c$ p+ B+ u' I
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
) o" P6 H- E+ d, H. w568. 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.
5 T: c6 y/ O2 [, ^ 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。( M) C ~/ h1 v& ~( Q. |( R
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
; m( U1 k4 X1 a/ x- Q 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
5 K1 V8 e; ~: \# P570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.- _( C; i; d3 o- m% g0 \: x
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
) C& U/ `) D6 E+ V2 O+ r9 _4 z+ m. e571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
# v2 j, f& [/ H4 a) I; W; n" \ 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。- Z( [1 h: W- |* J
572. They did not even tell their wives.
! i- i' p3 ^+ u 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。- D1 f1 U( S: `
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.5 r# |) x" U A) C& L0 j n
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
- j. v [: w. [2 `4 i574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
& F8 X" n% m' N6 n8 {' `* Q 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
" e7 d2 f, o: w' 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.; J" G, s9 B! T5 K9 x1 y# d6 M
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 Z; w/ B7 B5 d- M" J/ i
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
0 ]* O; N R o9 \6 X! G7 V 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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