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课文30 幽灵之死
! h0 s& w1 L" o0 M, u552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.; R' l9 y) e* ^! q. n. g$ P; E
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。. M# U, _. R, a9 A8 F, U
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox." ]9 J0 z2 ^& O$ P6 r# k/ o
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。/ F5 X/ O% h5 _0 f' r" F
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.9 q( R6 F( K% b6 \9 v
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。9 q1 f8 S# Y# L8 _% R: p
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
; {1 I3 f3 }5 B$ { 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
0 [) @; ^. ?4 G. z3 R3 J- m556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
% O& Y0 I" \( _2 T7 G) m' ~ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
3 P: U* E5 n: f0 B557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned." v6 b) G h, O! F6 Q3 v0 Y
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
, d4 h# Y0 l# {/ U8 `* l! A! l558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.% Y, Z: n. @* f) C( V
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。( x8 d/ ?, P# d$ s) a, ]' T& C8 h
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them./ b6 I: }: g& s% ]: V
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。( O+ j ?* g, n) \5 x
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
( e# d, R* l/ Z0 ~ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
1 x# j. D9 w0 o" l9 ]561. This was indeed the case.
( J# Q3 I7 u5 J+ _+ p 但事实上确有此人。
/ d" B7 } W: C2 o/ [1 u# B562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.0 B' B. S+ {% [/ s1 h
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
2 X" }: O$ e( d4 m0 m563. 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.8 R+ x: p1 S O! i; f4 X! v( 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。
/ O% \ ~9 @! T% b7 M564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.5 c$ f& K1 G% Q! d8 A6 q" m& y+ r& S
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
% J8 h0 z/ q$ J2 b5 M5 Y" d565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
4 N! `6 n7 I! K 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,$ r0 y. D+ D2 C8 _
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.; C/ {7 g3 r. O
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
4 C' B% \( P" l$ U$ U+ X567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.; T& d/ E% c. \/ I7 i; z6 H
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。2 I( U( }* _7 v4 G
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., \$ s9 m2 ^! e$ k
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 [4 k r5 Q, a+ `( ~& G5 a" h1 O( n
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.3 D% u9 F5 y- K) P8 c% ?/ u
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
5 Y/ S7 O) E$ W$ F" H) t570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
% ` H3 i4 T$ A: V6 R 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。. [( n- _* G9 n8 w% _+ |
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.8 w# Q) y- g; J& t5 _* x9 ]/ i
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。# ~! [! Q$ X% W# j
572. They did not even tell their wives., I2 m! U8 q( }% R1 ?2 F+ q; |* { u
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
J& c* S6 q. q- B573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.* ?: g9 {6 r) Z2 ] [+ ]$ `0 Y
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
) h1 o; s: z4 u! D/ k0 d574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
3 t* o4 O# u: r! {8 Y$ a+ P1 P& e 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,: h) r: g' O0 ] ^ I, i
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.+ c. _1 X! h6 j0 g7 _0 _8 D5 A9 {) L
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。6 M5 y3 N6 e6 O: a& O
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
* N- B' ^/ o* M, i# 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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