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课文30 幽灵之死/ Q1 B) Q2 P2 p L- w
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
" O$ q4 W% T Y9 K 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。- Q& M/ ]$ S" G" k- c
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.$ z( u- x* |2 \) p$ v( M
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。6 x* v0 k4 _" p( _8 q5 t* j
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
' o+ M ^& [7 D* F2 [% k 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。* D4 n' e% y8 k* u$ C- C2 J8 ~
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
) f0 s; U% x& }6 M 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
- n7 y/ w* L3 S- K. S556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight. S0 |3 T7 `! D0 M$ ]0 q. ~# L f
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,# |- `1 y. d- E, [) E* O
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
% q+ E5 O) F# j+ v$ y 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
/ j; Y6 v' E0 V& J558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
6 ]% Y8 |# v0 Y/ q2 [ 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。
2 y- y0 d+ p7 q, }# x! S559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.7 ^; A+ ^" }8 ^6 e% q2 \
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。( m: z! Y- C0 C3 M9 y( {% M0 W
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
9 {1 }2 i) j: a2 M' E 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
' ]# f8 g8 l# T7 t561. This was indeed the case.
9 I+ F( Q. H$ u: R8 Q; t 但事实上确有此人。
6 A0 w1 i9 c" F4 a; ?5 Q562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.* k) T- ?5 p, u! n& g0 L
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
4 h; ~+ \7 H S563. 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 ?; a: o2 S) {4 _$ ^2 b 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。
; F! U& m9 }- w' C) @564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.7 Z3 E% F3 c8 s1 G/ f2 Y
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
( x1 p1 m. Y1 }; D. C. e( M565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.1 V# i f/ _- q# K* U$ e
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
/ r: w6 S5 t$ q' h& j) T+ j8 O+ d566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
; _3 h% s {2 E% @& ]) g 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。2 g; u$ v. ~. d9 Y/ s
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment." S4 I3 u, |4 I+ A/ L$ ]+ p
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
# s! G) s0 D2 r5 Y) q568. 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.3 H. C# z- h. y1 O% _ J
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。1 @! z! J( e$ e1 D
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.) P! G; S9 F/ P9 Y* w7 K
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。% U, u. y: l5 E% m
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.# n6 f& f0 X/ p7 j. s; e) ?; U }* R
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
0 Z. q$ R* p" b& h( L+ C6 {571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
$ {5 l+ Q6 b+ j4 J+ j 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。( d9 ]- F1 y( ~1 _& E! N3 e* Q
572. They did not even tell their wives.6 C* s- L3 Z) h2 p1 E- J8 v
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。0 O) k- i& i c& b' j8 N
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.7 [# z- a: r' L/ b3 B8 |6 p
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。 ~ _/ @2 M0 y6 H; H7 Z3 q+ Q
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.9 F p$ C. m/ a' F) n
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,$ J4 u7 A' I2 [& X/ @* Z) M! v
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.' y0 ?* K( o+ e- U
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。
( U) r% q+ [- Z8 `576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
2 I9 s0 e9 d$ B% L7 u. Q 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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