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课文30 幽灵之死
( @" q, |1 w \/ t552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
1 ^: z8 P% {) X2 M( ?+ Q 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。' A& h( l8 U# M: B
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
5 O* i( P; \1 f- k# d+ E/ u% c' a 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。/ d( O; ~* v& W* g
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.9 Z; v5 Y; `6 c# }2 s( U
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。& B2 o# ?$ l/ ]; K' A
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
) [0 D2 M9 U7 E% _$ F5 } 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
+ v# b5 B) z. W' p* s556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.8 R E. s& S4 h; A) f7 N# h
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,6 n& \& o9 h7 G3 R0 N1 s1 s- V
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
( z$ u7 w; m6 G" z6 p! f0 S 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
8 g& O8 ~6 b& \& h \" @558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
& |8 y z- N$ } 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。
. A2 p& G4 r9 n3 c: _6 G1 v7 n559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.# [, l; A' H2 [5 ]* O4 h& ~& ~
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。
1 L# i) I& b3 @ e) |560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
% t: v+ b( Z3 x1 f r4 J( \ 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。5 N+ l B( ?0 X, Z! C
561. This was indeed the case./ B9 L8 v4 u3 D% E z# |! H
但事实上确有此人。
" L. a0 F+ G. L6 _562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
9 X$ @5 a1 G9 V( z 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
* \6 U4 V2 ]! ^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.' l. L2 g& J! s
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。, V, x f1 v# a2 G0 y6 ~- z
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.3 H% _3 B* P$ ^8 M$ d6 i
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
; w6 K5 U- [; ~565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
7 Y8 w2 E2 c. ^6 S1 I D 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,# m' }# Z2 w9 i; U2 o( i+ b2 L3 ^
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
9 t; C e% f% O* x/ I z& X 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。& m! Q% q. O; D- F c0 J
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.% E: b3 y: R8 b. B/ E7 d3 `( b
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。, O6 ~( Y1 p: `
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.
6 P4 n+ U& C/ C' q% m. i 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。
7 m4 f+ ?6 M. [/ d( e1 v1 q- ]569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
% T! X; I( Z( U+ }5 |* H 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。5 s4 N- W+ n: m" B( c
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.( P x( a, j4 ]0 J3 q
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
9 @- H& j' y9 O# B) A- h571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
2 N7 [3 v, H5 l6 t' Y, x 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
3 j3 q; D9 X# @572. They did not even tell their wives.
( s$ p6 z0 i }) I9 k 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。8 \! |, n; ], Z
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.$ o9 E V& g3 r" [# |4 C
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。* S2 ^: @6 _# p) q$ v8 v; q
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.8 s: C7 F0 [* Z0 z2 A# \" j3 M
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
) r _: v2 x& C6 |) L, W5 Y' l4 P, L575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
( g8 Y0 J k5 ^! r3 V 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。2 ^- E. ]1 z2 o1 m' J, C; D6 }
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
$ l! D3 x+ F% |- ^4 v: 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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