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课文30 幽灵之死
) j- n [) _* n% p552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
! ]; M* P& E& Z5 } u 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
1 i* W% u; U6 Y% {- [, x" \9 l/ h" z6 Y553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.4 J8 ~ X. e& J \
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。) s. ~; S3 i* C+ Z0 o: A
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.% F- J# ?! b& {0 c, E" n0 F- d; b
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。+ m6 L+ N7 \. [, X2 s
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
# d( i. v' Q1 f4 ^ 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。+ `9 ]1 R* f5 h
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
* u0 k6 p4 J" e! C K: [5 j 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
. m/ @4 M7 _' K' C557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
7 @# m" Q, M. w$ W( T: A 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
; D/ y. P9 u+ }3 d/ H$ Y; g558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.! C. d3 G/ Q% I. k0 q$ _
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。4 Z5 _- n; \$ ^6 l+ Y' |3 E9 q
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
, i# c$ l2 @) u 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 `6 d+ ^( Y: U9 J; O- R6 x
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.9 A6 d9 d4 j' m1 m B; o# N i5 Z
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
+ O) Q' a$ C* T& a. i! c561. This was indeed the case.$ C3 M4 p& Y6 ~7 y
但事实上确有此人。
: a T# S T8 @; U562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.' L6 p$ ]+ T9 o7 O# M# c. H$ b" w
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
3 t6 W/ R4 R% z' ]7 O563. 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.0 K' g1 Z0 w; l$ P: ~) 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。
0 D- q- i7 @7 k w! K8 M564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.9 d0 m$ ?7 n& _' F7 i$ 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。
2 _7 z- N/ s- }4 \* t+ B C565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
& p% U1 Q8 ]& `; H; |0 y 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,+ J5 F# u. X+ U
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
! @8 Z( ^3 m8 [ 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。8 r+ q5 o9 M2 x1 l
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
1 I" u) ~6 M F1 \5 X& r 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。1 v" J5 w; q+ m5 P% O9 a6 c H& A7 E m4 z
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.
1 s) D* W% A# i9 E5 | 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。
! |8 @3 g% {, F2 x5 v569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
& C0 v% {7 Q) e' y 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
7 H* ~" h) z7 e% Y. c0 U570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
2 i( n4 F$ J% }! `: x 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。 Q( t2 b9 D, A$ S; l; n
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
0 T" W+ g- G1 U4 ~6 q 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
/ Q) I# D2 }1 G0 O* }7 k572. They did not even tell their wives.
. z$ T7 L5 C& o9 z& k- ^ 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。3 M: q, }6 |( C5 V" {
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.& U$ R8 I7 ?0 u. g
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。4 n' ~4 N3 r: R, T3 L5 O1 h/ u
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.2 l' I) \, }3 w4 C$ {% d% c
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
& l- ]; T7 H- X4 z- P( h# q575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
( t N5 _9 u, k4 K' b" L; S 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。& u3 i7 H( N3 G r3 p9 t: M
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.4 {& F. E5 c( Z7 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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