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课文30 幽灵之死8 Q* V% E# S3 G1 }
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
% ^, k$ P% z$ o0 u0 Q6 l6 C1 ` 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。$ z( V( ?8 Y" j+ J
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.$ R$ t- z8 Z9 C9 t. ^ a
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
3 ]! [4 ~) x' t3 D/ u4 D4 q4 l" t& @554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
# J9 U2 s! `9 l; ?: |% o7 h 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。$ o7 `% Y( ^2 e* l2 m+ ^
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.) l- Z+ x" U1 E) C0 X/ r* l
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
( l! k$ N0 M8 h1 h7 ~ L556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
3 X! E+ n$ E- L9 \ 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
+ f* V2 K/ V1 Z0 L7 z, }557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.0 L6 v. H1 U: [0 [2 k
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。5 Z+ G* c6 ~( f) Z9 v
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.) Q5 N: {" O- `& M8 g
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。
, i- G8 M9 w: P2 ^# M, ^3 f" v559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
- m) m' C7 l, q( n4 Q 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。
% F& X& W5 V: G- S2 H* Z( X$ ]560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
% t* }: C; r; o 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
( K2 v, C2 U& U |8 U561. This was indeed the case.
& K R# j; h! u- T5 T 但事实上确有此人。
4 W2 h4 G9 v" V4 H562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.8 q% @) e) ^; Y" M9 C1 l' e6 h
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ z4 v% N: q; o2 j' I" ^% j563. 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 `9 U B! k6 N 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。
- s: Z- Y* z( J5 W# S564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.* O' V% E% O: N
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。& P( `4 l- U- b/ a' p
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
* P; v+ q; \/ u6 L 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
* X* S6 g* Z. s0 d+ z& A566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.2 u9 p4 t- q0 q$ }9 b
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。% n1 [$ Y9 E+ R, ]+ X
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
4 k W$ K2 h8 E0 L2 s0 D 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
3 [$ B$ @. W- z9 A* o1 m$ 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.
3 L8 N% Y) \) i. l# m$ y( r8 t 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 G0 ^1 x1 i% n+ K ^2 p2 j569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
' q3 q5 J. f4 z9 h6 Z( f9 i/ y, @ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
8 [* l- ]* D5 j/ r& D5 T2 X570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action., [% m( }+ I! U, X7 L4 V& Q
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
% ~7 k R3 Y. l" d571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
( G: M$ ?6 e# |" z 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
?, n* q% H+ l- l& l572. They did not even tell their wives.7 N* Q# R7 g6 d4 w3 t L9 T0 P- N7 N
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
; y" I5 V; `5 {" B& G3 s. a573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding. k* s& |* Q+ v4 n3 }3 y
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
. _$ E' q" m2 ?" A574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.: V6 c9 O# S, a
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
; W6 ~; L$ D" F8 T575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
. o0 w+ _- |( z4 l5 G 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。
8 J0 G% T% N; I! }% e& l576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
6 T8 x2 c7 U; @9 @ 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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