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课文30 幽灵之死
# g) X+ U) G7 X7 h. d552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.% h) D; S& q$ W& }0 k4 Y3 s! S
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。. N, u5 t3 q1 ?' ^9 h* o% B) C
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.; N& |: W( y1 k# G, ~2 A: T! q7 d
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。: ?" I/ {2 I3 \% W% s8 H
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
1 h$ s6 v8 J* Y7 @ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。4 S6 g# ?$ S H3 X C
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.. y K% e! A6 {+ \# V2 a6 B
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
! ]; i0 G k! z( M556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
! K" H9 V, V* U4 W( i5 y/ X 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
3 k# K- F# R6 C5 ]& C557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.- Z0 ?) P8 A6 x6 s# Y" ^' n" u
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。; y! Z; K& Y! `/ {
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.5 W8 v; S5 b0 \: x5 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。
2 u n4 r+ p! }" A8 N" D559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
" M9 c7 H4 ?3 W5 P& X 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。
, I, l( i. h3 N. e1 x5 J! z560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
+ r1 _ |4 \9 ^5 t2 c8 J 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
# b5 p7 f" ~$ K' h561. This was indeed the case.7 [8 H( K, _: G- I) O7 ~' B3 F
但事实上确有此人。
: ]& w+ B& W7 l2 E562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
$ P8 P- x/ C1 g5 U8 [4 I 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。$ Y% _( p# z5 I
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. f; {2 r& f# H- J; _
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。1 m* I/ S" ~% Y$ |1 z
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years. f$ A8 j1 i( h+ M
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。& Z. ~3 X/ b& K. F& t$ R/ `
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.% R( Q3 S% K2 @0 n- e5 h3 b u
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
7 W( P5 r6 w4 U5 `5 @0 h) W566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.$ |- U4 m7 w' k! o% W
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
; r9 A3 b) l+ y* ]( E8 A567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.
5 _$ o' S. D* O$ T7 t$ z3 ~- K 他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。, Y0 @5 n! [, X2 W1 l A
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.
% V6 n+ @( k+ Z [ 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 k7 K# z S# r" L* v/ ^9 z569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.( w! x3 }; n! l3 l7 {
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
# x( H/ d, b- b$ J570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action." a5 {( u. c% ]9 R
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。9 S3 [/ f5 H5 n# t0 C8 m9 s: _" ^1 s
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
' e0 G& T7 V+ v" V5 A 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。$ M8 \" b9 O7 b$ t e; F
572. They did not even tell their wives.+ |) w: d( v" q! `7 r
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
7 K$ }* i" w" \4 {+ S0 k% U, U0 U9 i573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.% s( L; B; S2 Y- }& z. J4 `3 Q+ A
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
' Q: @$ @' s! c `' A574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
) E `5 g7 U% F) e( s- F 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
$ ~) z# p9 h2 V0 E( 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.
4 Y! r. H8 v( e% g- \6 G- p 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。
- l) ?9 R% j+ J& ^. a576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
& e! D) Z- ?) X1 V8 {, @6 b: | 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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