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课文30 幽灵之死
1 J3 F' j9 a. v. O0 _552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.7 m5 l1 p: f6 ` T% ~5 x3 Y
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。1 H: Q3 W+ L: P$ S/ y
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.! N; c9 P! [; n; h% L+ Q
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
! m/ m3 n7 _% R% Z554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.& I6 [) ^: [' d3 B+ I! X
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
, B% t9 G1 y1 ?! S$ R3 R555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
0 p( D4 a5 q1 z7 L( H( \( V 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。" m# j W7 Q0 `/ L4 |
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.6 f9 P! O5 c( W1 R# x
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,' ]: q) C4 Y( L" j
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned./ r" t. F. w; {1 f! S8 W
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。. Q; G( R# z( @ h, ?
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
% V" k) T) n8 m9 {! V# j" e. u 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。& j |) z& h: Q" C2 C$ V
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.3 o# t8 m7 w" S4 r" Z; L' g8 r
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。
# Z+ q I0 X. v! \+ R# c& T! V560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.
; m0 }# c7 z: q/ q% D! Y8 [ R 谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
. S( [2 q0 u# O: X/ e) Y9 r561. This was indeed the case.( E! P. p( L% C/ r5 a
但事实上确有此人。/ I( G1 X2 z/ |
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.% S: r; j* x p4 F8 W6 z3 B
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。/ J4 T- D- R* }
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.
1 j) n# l* w8 k/ w; I' H 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。
4 V4 n* H3 w- u564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.2 o( v: I5 r5 F/ R" A
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。* W! H& w, c" u
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.: b3 x; C% ^# ?
埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
+ X2 [$ _) X( j# h( n- m566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
4 ^& A$ p" u$ z4 f X1 E, W. z 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。/ X6 C# F( D- K0 y+ q: ^
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.2 S( l0 c# Q, L5 N
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
1 o+ B1 J6 w$ |, o0 G" g+ G- s' ^9 X568. 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.
% L5 O& G. B( o 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。
& Z# T( t2 |: w2 {7 a569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
3 D$ [, I4 D. |' \ 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
3 \2 w& [# k/ u0 }' N3 d570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
- b: o4 ~2 Q4 h4 ^ ^7 Q 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
. a$ b3 x! E M- {6 P& Z571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
0 R) n/ x; j/ ]5 Y h2 t' F 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。' ~+ i1 b' Y6 I6 L B( N' r/ {0 G1 W
572. They did not even tell their wives.
# s5 @5 g, M# W) p3 N; `8 l 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
0 D; j8 J2 X$ ] @# ^. b4 P573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.* S) N. L: l6 S, _$ n! J" ]0 o- W
父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。; i# l4 W7 C! A' N% ?. i
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.5 b. j; u: n. F% m9 c# C
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
* g* i" M4 S8 F% `1 ?' E# V575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
/ ^0 J5 U4 h& {; b! c 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。0 t& g, V) E& ~! u8 y9 P
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.' j+ o* j7 S: `
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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