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课文30 幽灵之死, g. p8 \$ n3 T0 J: x5 _0 I
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
9 _& S, V0 B) D% t7 H) E* G" c 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。
8 d; o% k' n: T# w) H( J$ k553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox./ d9 Z6 @. K! A6 ]
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。/ O N" w, a4 u" w' N! T) i
554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.# Y% E/ R1 I, n' a# k
他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。2 @# J" O4 o; P+ \
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.7 [9 W- |, p F( m, D
每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
% I" U' C- e& s% E556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
/ g2 r. Y$ R2 @$ s3 h! c 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
9 k: O4 J2 |1 n; K$ f+ V2 @557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.
' R: m/ Y8 n7 k- c0 ]) { 干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
% r* m# J8 s) P& q! e4 A558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
/ M& `# m2 N k' \2 r 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。
9 `. J- P V: h559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.+ b" h# P: @- 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。7 _ r* u/ @* ?
560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.2 K" f: m3 `" v8 W- j0 v# }$ F, @
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
' u: p% @6 E1 {2 S D& r561. This was indeed the case./ E* @1 B" P; A5 O
但事实上确有此人。
^2 C$ j( ?$ l& d' g562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.8 G, q% k: R; x
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。6 l I! b6 e# c, u% 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.
1 {; Y% }! k7 ]" 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。3 M3 s% Z& T6 C
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.0 G2 x2 ~+ m C, }9 A- [ p
葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。
* t9 z8 i. Q5 M565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
, C. S+ Z( N7 d* ]- _/ w; s5 r 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,2 S- U% @, Z* ?( F3 i
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
. W5 l$ p4 v: L 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
2 E9 J3 g2 ~$ I0 s567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.9 H. g, B9 ?4 z3 u8 b6 O- D3 w- G
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。& N Y! R. @) 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.( m7 k' H3 F t3 P
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。+ P6 H: V' X$ a9 \
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.- J9 [" E: q" l8 M
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
% ?4 E. b! H* x2 t0 s- x, T570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.: }! ?- j6 H3 L; T# L3 B
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
& M/ p3 x1 ^) g& u571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
- r. ?/ R& s3 t* A9 } 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
$ x* ]1 S4 L5 e9 G- V1 E% `2 o/ L/ C5 O572. They did not even tell their wives.* v& |! L& s% u; A. v. ]4 d
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
, E, a9 b7 T; g573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
6 ^/ @3 ?/ y6 @) a9 `6 Q 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。4 E3 y" g/ o9 U0 b% U0 K+ a0 ~
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.3 S0 m, {2 O4 B- h0 C
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
3 ~7 }, [, c% R# S575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
" b) j# x# X: Y/ r4 b( f 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。- B9 E+ o& b y( v1 c3 K" ]
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
" O' ]0 l2 t b! J2 l1 m1 P 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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