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课文30 幽灵之死
6 [$ b8 x. }9 L552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.% E+ h; N5 N: L" f; f
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。" Y5 s" x. M( W
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox./ z' V8 G* [2 p0 N6 H
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
, M" E6 [$ I" f' P554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
* C! Z5 m# D9 h& h& g- U9 L6 _ 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。* |7 ?3 V- }2 r7 a4 z- c
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
8 K% T* u4 Z6 @2 ` 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
# ^1 w$ b c/ g9 h9 r6 R9 G: |556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.
2 N$ E- N: ~& A7 I* z7 h* C+ I 雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,
5 t; \. \# ^" k' U557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.! d% C* o8 r% z3 j& l, U; Y& e
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。5 r5 x9 `3 e' G5 G' Y+ b
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.
: ^- |' T' I2 [, B5 ~. D; ?1 i 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。- Z, y+ K# u8 i# y0 r' H4 H6 z
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
. z& p! F# D: T' Q" b 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。
3 w; i4 {% q& _4 i8 c; d560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.# i6 Z& P R8 @0 |! E8 H4 B
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。! k0 G% \- O. _( R T6 B i
561. This was indeed the case.
( X1 M2 i4 t. Q$ ? 但事实上确有此人。" a% w$ X0 j, F/ p% T K+ U
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.) X2 F6 V0 G" ~% B! G
不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。9 W! s8 `) Z* j$ w
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., E( B8 O. q1 C- X4 T' G" 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。5 s' N7 Z4 U* T0 M
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
$ \9 d; |& r: e 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。$ q; U! ]0 t1 A( e' P# ]
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
0 _: P5 }9 m2 a, _8 t/ P1 C1 B 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
/ y6 l' i6 `7 }! r566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.! F- f8 g5 }. K1 u& E
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。& D% O5 a6 I/ U r
567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.# Q( Q* M+ ?0 x5 w# q
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
6 |9 l5 [! ]3 O2 m. O- ]9 i568. 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., J9 N/ N4 w6 p% Z: ]' K, 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。
7 [" p3 k# K# \/ }+ b% l* e569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
Z9 Y' ?7 |. f7 U 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。& e0 b3 P; W2 j
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.) H3 l% \- K! t \' W% }2 r
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
+ f# R+ Y8 P) T |) `0 D8 y3 _571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
" ? A5 j# I$ `2 d 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
$ E/ j) V0 ]1 g$ U% {572. They did not even tell their wives.
7 f& ] j6 Y4 ], s. U- y4 W) M 但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
, w/ b+ j$ E6 G( F5 s2 V( E573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
( e+ X* T$ f0 n& k 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。1 e3 V/ C7 ?# s; P. |: ~
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.5 K2 U* L+ H: K# h
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
, E) m9 X$ D& a575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
. e5 x4 k2 @+ n' U$ \ 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。+ a. L+ Y( F! [5 W* }% V
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.* U' @" h7 s& G3 R% {. Q# J* c8 E
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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