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课文30 幽灵之死( m% v+ c, z$ o3 G/ z
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.
- N A1 d A8 n7 Q 多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。" F7 a( {- s" o" f
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.
* A6 V6 a$ x3 A. D! u/ i; w! ]' Z 恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
2 I$ t) q7 F2 Q6 {4 r9 g* Q" \554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
1 z' G' @6 S8 V) q 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。9 Q. V. \: n$ G
555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
2 K8 k- l0 ]+ `2 u7 \4 o/ H 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。: F# h* y/ {/ x4 V. a$ \
556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.9 n3 | d9 G# i% A
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了," Y9 E0 y1 F9 i) m/ E* W
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned." i* Y* h3 m6 L# Y k
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。5 F: I, p3 h6 n- N, L* f
558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.( \9 l9 r6 U% U& [ p6 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。$ F4 k: }* ~8 }9 A1 I# m* i: c
559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.& c# p% i1 B0 }5 F2 z P, ?
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 y0 G1 T1 x3 a+ Z& ~6 m2 D. |560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.! I& N1 a( X* a# m8 i+ N
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。
; k- C9 {+ c8 [3 s1 S! G561. This was indeed the case.
, R% n3 V; i- ~9 }& C K6 g 但事实上确有此人。
. ]! A% _6 Q9 H; }4 k% V562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
7 T9 s& |, m9 s; S 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
$ _% ?3 g- B8 E% V( M, w ^& K563. 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.# m/ T, ?) ~4 c' |& b
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 `4 i7 J8 s/ ?6 n* a
564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
: D/ j( F) Z+ `$ \. f- T" ^9 K' u 葬礼之后,乔和鲍勃透露了他们保守了长达50多年的秘密。8 x, s* b, d$ h8 e4 d4 K
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
# `) h1 e5 @4 N) o- x; H 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多," {- g% W' R8 }' S( P
566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War.
0 j8 s& F' w9 H7 l9 v 第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
3 ^5 v- F+ ^5 k5 d8 a567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.! N a9 t. [7 i
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。
- b h/ h" h! S568. 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.; S' W' e& E6 {
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。* {* C2 d% O K, W# L
569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.
/ D' N5 t1 v+ E+ l4 ~7 I 由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。 s" K+ _. J2 j9 E) p2 Z8 y
570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.+ _( ?' F, E5 T
他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。. x$ e. w, L% T* l; v: k
571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.1 j5 N# ^4 c: L$ T- F! ?. g! t
除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
: C$ R9 c' E& p- c2 X572. They did not even tell their wives.9 V0 d1 O6 n5 ]0 ^# O
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。
I, a& P1 [ i- ?573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
6 w! D9 T* A& a% v 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。5 V5 y( X) J) d
574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.( t7 V" Z' r6 T5 ?# {& I
这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,3 m4 l4 g+ R) q
575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.3 A: y, }9 F, F! n# C+ [' d
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。
# ]& @7 U# V8 l. D576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.
7 g; S& a$ r0 P3 n7 m% n 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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