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课文30 幽灵之死, Z2 E5 a* E6 V& S
552. For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was hunted.) }; E' B/ n% q8 Q$ |6 A
多年来,村民们一直认为恩得利农场在闹鬼。. a/ G% r/ f4 B% F+ f
553. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox.. \, N# T6 ]5 F" D) ?1 \+ o6 {
恩得利农场属于乔.考科斯和鲍勃.考科斯兄弟俩所有。
4 q% @, X; I0 @- h' i) W/ P554. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long.
0 _* [' c/ ]( m$ L6 M 他们雇了几个农工,但谁也不愿意在那儿长期工作下去。
2 x( Z) P- ]. E, h5 X555. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story.
, v8 G9 L# O% X1 Y) X, ? 每次雇工辞职后都叙述着同样的故事。
g. W' r, |9 k2 V556. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight.2 g5 ~4 w5 s) N3 l
雇工们说,常常一早起来发现有人在夜里把活干了,, B, T) t8 U# k
557. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned.1 R. U: {" Q, }0 |6 ]! Z, C1 J
干草已切好,牛棚也打扫干净了。
. z4 k* j+ N' ~: p558. A farm worker, who stayed up all night claimed to have seen a figure cutting corn in the moonlight.% S. g# i9 w! l
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。
5 a' A. _, d0 Y2 ^3 ]1 r559. In time, it became an accepted fact the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
1 @3 m$ b6 s6 c+ ` 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。
5 j% x8 H8 C5 S# s- }2 Q560. No one suspected that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen.3 _( g! n8 u% _$ @5 A% p2 l; r3 Q) T
谁也没想到农场竟会有一个从未露面的人。5 V% q ]$ Q- m4 W; C
561. This was indeed the case.
. C9 j$ V2 [ R( ? 但事实上确有此人。+ n- [/ P" ?- X r: Y+ X8 \( D) p
562. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died.
M6 T0 G x" K& `# j# C 不久之前,村民们惊悉恩得利农场的鬼死了。
. |, v5 E& ^( ]6 D2 O: } z563. 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.) l7 L4 U5 ?9 W5 F# @3 D3 q7 k
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 c: |: ]/ u" z8 o564. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
5 t5 O$ \% w- W; W6 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。9 \( t" k6 `: l/ }* q0 C
565. Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers.
, n/ P i( n$ y& H 埃里克是这家长子。年龄比他两个弟弟大很多,
/ |, S7 G) o i/ t! T! I( I566. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War." W( T; F/ e$ O/ `
第二次世界大战期间被迫参军。
* i4 A/ c+ M* ?; u% w# g567. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment.3 K& F2 j6 O% U" }2 H- Y! B
他讨厌军旅生活,决定逃离所在部队。: c( o' Y# S4 J) W7 z
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.2 y9 k, [. {" }0 y+ s$ h
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。
0 v7 ?% m: ^1 t9 ~9 d/ r569. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well.- y4 j0 j8 W1 ^' _" V, p( b6 Q
由于害怕当局,埃里克战后继续深藏不露。
) v) E0 `- O* X0 V570. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action.
8 w' F7 U& [/ V; V 他的父亲告诉大家,埃里克在战争中被打死了。
4 r' u' U" X3 `% h2 @3 D" r/ `571. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob.
# w" V6 I& T$ H# H2 r0 \0 k7 J2 b 除此之外,只有乔与鲍知道这个秘密。
) ~; d( b. X/ m7 `2 M572. They did not even tell their wives.8 ?: C6 W3 K5 A, W- R
但他俩连自己的妻子都没告诉。2 ?3 [! z" e& i
573. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding.
8 L. N# }) O% g# Q- c 父亲死后,他们兄弟俩认为有责任继续把埃里克藏起来。
9 O6 [8 f5 s" O$ c$ o8 x' ~574. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse.
% Q5 _% r' K+ t6 n 这些年来,埃里克过着隐士生活,
7 b/ @1 p8 M" ^0 N# z$ ]+ _9 h575. He used to sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley.
2 Y* c4 [/ G/ ^ 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。$ h# U6 W% Z% j5 H1 q) G
576. When he died, however, his brothers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.' ~/ A( ], x; O8 h/ C, N" N% z8 W
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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