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For years, villagers believed that Endley Farm was haunted. The farm was owned by two brothers, Joe and Bob Cox. They employed a few farmhands, but no one was willing to work there long. Every time a worker gave up his job, he told the same story经历. Farm labourers said that they always woke up to find that work had been done overnight. Hay had been cut and cowsheds had been cleaned. A farm worker, who stayed up all night, claimed to have seen a figure人 cutting corn in the moonlight. In time, it became an accepted fact that the Cox brothers employed a conscientious ghost that did most of their work for them.
No one suspected认为是 that there might be someone else on the farm who had never been seen. This was indeed the case. A short time ago, villagers were astonished to learn that the ghost of Endley had died. Everyone went to the funeral, for the ‘ghost’ was none other than正是 Eric Cox, a third brother who was supposed to have died as a young man. After the funeral, Joe and Bob revealed a secret which they had kept for over fifty years.
Eric had been the eldest son of the family, very much older than his two brothers. He had been obliged to join the army during the Second World War. As he hated army life, he decided to desert his regiment. 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. Fearing the authorities, Eric remained in hiding after the war as well. His father told everybody that Eric had been killed in action. The only other people who knew the secret were Joe and Bob. They did not even tell their wives. When their father died, they thought it their duty to keep Eric in hiding. All these years, Eric had lived as a recluse. He used to过去常常 sleep during the day and work at night, quite unaware of the fact that he had become the ghost of Endley. When he died, however, his borthers found it impossible to keep the secret any longer.

New word and expressions
labourer        劳动者
overnight        一夜间
hay                干*
corn            谷物
moonlight        月光
conscientious    尽职尽责的认真的
suspect            怀疑是
desert            开小差
regiment        团（军队）
action            战斗
recluse            隐士

Notes on the text
l    peasant（职业）农民
├farmer农夫（农场中劳动）
├labourer工者（无固定职业）
└farm hands农场帮手
l    overnight（不一定一晚）一夜（成名）
The singer rose to fame overnight.
┌corn玉米，谷物
└barn仓库（corn被buy回来）
My girlfriend and I swam in the moonlight.
l    conscious意识的
└conscientious勤劳的
be conscious of意识到
l    sceptical adj.充满怀疑的
├doubt v.对…表示怀疑（不相信）
└suspect怀疑是(This is fact)
suspect疑犯
This is a sceptical age.
There is no doubt,不用怀疑
I suspect that…
l    desert the army军中开小差
His villa is haunted.（别墅）闹鬼，萦绕 /Rn/
His smiles still haunt my mind / memory / imagination.
No one was willing to work there long.
l    one more time再来一下
├each time每次
├every time每一次
├once（过去时）曾经
├at one time曾几何时
├yet another time又一次
├for a second time又一次
├once again再一次
└time and time again一次次
I’m far from smoking.决不
Smoking is the last thing I will do.
（最不可能）决不做的事
I have given up smoking.
It’s the same old story.那是老调重谈
It’s a long story.说来话长
stay up all night一夜未睡
= white night
claim to have done宣称做过…
a perfect figure身材很美
l    In time, 放句首译“一时间，最后”放中间表“及时”
└With time, 随着时间推移
suspect以为，认为是
This was indeed the case.情况确实如此
a short time age不久以前
l    否定词组肯定含义
├nothing but仅仅，只
├none other than正是
└no more than仅仅，不过
He’s none other than Mr.Wang.
He knows nothing beyond English.
只知道…(=but)
l    brigade旅
└regiment团
┌fight打架
├action小规模战斗
├battle战役
├war战争
├raid袭击
├attack袭击
├assault打女的
└=attack insult污辱
Fearing my teacher, I dare not go to school.害怕…而不敢…
remain in hiding保持着藏
He died in poverty.死于（静态）
He was killed in action.
I think it my duty to protect the weak.责任，弱者
┌All these years这些年来
└For years, 数年
l    be anxious to do
├be afraid of
├be aware of
└be unaware of没有意识到
The young man works very hard, unaware of his bad health.
把be去掉放句首做状语，后接名词或that从句
find it impossible to do发现不可能
l    经典口语习语
1. take one’s breath away太让人吃惊了
2. What’s all about? 怎么了？
3. That’s really something.真棒
4. be on edge（边缘）紧张
5. be chilled to the bone冻死啦
I’m frozen.
6. It came to nothing.不了了之
7. He is dead to the world.熟睡
pig-headed猪脑子

Exercises
*It never occurred to sb. that超级句型“某人从来没有想到…”
1. Farm labourers said that on waking up they would find work had been done.
*on doing…, someone would do / will do表示“某人一干某事就常常会干…”
2. – employed a conscientious ghost, which did most of their work for them.
*which did在句中做非限制性定语从句
3. As he hated life in the army, he decided to desert…
*“军队的生活”应理解为“在军队里的生活”life in the army而不是life of the army
4. – Eric had been killed while fighting with his regiment.
*while后可跟v-ing形式
*during后可能跟名词，通常与in换用：during / in the holiday
5. Joe and Bob were the only other people who knew the secret and did not even tell their wives.
*主干是Joe … were…and did…
6. With time, it became an accepted fact…
*with time常用于句首，表示“最后，一时间”
*at the time当时
*on time准时
7. He was cons cripted during the Second World War.
*recruit仅指招募军队、人员等，有时可以非法招募
*cons cript正式用语，表示根据法律或宪法征兵，公对本国公民而言
8. All these years, Eric had lived the life of a hermit.
*the life of a hermit隐士般的生活
9. He used to work at night, never realizing that he had become the ghost of Endley.
*原文中的be unaware of表示“没意识到，意识不到”，意思与never realize相同
*ignore (pay no attention to)表示忽视，也表示故意不注意“无视，不理睬”