新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课14

ltlong52010

课文14  贵族歹徒
) J: u2 a3 I; X226. There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago had to pay large sums of money to gangsters in return for 'protection.'
  Y$ X, b* @+ R; k! q; _# F        曾经有一个时期,芝加哥的店主和商行的老板们不得不拿出大笔的钱给歹徒以换取'保护'。
227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.
- z1 }: b+ z0 |) v# m. C/ n) b. s        如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.
228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
+ ]5 `# q/ M6 H' K, n' j5 `4 _        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
9 d7 E( l+ N9 w, i& C229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery
0 d% \- m2 Z7 O( j) b) E        早在14世纪,英国人约翰.霍克伍德就有过非凡的发现:
1 ~5 W4 n& u' V. v: W1 Y. K230. that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.
        '人们情愿拿出大笔的钱,也不愿毕生的心血毁于歹徒之手.
231. Six hundred years ago, Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a band of soldiers and settled near Florence.
* S3 J3 [8 V* k* v        600年前,约翰.霍克伍德爵士带着一队士兵来到意大利,在佛罗伦萨附近驻扎下来,
232. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto.
8 U7 L% |! Z& @+ S9 X/ i        很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.
: [4 W: `9 W6 I; b. n, y# i233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
% }2 }; q( \! A$ p        每次意大利各城邦之间打伏,
234. Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to princes who were willing to pay the high price he demanded.
7 T! ^. H! ]& R        霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。
- R( W3 d$ r6 N$ k0 A0 ~9 \235. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and,
- P: `  y9 m7 A        和平时期,当生意萧条时,霍克伍德便带领士兵进入某个城邦,
& m5 Z* w' m) R236. after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them.
        纵火烧毁一两个农场,然后提出,如向他们缴纳保护金,他们便主动撤离。
/ m* k5 N$ b9 s4 R# I237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
) b3 Y; g' V$ P- c        霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.
& [% {9 _' r" h1 C1 i1 s238. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.
        尽管如此,意大利人还是把他视作某种英雄。
! k( Z( w9 p% `! w4 K7 s( P239. When he died at the age of eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral
3 M* V1 O7 `; |9 o        他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,
5 R& {, b4 X3 h6 O; P+ T240. and had a picture painted which was dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue.'
* n- v/ ~; W. G; l        并为他画像以纪念这位'骁勇无比的战士、杰出的领袖乔凡尼.阿库托先生.'