新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课14

ltlong52010

课文14  贵族歹徒
226. 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.'
1 P! K/ w4 a, w& U        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.
( p; H7 d- ?$ t1 J( K  _# L$ r& e        如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.
$ L4 Y' w' S2 w$ m228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
/ f4 p- ^4 T0 \( A        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
  a# V+ U( e6 R/ w229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery
        早在14世纪,英国人约翰.霍克伍德就有过非凡的发现:
8 B% H2 @: }0 a! X4 O1 C2 q230. 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.
" ^/ k$ o: n( ?( d        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,
% |! k: k) S0 F9 G; i# S3 S9 _232. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto.
        很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.
233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
4 Z/ F! K0 f, `2 H        每次意大利各城邦之间打伏,
2 @6 C. z( a! O4 p! @7 `- R234. Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to princes who were willing to pay the high price he demanded.
/ u! Z& w/ u% `  x1 h5 N# L7 q        霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。
235. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and,
6 l( D; Z* x# s+ N! R        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,
236. after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them.
  _- K) }8 m) [5 @2 O        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。
237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
9 ~  l% K8 z* ?0 k) ~- {" Q; }  A        霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.
238. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.
0 m9 e6 z0 p( V4 i- o7 A        尽管如此,意大利人还是把他视作某种英雄。
6 Z$ \$ S) I9 w& F239. When he died at the age of eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral
: ?: I0 N+ \, R& u        他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,
( J; q/ {  `% h8 g) ]240. and had a picture painted which was dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue.'
8 A$ T6 M. g4 A% f        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.'