新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课14

ltlong52010

课文14  贵族歹徒
/ W0 j$ h8 y0 }: N- q  [6 \- z$ }2 n226. 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.'
        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'。
+ H  i0 l& \( l1 Y8 Z227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.
) C5 ]5 |( r$ Y7 M: l        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.
" C. s" a9 p4 Q8 U6 q        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
; h2 b; s2 {  A5 ?( i) D& O4 W4 ?/ }229. 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:
# d# B  U  R1 W" i" N9 c- x230. that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.
  K0 y) i. y7 v) j" |9 c3 ^1 [        '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.
        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.
7 ~2 Q; b) G! e% Z4 h6 d        很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.
+ Z1 }+ S1 a: Z1 H+ C233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
4 |( k$ i  R/ D/ A        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.
        霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。
& j! m2 q( r5 G- U235. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and,
/ }6 f% q5 N( |9 j- ^        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.
+ H3 o& J6 e1 P$ f- Z        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。
/ y2 D  U1 ?* W* S237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
% ^4 m' y- _1 g! a/ M3 a        霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.
5 G( a$ U' j- `0 z- V" {238. 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。
239. When he died at the age of eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral
$ N# S) N8 U8 D% Q5 t        他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,
240. and had a picture painted which was dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue.'
        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.'