新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课14

ltlong52010

课文14  贵族歹徒
: d6 ]8 L( }: h, P226. 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.'
9 X( U) |, m8 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'。
# |% l; E7 m7 N' H227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.
        如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.
) h# g3 ]% c0 n5 c6 K228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
1 p% U" z1 H; L, C1 i, N+ W; ~        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery
! Z; o- o) [' f. ^; {3 Z        早在14世纪,英国人约翰.霍克伍德就有过非凡的发现:
$ P: {# k: E! y3 n' S230. 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.
        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,
% z2 S5 c- {# ~+ c, p3 ]7 n, s232. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto.
' {! E$ N) @+ Y# V" O- S        很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.
8 i2 z- z' x1 M5 \, R5 ~; x233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
        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 Q( g" H2 o& O4 W! n        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,
        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.
5 n8 O1 K! G4 r. H/ P        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。
0 ?3 p/ w3 s9 y2 Y237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
        霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.
3 [. P' e) n3 [) u  D! r238. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.
1 p4 ~$ t5 S" ^: x% ?. N* `; Y/ A        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
; _6 [3 T: n2 v$ b  G3 s        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.'
9 \0 E8 S9 ^5 c, \$ k        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.'