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.'
        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'。
! a$ t3 n- ?. T0 i! z4 _227. 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.
228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
0 ]& }. s2 M1 \, w        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
/ j8 p7 z* C$ L% _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:
230. 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.
5 F6 ~: y: s. Z* O9 b( L5 ?5 ?        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.
        很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.
7 _6 _# k4 ?% X! V6 x& C) `233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
' f) I/ [9 z7 \3 E        每次意大利各城邦之间打伏,
* r* [4 j: F8 [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。
3 R2 ~+ C, L4 m& k235. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and,
$ r+ O8 D0 c! C        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,
" J/ a! L0 D& A, z: E0 u$ 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。
3 x9 G6 ?1 C% o5 A! Q4 M+ G237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
        霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.
/ e2 T0 o) ?: s% |  X& ~238. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.
% w( Y' u) @5 D: s6 y        尽管如此,意大利人还是把他视作某种英雄。
5 C# y' D" C6 u: Y239. When he died at the age of eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral
0 s/ \, {9 u" u8 w        他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,
: n- i* \& H  ~$ ~# W' C5 h240. 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.'