新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课14

ltlong52010

课文14  贵族歹徒
: R) ^5 H' z" P: o8 y, C$ Y226. 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'。
- y- \5 U* k- O/ p, u7 U227. 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.
        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
' P* V" _+ K7 ]7 B9 I229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery
- O( Y, B2 h+ U. N4 d. d5 f        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.
( b1 ]$ M, J$ j# q        '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,
1 _* s5 C. q( N- H" w232. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto.
5 B  Q6 G2 f: J        很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.
& g( t# {3 g! T, v8 i233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
. I6 f5 @0 p, d, R        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.
' S, N# y# z5 @0 d9 y4 W* b6 b( V        霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。
7 o, t& a2 A. u4 ?235. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and,
1 b# d$ [) b- `* J- M        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,
2 V/ ^3 L+ s* A4 Q0 Y8 D236. after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them.
/ J: a5 `: R( C9 G        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。
! r+ J- |% _3 \237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
        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.
; o3 Y# d- g& c3 f8 q/ @& c        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
) L0 {- M: w3 I        他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,
% h; T: y6 R) D3 D; ^# f3 J) x240. and had a picture painted which was dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue.'
" x9 O; i3 b* F* ~7 v        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.'