新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课14

ltlong52010

课文14  贵族歹徒
& B* t" ^2 G, g3 w* N6 h2 S; B226. 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'。
7 d0 B$ ^& `0 d227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.
/ E7 h# J% D- C. ~. V        如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.
( K( Z4 ^% A* T1 z! l: d- t1 T! x228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
) t; |  [- R( x7 b6 X        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
2 y5 Y0 U# R+ p4 p1 H' b229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery
. ^- w8 M& _; X- P" e! g        早在14世纪,英国人约翰.霍克伍德就有过非凡的发现:
* _3 h, s+ h6 p, [. o/ x0 I230. 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.
9 ^+ y$ W) K% [3 K% D1 u8 L5 J        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.
# ]2 k$ L" q/ j; D: R) O$ D$ I233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
1 e! e& H* z" ~6 ?* x# g% c        每次意大利各城邦之间打伏,
9 @6 c% ^" J/ N( c; Q( k' H234. 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。
: e; @" A& b' R; Z4 U235. 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.
        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.
$ @) q7 N2 d* b5 U% N- \0 ?        霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.
- o$ `. V* R& W7 ]% C! N238. 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
        他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,
, ]5 n# z! w9 C% t/ c7 D; h& T240. 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.'