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课文14 贵族歹徒. i( R9 n/ z: E
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.'; b- I7 v( R+ v! P& k7 D
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'。& _; y5 j- A+ T
227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.( b: I* W- D5 o! A- 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.7 |9 [* Z6 _% m% J4 f
228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
+ E, m3 O5 Y" f& x4 X* f 榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.1 j ?3 K. b) e0 Z/ N/ ~
229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery4 R) T6 L/ S# h+ z7 i5 a0 k% J) a
早在14世纪,英国人约翰.霍克伍德就有过非凡的发现:# Z" D$ v+ b1 B
230. that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.
}( R& K1 z' P/ Z r '人们情愿拿出大笔的钱,也不愿毕生的心血毁于歹徒之手.
' M0 q, A/ ~/ D% _3 @* F. o231. Six hundred years ago, Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a band of soldiers and settled near Florence.
8 H/ K& f- n) N1 s6 c: H4 b8 d 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,
" u) H, i* W' J, K; v9 Y2 b232. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto.
9 J6 w+ u/ }% c 很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.6 L; h/ [" ^, O" @
233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
4 V2 D- m( `' I+ Q+ L- x 每次意大利各城邦之间打伏,
, D0 i" B- D& n" s# H234. Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to princes who were willing to pay the high price he demanded.1 e: ~, \( W# ]" Q& J0 K
霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。
8 M; o# b8 L' ~) j, N235. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and,# X. a/ C( g& v6 c) x/ p
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,, }3 b }+ ]7 t$ P; U% a! Q n
236. after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them.( [/ V( J H+ L- o0 u
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。% G" o& |$ |% [8 ]3 a
237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
2 n/ `. T6 ]3 }- R 霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.
5 A) p' u+ I% b9 `. r238. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.
2 b7 a7 @, Z! l8 d4 Z# i 尽管如此,意大利人还是把他视作某种英雄。# T% V3 P' T6 t0 C( ~ R: o
239. When he died at the age of eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral0 n2 i7 F, ]8 M: m8 n! R9 b. O/ u
他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,' f. z: T! x( A6 v1 O/ O9 v2 @5 m
240. and had a picture painted which was dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue.'( w, k2 x3 F! R+ L) U. W3 M
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.' |
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