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课文14 贵族歹徒6 H, [. j* {6 X6 |7 R
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.'9 z( Z. A4 g* f; i! h: j3 [( f; J( b
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'。" a2 o6 P# U. O i p, ~
227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.
/ G2 e: _/ W# }( q 如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.
" n u0 G% r, i8 W2 `" B228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
" c$ u2 Y) N/ D' ~, p f# h 榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
* o, v! S- I/ i8 V9 }1 d) J J% z229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery
( H, `: y/ _. _' V 早在14世纪,英国人约翰.霍克伍德就有过非凡的发现:
: ?9 Z5 ?) v, \$ Q& q230. that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.' }4 `+ @ D1 m% n
'人们情愿拿出大笔的钱,也不愿毕生的心血毁于歹徒之手.
! K. @* y8 S0 e* g231. Six hundred years ago, Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a band of soldiers and settled near Florence.0 O2 }$ \4 w8 {1 Q* R1 v
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,8 A- p+ W/ y/ A; _
232. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto.
/ M& @$ ]5 C7 n* v x0 p% ^* @ 很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.
3 h7 j) y$ t/ o! i+ o233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,# P: W* t" ^2 r1 J) c% Z
每次意大利各城邦之间打伏,0 M8 I# A" {' ?% ~% ]/ ?/ H, p8 d. v
234. Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to princes who were willing to pay the high price he demanded.3 G6 R8 k! @9 `3 U6 w
霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。3 I! z2 l9 O# N6 Y. x. ]
235. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and,; I( n/ W) O$ a' K1 m6 W' V
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,
/ \+ Z. u I/ j2 {7 {3 b236. after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them.
% A2 Q9 T' t3 k2 w6 ] 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。" c* L0 s8 Q/ g
237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.* b& m/ {1 | C( I# {
霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.
9 b7 y4 B% }/ D+ ]238. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.4 F- j8 W: I' l, y6 K6 E: k
尽管如此,意大利人还是把他视作某种英雄。
L3 w/ [# k" C, X4 K1 K7 [0 V239. When he died at the age of eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral
! K2 C* q B, @; T 他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,+ z, E% |' e$ R* H1 I
240. and had a picture painted which was dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue.'+ S9 ^9 r8 G' B& W+ h& q2 A
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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