新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课14

ltlong52010

课文14  贵族歹徒
7 ?1 `7 {; V" L$ h8 G2 U2 G  O7 ^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.'
. d5 F* e, n) W$ ~        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'。
227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.
/ ~6 ^) q3 l7 t* m  O" o0 f        如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.
/ t( p! W2 w( M) c2 [  m228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
/ i; x) a1 G$ E- ?4 e        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery
; M) Y& c+ p# X" @& w: Z! B; @        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.
2 N3 O6 P. L: ~  C" l* |5 d231. 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,
" A/ a, k+ w0 B, a- S- O232. 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.
* L6 C- ]  V9 O233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
" H3 }# @* Z; o8 I        每次意大利各城邦之间打伏,
/ c% ?& r' e2 d234. Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to princes who were willing to pay the high price he demanded.
# r% {/ C# J/ N& K( s        霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。
6 h3 D" k- Y; ]1 u; g* V235. 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。
  \% N; r* ]9 h7 [237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
; ~$ J9 m- a# t* L        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.
, E* V! g# H$ r& B        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
% c' ?; c( o# j! G) q8 q* o0 V* Y        他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,
* e, ?# Q4 Q1 F: O+ F" e; I240. 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.'