新概念英语3--（一天学一篇）---课14

ltlong52010

课文14  贵族歹徒
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.'
        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'。
* t9 F8 ?' P/ k, `* X5 g, d. E3 ^227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.
! g7 x% X4 [( h        如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.
2 @3 Y7 u9 s; @4 b228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
7 O- N8 f/ ]0 G        榨取'保护金'并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.
' d0 R: J* z- H: A9 v0 O. J229. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery
        早在14世纪,英国人约翰.霍克伍德就有过非凡的发现:
4 {% ~' g4 M7 S. t% ]230. that people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters.
1 F5 H8 f  j4 l0 y0 m& r% j# m        '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,
* {, v% s( Y; u* Z% J( @- z+ \2 q+ `6 [232. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto.
8 a7 v/ r* M, x0 N7 s$ k1 l        很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.
233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
6 Q! C5 y$ f: `. t  A8 n8 B        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.
0 J; r$ o9 T+ n. n/ R        霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。
& h: o' [3 b& Z- w235. 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,
* |' O& B1 o5 I0 W5 |' t236. 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。
$ h8 L. r& K- Z& i237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
8 M. ^& H7 x( v' `2 N0 }8 A        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.
9 N0 g. u( M! b4 K" K! A        尽管如此,意大利人还是把他视作某种英雄。
6 m- J6 t3 ^# b239. 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,
240. 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.'