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'。
' f- V- L+ K, w; Q7 }2 j227. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.
+ C) ~) }' n3 l+ _7 B& }        如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.
228. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.
9 ^% Y' n. w. e2 N% I  t2 Q        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
        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.
& [1 k6 p2 ~  U4 O5 y) o3 ?: O        '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,
) w  v) o) c6 k" J: b3 S- R" S232. 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.
8 y$ |# [1 H7 V8 y/ y* I% Y233. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other,
3 S6 B; f! G) ^8 a        每次意大利各城邦之间打伏,
; K; _, \% ]. N& b234. 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。
5 `0 o9 K& Y1 ^( _6 ^/ _235. In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state and,
  [7 T  P2 I+ @" J/ r        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,
+ k- M# ]6 u8 c) e4 [. y- \0 }236. after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them.
) Z2 H# i3 {6 F        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。
/ {% d3 \2 }/ b& M( ~  ?237. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.
: L: I4 a, p5 m- v: w9 h, e        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.
5 h) [) a" q' B8 r& N, ~, m        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
: z1 h! C' v7 J4 v% X" k        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.'