跳转至

14_A_Noble_Gangster

14 A Noble Gangster

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'. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood, made the remarkable discovery that [people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed by gangsters].

Six hundred years ago, Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a band of soldiers and settled near Florence. He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto. Whenever the Italian city-states were at war with each other, Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers to princes (who were willing to pay the high price (he demanded)). In times of peace, when business was bad, Hawkwood and his men would march into a city-state, and after burning down a few farms, would offer to go away if protection money was paid to them. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero. When he died at the age of eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral and had a picture painted (which was dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue').

Words

  • gangsters /ˈɡæŋstɚz/ 歹徒
  • promptly /ˈprɑmptli/ 准时地
  • remarkable /rɪˈmɑrkəbəl/ 不寻常的
  • settled /ˈsɛtəld/ 定居
  • hire /ˈhaɪɚ/ 雇用
  • princes /ˈprɪnsəz/ 国君
  • march /mɑrtʃ/ 行军
  • funeral /ˈfjunɚəl/ 葬礼
  • dedicated /ˈdɛdəketəd/ 献给
  • valiant /ˈvæljənt/ 英勇的
  • notable /ˈnotəbəl/ 著名的

Expressions

  • need protection 需要保护
  • provide protection 提供保护
  • for your own protection 为了你自己的安全
  • a band of 一伙
  • give him a state funeral 为他举行国葬
  • dedicate yourself/your life to something 献身于某事
  • dedicate something to somebody 把某物献给某人
  • devote oneself to sth. / doing sth. 致力于某事
  • in memory of sb. / to the memory of sb. 为了纪念某人
  • There was a time when +句子 曾经有一段时间……
  • pay money to sb. 付钱给某人
  • large sums of money 大笔钱
  • put sb. out of business 使某人停业
  • as long ago as 早在
  • make the remarkable discovery that + 句子 做出……的重大发现
  • would rather do a. than do b. 我宁愿做a也不愿做b
  • make a name for himself 出名
  • come to do sth. 逐渐做某事；终于做某事
  • a. be known to b. as c. a. 被b. 称为c.
  • a. be known as b. A 以 B 而闻名
  • be at war with … 与……交战
  • In times of peace 在和平时期
  • offer to do sth. 主动提出做某事
  • make money 赚钱
  • regard a. as b. 把 A 看作 B

when 引导的定语从句

  1. when定从修饰的是时间n. (day, year, time ...)
  2. when 必须在其引导的【定从】中做时间状语，即when替代定从中的时间状语
  3. [when] is often replaced by that or dropped in an informal style
  4. prep.+which = when

if真实条件句VS虚拟语⽓

  1. If do/does ..., will do... 现在真实
  2. If did/were..., would do... 现在虚拟
  3. If had done ..., would have done... 过去虚拟
  4. If did ..., did... 过去真实

have sth. done

  1. 叫别⼈为你做某事 Lisa had the roof repaired.
  2. 意外或不幸的遭遇 I had my bike stolen last night.

whenever

  1. 时间状语从句：同when，语⽓更强。 翻译：每当，每次 every time
  2. 让步状语从句：同no matter when。 翻译：⽆论何时 any time
  3. on earth 究竟：When ever (whenever) did you see her?