2014年考研英語新概念必背作文：貴族歹徒
新概念三 Lesson 14 A noble gangster 貴族歹徒
There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicagohad to pay large sums of money to gangsters in return for 'protection.' If themoney was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out ofbusiness by destroying his shop. Obtaining 'protection money' is not a moderncrime. As long ago as the fourteenth century, an Englishman, Sir John Hawkwood,made the remarkable discovery that people would rather pay large sums of moneythan have their life work destroyed by gangsters.
Six hundred years ago, Sir Johan Hawkwood arrived in Italy with aband of soldiers and settled near Florence. He soon made a name for himself andcame to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto. Whenever the Italiancity-states were at war with each other, Hawkwood used to hire his soldiers toprinces 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 waspaid 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 pictured painted which wasdedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader,Signor Giovanni Haukodue.'
曾經(jīng)有一個時期,芝加哥的店主和商行的老板們不得不拿出大筆的錢給歹徒以換取"保護(hù)"。如果交款不及時,歹徒們就會很快搗毀他的商店,讓他破產(chǎn).榨取"保護(hù)金"并不是一種現(xiàn)代的罪惡行徑.早在14世紀(jì),英國人約翰.霍克伍德就有過非凡的發(fā)現(xiàn):"人們情愿拿出大筆的錢,也不愿畢生的心血?dú)в诖跬街?
600年前,約翰.霍克伍德爵士帶著一隊(duì)士兵來到意大利,在佛羅倫薩附近駐扎下來,很快就出了名.意大利人叫他喬凡尼.阿庫托.每次意大利各城邦之間發(fā)生戰(zhàn)爭,霍克伍德把他的士兵雇傭給愿給他出高價的君主。和平時期,當(dāng)生意蕭條時,霍克伍德便帶領(lǐng)士兵進(jìn)入某個城邦,縱火燒毀一兩個農(nóng)場,然后提出,如向他們繳納保護(hù)金,他們便主動撤離。霍克伍德用這種方法掙了大筆錢.盡管如此,意大利人還是把他視作某種英雄。他80歲那年死去時,佛羅倫薩人為他舉行了國葬,并為他畫像以紀(jì)念這位"驍勇無比的戰(zhàn)士、杰出的領(lǐng)袖喬凡尼.阿庫托先生."
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