Lesson 14 A noble gangster 内容鉴赏

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

1. 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’.

there was a time when ...   曾有有一个时期, ......

the owners of shops and businesses 店主和商行的老板.

large sums of money 大笔的钱.

in return for 'protection' 以换取"保护".

译: 曾经有一个时期, 芝加哥的店主和商行的老板不得不向歹徒支付大笔的钱财以换取"保护".

2. If the money was not paid promptly, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.

promptly 快(得恰到好处).

put a man out of business 让一个人破产.

destroy his shop 捣毁他的商店.

注意 if 引导的条件状语从句中谓语动词的时态和主句中谓语动词时态的对应关系. (was -> would do)

译: 如果保护金上交不及时, 歹徒很快就会捣毁他的商店, 让他破产.

3. 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.

obtain (通过某种手段)获得.

a modern crime 一种现代的罪恶行径.

as long ago as ...  早在......

remarkable 不寻常的, 非凡的, 值得评论的.

would rather do ... than do ...  宁愿......, 也不......

... made the remarkable discovery that ...    某人有过非凡的发现, 那就是......

have their life work destroyed by gangsters 让毕生的心血被歹徒毁掉.

译: 勒索"保护费"并不是一种现代的罪恶行径. 早在十四世纪, 英国人约翰·霍克伍德爵士就有过非凡的发现, 那就是人们宁愿支付大笔的钱财, 也不愿毕生的心血被歹徒毁掉.

4. 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.

arrive in Italy with a band of soldiers 带着一队士兵来到意大利.

settle 解决问题, 安定下来, 定居 (使......在某个地方静止)

settle near Florence 在佛罗伦萨附近驻扎.

make a name for himself 他出名了.

come to be known to the Italians 慢慢地被意大利人所了解.

译: 六百年前, 约翰·霍克伍德爵士带着一队士兵来到意大利, 并在佛罗伦萨附近驻扎下来. 他很快就出名了, 意大利人叫他"乔范尼·阿库托".

5. 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.

whenever 相较 when 语气加强, 译为"无论何时". 

the Italian city-states 意大利的城邦.

at war with each other 相互之间发生战争.

prince 王子, (小国的)君主.

hire his soldiers to princes 将他的士兵租借给君主.

who were willing to pay the high price he demanded 为 princes 的定语.

he demanded 为 the high price 的定语.

译: 每当意大利各城邦间发生战争时, 霍克伍德就把自己的士兵租借给乐意支付他开出高价的君主.

6. 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.

in times of peace 在和平时期.

when business was bad 当生意萧条时.

注意 when 引导的时间状语从句中 was 与主句中 would 的时态对应关系.

march into a city-state 行军进入城邦.

burn down a few farms 烧毁几个农场.

offer to go away 主动离开.

译: 在和平的时候, 当生意萧条时, 霍克伍德和他的士兵们就会行军进入城邦, 在烧毁几个农场后, 如果收到了保护费, 就会主动撤离.

7. Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.

make large sums of money 赚了大笔的钱.

in this way 以这种方式.

译: 霍克伍德以这种方式赚了大笔的钱.

8. 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’.

when he died at the age of eighty 当他在80岁那年去世时.

state funeral 国葬.

have a picture painted 画了一幅画.

... was dedicated to the memory of ...   用......来纪念......

valiant 英勇的(强壮的).

brave 勇敢的(内心勇敢).

notable 杰出的.

Signor 意大利语中的"先生", 等同于英语中的"Mr.".

译: 当他在八十岁那年逝世时, 佛罗伦萨人给他举行了国葬, 并画了一幅画以纪念(题献给)这位"最英勇的战士、最杰出的领袖, 乔范尼·阿库托先生".