# 第三册 Lesson 14 A noble gangster 贵族歹徒

## 一、课文原文

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'.

## 二、重点词汇详解

| 单词 | 音标 | 词性 | 释义 | 用法说明 |
|------|------|------|------|----------|
| gangster | /ˈɡæŋstə/ | n. | 歹徒，黑帮成员 | gang 团伙 |
| protection | /prəˈtekʃən/ | n. | 保护 | ~ money 保护费 |
| promptly | /ˈprɒmptlɪ/ | adv. | 迅速地，及时地 | prompt adj. 迅速的 |
| remarkable | /rɪˈmɑːkəbl/ | adj. | 非凡的，显著的 | a ~ discovery 惊人的发现 |
| band | /bænd/ | n. | 一帮，一伙 | a ~ of 一帮 |
| settle | /ˈsetl/ | v. | 定居，安顿 | ~ near 在...附近定居 |
| hire | /ˈhaɪə/ | v. | 出租，雇佣 | ~ sth. to sb. 把某物租给某人 |
| valiant | /ˈvæliənt/ | adj. | 英勇的 | = brave/courageous |
| notable | /ˈnəʊtəbl/ | adj. | 著名的，显著的 | = famous/prominent |
| dedicate | /ˈdedɪkeɪt/ | v. | 奉献，题献给 | ~ sth. to 将...献给 |
| state | /steɪt/ | adj. | 国家的，正式的 | a ~ funeral 国葬 |

## 三、语法知识点

### 1. would rather... than... 结构

*people **would rather** pay large sums of money **than** have their life work destroyed*

"宁愿...也不..."，连接两个平行结构。

| 结构 | 含义 | 例句 |
|------|------|------|
| would rather do A than do B | 宁愿做A不愿做B | I would rather walk than wait. |
| would rather sb. did sth. | 宁愿某人做某事（虚拟） | I would rather you came tomorrow. |
| would rather sb. had done sth. | 宁愿某人做了某事（过去虚拟） | I would rather you had told me earlier. |

### 2. used to do 结构

*Hawkwood **used to** hire his soldiers to princes*

"过去常常做某事"（现在已经不做了）。

| 结构 | 含义 | 例句 |
|------|------|------|
| used to do | 过去常常做 | He used to smoke. |
| be used to doing | 习惯于做 | He is used to getting up early. |
| be used to do | 被用来做 | Wood is used to make paper. |

### 3. As long ago as 强调时间久远

***As long ago as** the fourteenth century*

"远在...就..."，强调时间的久远，相当于as early as。

## 四、重点句型分析

### 1. "There was a time when..."
- **句型**：曾经有一段时期...（when引导定语从句）
- **仿写**：There was a time when people traveled by horse.

### 2. "people would rather pay large sums of money than have their life work destroyed"
- **句型**：would rather... than... 宁愿...也不...
- **仿写**：She would rather starve than beg.

### 3. "He soon made a name for himself..."
- **句型**：make a name for oneself 出名/成名
- **仿写**：He made a name for himself in the music world.

### 4. "In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero."
- **句型**：regard sb. as 把某人看作... + in spite of 尽管
- **仿写**：In spite of his faults, we regard him as a friend.

## 五、课文翻译

曾经有一个时期，芝加哥的店主和企业主不得不向歹徒缴纳大笔的钱以换取"保护"。如果交款不及时，歹徒就会很快毁掉他的商店使他做不成生意。勒索"保护费"并不是一种现代罪恶。早在14世纪，英国人约翰·霍克伍德爵士就有过非凡的发现：人们宁愿出大笔的钱，也不愿自己毕生的心血被歹徒毁掉。

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。他很快就出了名，意大利人叫他乔瓦尼·阿库托。每当意大利城邦之间打仗时，霍克伍德就把他的士兵租给愿意出高价的王公们。和平时期生意清淡时，霍克伍德和他的士兵就会开进城邦，烧毁几个农场后提出，如果交保护费他们就离开。霍克伍德以此赚了大笔的钱。尽管如此，意大利人还是把他当作某种英雄。他80岁去世时，佛罗伦萨人给他举行了国葬，还为他画了一幅画，题词献给"最英勇的战士和最杰出的领袖乔瓦尼·霍克伍德先生"。

## 六、语言点精讲

### 写作手法
1. **古今对比**：从芝加哥黑帮到14世纪霍克伍德，展示"保护费"的历史渊源
2. **反讽**：一个勒索保护费的歹徒被尊为英雄并获国葬，标题"贵族歹徒"本身就是反讽
3. **历史叙事**：以史实为基础的叙事，增添了文化厚度

### 文化背景
1. **意大利城邦**：14世纪意大利由众多独立的城邦组成（如佛罗伦萨、威尼斯），经常互相征伐。
2. **雇佣兵（Condottieri）**：意大利文艺复兴时期的雇佣兵队长是一种特殊职业，如霍克伍德就是著名的雇佣兵领袖。
3. **芝加哥黑帮**：20世纪20-30年代芝加哥禁酒令时期，黑帮势力猖獗。

## 七、课后练习要点

1. **would rather... than...** 及其虚拟用法
2. **used to do** 与 **be used to doing** 的区别
3. **make a name for oneself** 固定搭配
4. **in spite of** 与 **despite** 的用法

## 八、本课小结

| 项目 | 要点 |
|------|------|
| 核心主题 | 14世纪"贵族歹徒"霍克伍德的故事 |
| 重点语法 | would rather... than...、used to do、as long ago as |
| 核心词汇 | gangster, protection money, remarkable, valiant, dedicate |
| 写作特色 | 古今对比、反讽手法、历史叙事 |
| 难点 | would rather后接虚拟语气的用法 |