一、【Text】课文
There was a time when the owners of shop 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 'protechon 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、【New words and expressions】生词和短语
◆gangster n. 歹徒，强盗
◆Chicago n. 芝加哥 （美国城市）
◆protection n. 保护
◆promptly adv. 准时地
◆destroy v. 毁掉；消灭
◆remarkable adj. 不寻常的
◆band n. 帮，团伙
◆Florence n. 佛罗伦萨（意大利城市）
◆city-state n. （古代）城邦
◆hire v. 租出，雇给
◆prince n. 君主，诸侯
◆Florentine n. 佛罗伦萨人
◆funeral n. 葬礼
◆dedicate v. 奉献，题献给
◆memory n. 纪念
◆valiant adj. 英勇的
★gangster n. 歹徒，强盗
a band of gangsters 一伙强盗
robber 抢劫犯，抢劫者；
bandit 强盗,土匪
brigand (书面用语) 强盗，土匪，盗贼，草寇
hooligan 流氓，不良分子
hoodlum (口语)罪犯，恶汉
rascal (口语)淘气，捣蛋鬼
★Chicago n. 芝加哥 （美国城市）
★protection n. 保护
protection money 保护费
protect v. protect from
We must protect our eyes from the sunshine.
protective adj. 保护的
protector n.保护者
protege n. 被保护者