lesson 14 A noble gangster

There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago that 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 Johan 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 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 pictured with as dedicated to the memory of 'the most valiant soldier and most notable leader, Signor Giovanni Haukodue.'

 

文中表达时间段的两个词组注意there was a time when...

In times of peace 

两个时间点的词语 是 As long ago as...

whenever   注意表达的意思和谓语动词的时态

 

 

固定的短语和重点的词汇增长

1、、in return for   means in exchange for

2、、promptly   means quickly,immediately and timely

3、、put out of business

4、、would rather...than...宁可怎么也不怎么，后面都用动词的原型。

Ｔhey would rather die than surrender.

5、、make a name for oneself出名be known

6、、offer to do sth.  means be willing to do sth.

7、、come to 及时

词汇：notable  remarkable