精选新概念必背优秀文章36篇风中劲草文档格式.docx
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protectionmoney'
isnotamoderncrime.Aslongagoasthefourteenthcentury,anEnglishman,SirJohnHawkwood,madetheremarkablediscoverythatpeoplewouldratherpaylargesumsofmoneythanhavetheirlifeworkdestroyedbygangsters.
Sixhundredyearsago,SirJohanHawkwoodarrivedinItalywithabandofsoldiersandsettlednearFlorence.HesoonmadeanameforhimselfandcametobeknowntotheItaliansasGiovanniAcuto.WhenevertheItaliancity-stateswereatwarwitheachother,Hawkwoodusedtohirehissoldierstoprinceswhowerewillingtopaythehighpricehedemanded.Intimesofpeace,whenbusinesswasbad,Hawkwoodandhismenwouldmarchintoacity-stateand,afterburningdownafewfarms,wouldoffertogoawayifprotectionmoneywaspaidtothem.Hawkwoodmadelargesumsofmoneyinthisway.Inspiteofthis,theItaliansregardedhimasasortofhero.Whenhediedattheageofeighty,theFlorentinesgavehimastatefuneralandhadapicturedpaintedwhichwasdedicatedtothememoryof'
themostvaliantsoldierandmostnotableleader,SignorGiovanniHaukodue.'
曾经有一个时期,芝加哥的店主和商行的老板们不得不拿出大笔的钱给歹徒以换取"
保护"
。
如果交款不及时,歹徒们就会很快捣毁他的商店,让他破产.榨取"
保护金"
并不是一种现代的罪恶行径.早在14世纪,英国人约翰.霍克伍德就有过非凡的发现:
"
人们情愿拿出大笔的钱,也不愿毕生的心血毁于歹徒之手.
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,很快就出了名.意大利人叫他乔凡尼.阿库托.每次意大利各城邦之间发生战争,霍克伍德把他的士兵雇佣给愿给他出高价的君主。
和平时期,当生意萧条时,霍克伍德便带领士兵进入某个城邦,纵火烧毁一两个农场,然后提出,如向他们缴纳保护金,他们便主动撤离。
霍克伍德用这种方法挣了大笔钱.尽管如此,意大利人还是把他视作某种英雄。
他80岁那年死去时,佛罗伦萨人为他举行了国葬,并为他画像以纪念这位"
骁勇无比的战士、杰出的领袖乔凡尼.阿库托先生."
Lesson17Thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworld世界上最长的吊桥
Verrazano,anItalianaboutwhomlittleisknown,sailedintoNewYorkHarbourin1524andnameditAngouleme.Hedescribeditas'
averyagreeablesituationlocatedwithintwosmallhillsinthemidstofwhichflowedagreatriver.'
ThoughVerrazanoisbynomeansconsideredtobeagreatexplorer,hisnamewillprobablyremainimmortal,foronNovember21st,1964,thelongestsuspensionbridgeintheworldwasnamedafterhim.
TheVerrazanoBridge,whichwasdesignedbyOthmarAmmann,joinsBrooklyntoStatenIsland.Ithasaspanof4,260feet.Thebridgeissolongthattheshapeoftheearthhadtobetakenintoaccountbyitsdesigner.Twogreattowerssupportfourhugecables.Thetowersarebuiltonimmenseunderwaterplatformsmadeofsteelandconcrete.Theplatformsextendtoadepthofover100feetunderthesea.Thesealonetooksixteenmonthstobuild.Abovethesurfaceofthewater,thetowersrisetoaheightofnearly700feet.Theysupportthecablesfromwhichthebridgehasbeensuspended.Eachofthefourcablescontains26,108lengthsofwire.Ithasbeenestimatedthatifthebridgewerepackedwithcars,itwouldstillonlybecarryingathirdofitstotalcapacity.However,sizeandstrengtharenottheonlyimportantthingsaboutthisbridge.Despiteitsimmensity,itisbothsimpleandelegant,fulfillingitsdesigner'
sdreamtocreate'
anenormousobjectdrawnasfaintlyaspossible'
.
1524年,一位鲜为人知的意大利人维拉萨诺驾船驶进纽约港,并将该港名为安古拉姆。
他对该港作了这样的描述:
“地理位置十分适宜,位于两座小山的中间,一条大河从中间流过”。
虽然维拉萨诺绝对算不上一个伟大的探险家,但他的名字将流芳百世,因为1964年11月21日建成的一座世界上最长的吊桥是以他的名字命名。
维拉萨诺大桥由奥斯马.阿曼设计,连结着布鲁克林与斯塔顿岛,桥长4,260英尺。
由于桥身太长,设计者不得不考虑了地表的形状。
两座巨塔支撑着4根粗大的钢缆。
塔身建在巨大的水下钢盘混凝土平台上。
平台深入海底100英尺。
仅这两座塔就花了16个月才建成。
塔身高出水面将近700英尺。
高塔支撑着钢缆,而钢缆又悬吊着大桥,4根钢缆中的每根由26,108股钢绳组成。
据估计,若桥上摆满了汽车,也只不过是桥的总承载力的1/3。
然而,这座桥重要特点不仅是它的规模与强度。
尽管此桥很大,但它的结构简单,造型优美,实现了设计者企图创造一个“尽量用细线条勾画出一个庞然大物”的梦想。
Lesson21DanielMendoza丹尼尔.门多萨
BoxingmatcheswereverypopularinEnglandtwohundredyearsago.Inthosedays,boxersfoughtwithbarefistsforprizemoney.Becauseofthis,theywereknownas'
prize-fighters'
.However,boxingwasverycrude,fortherewerenorulesandaprize-fightercouldbeseriouslyinjuredorevenkilledduringamatch.
OneofthemostcolourfulfiguresinboxinghistorywasDanielMendoza,whowasbornin1764.Theuseofgloveswasnotintroduceduntil1860,whentheMarquisofQueensberrydrewupthefirstsetofrules.Thoughhewastechnicallyaprize-fighter,Mendozadidmuchtochangecrudeprize-fightingintoasport,forhebroughtsciencetothegame.Inhisday,Mendozaenjoyedtremendouspopularity.Hewasadoredbyrichandpooralike.
Mendozarosetofameswiftlyafteraboxing-matchwhenhewasonlyfourteenyearsold.ThisattractedtheattentionofRichardHumphrieswhowasthenthemosteminentboxerinEngland.HeofferedtotrainMendozaandhisyoungpupilwasquicktolearn.Infact,MendozasoonbecamesosuccessfulthatHumphriesturnedagainsthim.Thetwomenquarrelledbitterlyanditwasclearthattheargumentcouldonlybesettledbyafigh