Lesson 13 It's only me'

she was impatient to try it on.

這時她急于想試試。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

Though the costume consisted only of a sheet, it was very effective.

盡管化裝服僅由一個被單制成，卻十分逼真。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

After putting it on, Mrs.Richards went downstairs.

理查茲夫人穿上化裝服后下了樓，

Lesson 13 It's only me'

She wanted to find out whether it would be comfortable to wear.

想看穿起來是否舒服。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

Just as Mrs.Richards was entering the dinning room, there was a knock on the front door.

理查茲夫人剛剛走進餐廳，前門就傳來敲門聲。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

She knew that it must be the baker.

她知道來了一定面包師。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

She had told him to come straight in if ever she failed to open the door and to leave the bread on the kitchen table.

她曾告訴過面包師，如果她不去開門，他可直接進門，把面包放在廚房的桌上。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

Not wanting to frighten the poor man,

理查茲夫人不想嚇唬這個可憐人，

Lesson 13 It's only me'

Mrs.Richards quickly hid in the small storeroom under the stairs.

便趕緊躲到了樓梯下的小儲藏室里。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

She heard the front door open and heavy footsteps in the hall.

她聽見前門被打開，走廊里響起重重的腳步聲。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

Suddenly the door of the storeroom was opened and a man entered.

突然貯藏門開了，一個男人走了進來。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

Mrs.Richards realized that it must be the man from the Electricity Board who had come to read the metre.

理查茲夫人這才想到一定是供電局來人查電表了。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

She tried to explain the situation, saying 'It's only me', but it was too late.

她說了聲“是我，別怕！”然后想進行一番解釋，但已來不及了。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

The man let out cry and jumped back several paces.

那人大叫了一聲，驚退了幾步。

Lesson 13 It's only me'

When Mrs.Richards walked towards him, he fled, slamming the door behind him.

理查茲夫人朝他走去，只見他“砰”的一聲關上門逃走了。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

There was a tine when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago that to pay large sums of money to gangsters in return for 'protection.

曾經有一個時期，芝加哥的店主和商行的老板們不得不拿出大筆的錢給歹徒以換取保護。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

'If the money was not paid promptly,

如果交款不及時，

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop.

歹徒們就會很快搗毀他的商店，讓他破產。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

Obtaining 'protection money' is not a modern crime.

榨取保護金"并不是一種現代的罪惡行徑。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

As long ago as the fourteenth century,

早在14世紀，

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

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.

人們情愿拿出大筆的錢，也不愿畢生的心血毀于歹徒之手。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

Six hundred years ago,

600年前，

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

Sir Johan Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a band of soldiers and settled near Florence.

約翰。霍克伍德爵士帶著一隊士兵來到意大利，在佛羅倫薩附近駐扎下來，

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

He soon made a name for himself and came to be known to the Italians as Giovanni Acuto.

很快就出了名。意大利人叫他喬凡尼。 阿庫托。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

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.

每次意大利各城邦之間打伏，霍克伍德把他的士兵雇傭給愿給他出高價的君主。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

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.

和平時期，當生意蕭條時，霍克伍德便帶領士兵進入某個城邦，縱火燒毀一兩個農場，然后提出，如向他們繳納保護金，他們便主動撤離。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

Hawkwood made large sums of money in this way.

霍克伍德用這種方法掙了大筆錢。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero.

盡管如此，意大利人還是把他視作某種英雄。

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

When he died at the age of eighty,

他80歲那年死去時，

Lesson 14 A noble gangster

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.'

佛羅倫薩人為他舉行了國葬，并為他畫像以紀念這位"驍勇無比的戰士、杰出的領袖喬凡尼。阿庫托先生。