There was a time when the owners of shops and businesses in Chicago had to pay large sums of money to gangsters(匪徒)in return for “protection”. If the money was not paid immediately, the gangsters would quickly put a man out of business by destroying his shop. Getting “protection money” is not a modern means. 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.
Then Sir John Hawkwood arrived in Italy with a group 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 those 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 with this method. In spite of this, the Italians regarded him as a sort of hero .When he died at eighty, the Florentines gave him a state funeral and had his picture painted, which was in memory of “this bravest man”.
【小题1】What protection did Chicago gangsters give to those who paid them?A．They saved those people’s businesses from destruction.B．They left those people’s business unharmed much.C．They sent soldiers to serve them no matter what help they needed willingly.D．They didn’t take those people’s lives【小题2】Sir John Hawkwook's Italian name “Giovanni Acuto” was one which .A．he gave himself in order to bee better known to the ItaliansB．he earned through his sharp practice of selling his ‘protection’C．he needed so as to hire his soldiers to ItaliansD．was given him in telling his services to the others’【小题3】The Italians regarded Hawkwood as a sort of hero .A．because they couldn’t help admiring his bravery and boldness(胆大)B．as he aided the citizens in peacetime when business was bad for themC．he had played an important role in their daily lifeD．for he lived so long and was given a state funeral by the Florentines【小题4】From the passage, we can guess the gangsters were those .A．who were of great importance to the poorB．who made the businessmen do whatever they were in need of C．who were always ready to be sent abroadD．who did harm to others【小题5】According to the writer, Hawkwood was .A．a sort of national heroB．an experienced leaderC．a brave soldierD．a noble gangsterA
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(答案→)A
解析：
试题分析:曾经一度在芝加哥的商人要付给匪徒“保护费”，如果不付给“保护费”的话，他们会立即打砸店铺，这种强行收取“保护费”的事情其实早在14世纪就已经存在了，而且在意大利人们甚至对大匪徒Giovanni Acuto特别的敬佩，在他死的时候竟然为他举行了国葬。
【小题1】A。推理判断题。根据文章第一段可知芝加哥的商人要付个匪徒“保护费”，如果不立即付给“保护费”的话，他们会立即打砸店铺，由此推断他们所谓的保护就是不给店铺搞破坏，故答案选A。
【小题2】B。细节理解题。从文章第二段的讲述可知John Hawkwook'靠他强硬的举动而使他的意大利名字在全国闻名，故答案选B。
【小题3】A。推理判断题。根据文章末段对他的评价which was in memory of “this bravest man”可知人们把他视为英雄是因为他的勇敢，勇气，故答案选A。
【小题4】D。细节理解题。从文章第一段对gangstes行为的描述：如果不交保护费则对店铺进行打砸抢，由此推断他们是一些危害社会的人们，故答案选D。
【小题5】D。推理判断题。文章第一段提到匪徒收保护费的行为，然后以Hawkwood,为例来说明收保护费的行为自古就有，由此判断Hawkwood是一个著名的匪徒，答案选D。