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The Great City of London, known for its historical landmarks1, modern skyscrapers2, ancient markets and famous bridges, 大伦敦金融城，因历史地标、现代摩天大楼、古老的市场以及赫赫有名的大桥而知名，
is arguably the financial capital of the world and home to over eleven thousand people. 可以说是世界的金融首府，以及超过一万一千人的家。
Wait, what? Eleven thousand? 等等，什么？一万一千人？
That's right! But the City of London is a different place from London, 没错!但伦敦金融城是个有别于伦敦的地方，
though London is also known for its historical landmarks, modern skyscrapers, ancient markets, famous bridges 虽然伦敦也因其历史地标、现代摩天大楼、古老的市场以及赫赫有名的大桥而知名，
and is home to the government, royal family and seven million people. 并且是政府、皇室家族及七百万人的家。
But, if you look map of London crafted by a careful cartographer, that map will have a one-square mile hole near the middle—it's here 但是，如果你查看的是一张由细心的制图师所精心绘制的伦敦地图，这份地图在靠近中央处会有个一平方英里的洞──它就在这儿，
where the City of London lives inside of the city named London. 在这个伦敦金融城处在一个叫做伦敦的城市里的位置。
Despite these confusingly close names, the two Londons have separate city halls and elect separate mayors, 不顾这些相似到令人困惑的名字，这两个伦敦有个别的市政厅，选出个别的市长，
who collect separate taxes to fund separate police who enforce separate laws. 他们个别课税，供养执行个别法律的个别警方。
The Mayor of the City of London has a fancy title "The Right Honorable the Lord Mayor of London" to match his fancy outfit3. 伦敦金融城的市长有个花俏的头衔“正义高尚的伦敦金融城市长大人”来搭配他华丽的衣着。
He also gets to ride in a golden carriage and work in a Guildhall while the mayor of London has to wear a suit, ride a bike and work in an office building. 他也能搭乘金色马车，在市政厅办公，而伦敦市长需要穿西装、骑单车并在办公大楼工作。
The City of London also has its own flag and its own crest4, which is awesome5 and makes London's lack of either twice as sad. 伦敦金融城同样有自己的旗帜和徽饰，徽饰很酷，让伦敦相形见绌，两倍伤心。
To top it off, the City of London gets to act more like one of the countries in the UK than just an oddly located city 最糟糕的是，伦敦金融城能够表现得看起来更像是联合王国的国家之一，而不只是个位置怪异的城市
—for uniquely, the corporation that runs the City of London is older than the United Kingdom by several hundred years. ──因为很特别地，管理伦敦金融城的财团法人比联合王国老了好几百岁。
So how did the UK end up with two Londons, one inside of the other? 所以为何联合王国最后会有两个伦敦，其中一个还在另一个里头？
Because: Romans. 因为：罗马人。
Two thousand years ago they came to Great Britain, killed a bunch of druids, 两千年前他们来到大不列颠，杀死一堆德鲁伊教(古代凯尔特人信奉的一种原始宗教)僧侣，
and founded a trading post on the River Thames and named it Londonimium. 并在泰晤士河上成立交易所并将其命名为Londonimium。
Being Romans, they got to work, doing what Romans do: 身为罗马人，他们得工作，做罗马人会做的事：
enforcing laws, increasing trade, building temples, public baths, roads, bridges and a wall to defend their work. 执行法律、提高贸易、建造庙宇、公共澡堂、道路、桥梁，以及一道保卫他们作品的墙。
And it's this wall, which is why the current City of London exists 而就是这道墙，那就是现今伦敦金融城存在的原因
—for though the Romans came, and the Romans went, and kingdoms rose, and kingdoms fell, the wall endured protecting the city within. ──因为虽然罗马人来了，然后罗马人离去，帝国崛起，帝国衰落，这道墙还是持续保护里面的城市。
And The City, governing itself and trading with the world, grew rich. 而伦敦金融城，自治并与世界贸易，变得富裕。
A thousand years after the Romans (yet still a thousand years ago) when William the Conqueror6 came to Great Britain to conqueror everything 在罗马人之后的一千年(然而仍是距今一千年前)当征服者威廉(威廉一世)来到大不列颠征服一切，
and begin modern British history, he found the City of London, with its sturdy walls more challenging to defeat than farmers on open fields. 并开启现代英国历史，他发现了伦敦金融城，有着其坚固的围墙，要打倒它比击败户外的农民们更具挑战性。
So he agreed to recognize the rights and privileges City of Londoners were used to 所以他同意认可伦敦金融城市民当时习惯的权力和特权，
in return for them recognizing him as the new King. 作为回报，他们承认他为新的国王。
Though after the negotiation7, William quickly built towers around the City of London, 然而在协商之后，威廉很快地就在伦敦金融城四周建造塔楼，
which were just as much about protecting William from the locals within as defending against the Vikings from without. 它对内保护威廉免受当地人侵袭，正好就和对外抵御维京人一样重要。
This started a thousand-year long tradition whereby Monarchs9 always reconfirmed that "yes" , 这开始了一个长达千年的传统，君主们总是借此再次确认，“是的”，
the City of London is a special, unique place 伦敦金融城是个特别、独一无二的地方，
that's best left to its own business, while simultaneously10 distrusting it. 最好留给他们自己经营，但同时也不信任它。
Many monarchs thought the City of London was too powerful and rich. 许多君主认为伦敦金融城太强大、富裕了。
And one even built a new Capital city nearby, named Westminster, to compete with the City of London 有位君主甚至在附近建立了新的首都，叫做 Westminster，来与伦敦市竞争，
and hopefully, suck power and wealth away from it. 并希望从中获取力量和财富。
This was the start of the second London. 这是第二个伦敦的起头。
As the centuries passed, Westminster grew and merged11 with nearby towns, eventually surrounding the walled-in, 几个世纪过去了，Westminster壮大并合并附近城镇，最后围绕了有围墙的、
and still separate City of London. 仍是分离的伦敦金融城。
But people began to call the whole urban collection "London," 但人们开始称呼这整个集体城市为“伦敦”，
and the name became official when Parliament joined the towns together under a single municipal government with a mayor. 而当议会将城镇结合在一起，由有个市长的单一地方自治政府治理时，伦敦变成正式的名字。
But the Mayor of London still doesn't have power over the tiny City of London, 但伦敦市长在这个小小的伦敦金融城还是没有权力，
which has rules and traditions like nowhere else in the country and possibly the world. 伦敦金融城拥有这国家甚至可能这世界其他地方都没有的规定和传统。
For example, the ruling monarch8 doesn't just enter the City of London on a whim12, 举例来说，执政君主不能一时兴起就进入伦敦金融城，
but instead asks for permission from the Lord Mayor at a ceremony. 而是要在一个仪式上征求市长大人的准许。
While it's not required by law, the ceremony is, unusual to say the least. 虽然这不是法定的，但至少能说这仪式是不寻常的。
The City of London also has a representative in Parliament, 伦敦金融城在议会中同样有代表，
The Remembrancer, whose job it is to protects the City's special rights. Remembrancer，他的职务是保护伦敦金融城的特殊权力。
Because of this, laws passed by Parliament sometimes don't apply to the City of London: 因此，议会通过的法律有时并不适用于伦敦金融城：
But if you're curious for a preview, unlike anywhere else in the UK, 但如果你很好奇想先来个预告，不像联合王国的其他任何地方，
elections in the City of London involve Medieval Guilds14 and modern companies. 伦敦金融城的选举涉及了中世纪的同业公会以及现代的公司。
Finally, the City of London also owns and operates land and buildings far outside its border, making it quite wealthy. 最后，伦敦金融城在边界外远处也拥有并管理土地及建筑，让它十分富裕。
Once you start looking for The City's Crest, you'll find it in lots of unexpected places, 一旦你开始寻找伦敦金融城的徽饰，你会在许多意料之外的地方发现它，
most notably on Tower Bridge, which while being in London is operated by the City of London. 尤其是在Tower Bridge(伦敦塔桥)，虽然位于伦敦却是由伦敦金融城运作。
These crests15 everywhere when combined with the City of London's age and wealth 当这些随处可见的徽饰结合伦敦金融城的年龄、财富，
and quasi-independent status make it an irresistible16 temptation for conspiracy17 nuts. 以及半独立的状态，让它成为阴谋者无法抵抗的诱惑。
Add in the oldest Masonic temple, and it's not long before the crazy part of the Internet yelling about secret societies controlling the world 把最古老的共济会教堂算在内，不久之前网路还疯狂地喊着有关神祕的社团在伦敦城邦内部，
via the finance industry from inside the City-state of London. 透过金融业控制世界。
But conspiracy theories aside, the City of London is not an independent nation like the Vatican is, 但撇开阴谋论，伦敦金融城不像梵蒂冈是个独立的国家，
no matter how much you might read it on the Internet, 不论你在网路上可能读到它多少东西，
rather it's a unique place in the United Kingdom with a long and very complicated history. 更切确的说，它只是在联合王国中一个有非常悠久且复杂历史的独特地方。
The wall that began all this two thousand years ago is now mostly gone, 两千年前引起这全部事情的城墙现在大部分都消失了，
so the border between London and its secret inner city isn't so obvious. 所以伦敦和它的神秘内城间的边界不再那么明显。
Though, next time you're in London, if you come across a small dragon on the street, 虽然如此，但下次你到伦敦来的时候，如果你在街上看到一只小龙，
he still guards the entrance to the city in a city in a country in a country. 他仍然在守卫这个城中之城，国中之国的入口。
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1
landmarks
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| n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址） | |
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skyscrapers
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| n.摩天大楼 | |
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3
outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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4
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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5
awesome
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| adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的 | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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7
negotiation
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| n.谈判，协商 | |
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8
monarch
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| n.帝王，君主，最高统治者 | |
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monarchs
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| 君主，帝王( monarch的名词复数 ) | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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11
merged
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| （使）混合( merge的过去式和过去分词 )； 相融； 融入； 渐渐消失在某物中 | |
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12
whim
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| n.一时的兴致，突然的念头；奇想，幻想 | |
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notably
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| adv.值得注意地，显著地，尤其地，特别地 | |
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14
guilds
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| 行会，同业公会，协会( guild的名词复数 ) | |
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15
crests
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| v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的第三人称单数 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点 | |
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16
irresistible
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| adj.非常诱人的，无法拒绝的，无法抗拒的 | |
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17
conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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18
reptilian
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| adj.（像）爬行动物的；（像）爬虫的；卑躬屈节的；卑鄙的n.两栖动物；卑劣的人 | |
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