智慧人生篇章 第57期:岌岌可危的银行业

　　There was just a hint in Stephen Hester's interview on this programme yesterday that the banking¹ sector² has finally run out of fig³ leaves. 昨日的节目通过对斯蒂芬·赫斯特的采访做出了一点提示，银行业的遮羞布快用完了。

　　To his credit, the Royal Bank of Scotland boss certainly used honest language. 值得称赞的是，苏格兰皇家银行的老板对此实话实说。

　　He talked about remodelling⁴ the banking sector, cleaning up the problems of the past, making the bank safe and stronger through physical and cultural change. 他谈到了重建银行业，清除往日的残留问题，通过改变自然规律和银行业文化来使银行更加安全、牢固。

　　Their mission was, he said, to put the interests of 30 million customers first. 他说，他们的任务是把三千万名顾客的利益放在首位。

　　Well, like many of you listening this morning the extent of the immorality⁵ affecting the banking sector bothers me intensely. 和你们中的许多人一样，当今早听到不道德行为干扰银行业时，我对其影响之广而深感忧虑。

　　But what can we do about it? 但我们又能做什么呢？

　　James Martin, a scholar of new technology, talks more generally about challenges facing the structures of 21st century society 詹姆斯·马丁是一位研究新技术的学者。他更加概括地谈论了21世纪社会结构所面临的挑战。

　　and suggests we can move forward into the future by asking two interrelated and overlapping⁶ questions which might help us here. 他还建议，为了向未来迈进，我们应提出两点相互关联、相互重叠，并对我们有所帮助的问题。

　　First, what is the right thing to do? And also, what is the most likely thing to happen? 首先，我们应该做什么？其次，未来最有可能发生什么？

　　Protesting about the injustices⁷ and evil practises of some in the global banking sector might bring the effects of their actions to people's attention, but protest doesn't deal with the cause. 抗议世界银行业中邪恶不公的做法可能会让世人注意到他们的行径，但抗议并不能解决问题。

　　A healthy banking system is an essential aspect of society. 一个健康的银行体系是组成社会的重要要素。

　　And its future in a democratic debate should include contributions from a wide range of disciplines including ethics⁸. 通过民主辩论，它在未来应该会受到包括道德在内的大量规范的正面影响。

　　To address Martin's two questions more specifically: the right thing to do is surely to start again and radically⁹ restructure the banking sector, 把马丁提出的两点问题更具体的陈述出来即为：我们要做的正确的事，就是应当再次开始从根本上重组银行业，

　　but the most likely thing to happen is that, even though there are stones still unturned, some of Mr Hester's rhetoric¹⁰ of yesterday might actually be applied¹¹. 但是最有可能发现的事就是，尽管有一些还未解决的问题，赫斯特先生昨日的花言巧语可能会被采纳。

　　Any theological appraisal¹² of the mess which affects significant parts of the banking system must begin with the notion that we have to live in an imperfect world. 对影响银行体系的混乱局面做出的任何神学上的评价都必须一个观念为前提：我们不得不处于一个不完美的世界。

　　Whilst the love of money is referred to as the root of all evil, we all know what happens when roots take hold. 既然把对金钱的热爱定义为罪恶之源，我们就都应知道当罪恶之源开始作用时会发生什么。

　　But then human society is structured on the basis of work and effort being rewarded so that families can flourish. 但为了家庭兴旺，人类社会必须建立在工作并得到相应回报的基础上。

　　So where is the balance? How do you protect the innocent from avarice¹³? 那么我们应在哪里取得平衡呢？应该如何使纯真的人免受贪婪的侵害？

　　In his book Secularisation, the theologian Edward Norman believes that the human race has been cajoled into a valueless and often clueless cul-de-sac where the poor become more vulnerable and the rich,well they just hope no one is looking. 在《世俗》一书中，神学家爱德华·诺曼认为人类已被哄骗着去接受一些毫无无价值的东西，而且经常被拐进死胡同，在那里穷人更易受到伤害，富人则希望避免引人注意。

　　Everyone seems to agree that a fine balance now needs to be achieved through good stewardship¹⁴ right across the banking sector. 每个人似乎都同意通过在整个银行业设置称职的管理人员来达到平衡。

　　This is a big moment for banks and bankers. Everyone is watching. 这是银行和银行家们的重要的时刻，也是万众瞩目的一刻。

1 banking   

n.银行业，银行学，金融业

参考例句：

• John is launching his son on a career in banking.约翰打算让儿子在银行界谋一个新职位。
• He possesses an extensive knowledge of banking.他具有广博的银行业务知识。

2 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。

3 fig   

n.无花果(树)

参考例句：

• The doctor finished the fig he had been eating and selected another.这位医生吃完了嘴里的无花果，又挑了一个。
• You can't find a person who doesn't know fig in the United States.你找不到任何一个在美国的人不知道无花果的。

4 remodelling   

v.改变…的结构[形状]( remodel的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• That shabby street needs remodelling. 那条陋街需要重建。 来自辞典例句
• Function-forming and remodelling collagen, reticular and elastic fibres and the ground substances. 合成蛋白质，构成疏松结缔组织的纤维和基质成分。 来自互联网

5 immorality   

n. 不道德, 无道义

参考例句：

• All the churchmen have preached against immorality. 所有牧师都讲道反对不道德的行为。
• Where the European sees immorality and lawlessness, strict law rules in reality. 在欧洲人视为不道德和无规则的地方，事实上都盛行着一种严格的规则。 来自英汉非文学 - 家庭、私有制和国家的起源

6 overlapping   

adj./n.交迭（的）

参考例句：

• There is no overlapping question between the two courses. 这两门课程之间不存在重叠的问题。
• A trimetrogon strip is composed of three rows of overlapping. 三镜头摄影航线为三排重迭的象片所组成。

7 injustices   

不公平( injustice的名词复数 )； 非正义； 待…不公正； 冤枉

参考例句：

• One who committed many injustices is doomed to failure. 多行不义必自毙。
• He felt confident that his injustices would be righted. 他相信他的冤屈会受到昭雪的。

8 ethics   

n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准

参考例句：

• The ethics of his profession don't permit him to do that.他的职业道德不允许他那样做。
• Personal ethics and professional ethics sometimes conflict.个人道德和职业道德有时会相互抵触。

9 radically   

ad.根本地，本质地

参考例句：

• I think we may have to rethink our policies fairly radically. 我认为我们可能要对我们的政策进行根本的反思。
• The health service must be radically reformed. 公共医疗卫生服务必须进行彻底改革。

10 rhetoric   

n.修辞学，浮夸之言语

参考例句：

• Do you know something about rhetoric?你懂点修辞学吗？
• Behind all the rhetoric,his relations with the army are dangerously poised.在冠冕堂皇的言辞背后，他和军队的关系岌岌可危。

11 applied   

adj.应用的；v.应用，适用

参考例句：

• She plans to take a course in applied linguistics.她打算学习应用语言学课程。
• This cream is best applied to the face at night.这种乳霜最好晚上擦脸用。

12 appraisal   

n.对…作出的评价；评价，鉴定，评估

参考例句：

• What's your appraisal of the situation?你对局势是如何评估的？
• We need to make a proper appraisal of his work.对于他的工作我们需要做出适当的评价。

13 avarice   

n.贪婪；贪心

参考例句：

• Avarice is the bane to happiness.贪婪是损毁幸福的祸根。
• Their avarice knows no bounds and you can never satisfy them.他们贪得无厌，你永远无法满足他们。

14 stewardship   

n. n. 管理工作；管事人的职位及职责

参考例句：

• The organization certainly prospered under his stewardship. 不可否认，这个组织在他的管理下兴旺了起来。
• Last, but certainly not least, are the issues of stewardship and ethics. 最后，但当然不是微不足道的，是工作和道德规范的问题。