VOA慢速英语2016 伦敦或将失去国际金融中心地位

AS IT IS 2016-08-03 London’s Position as International Financial Center at Risk 伦敦或将失去国际金融中心地位

Almost one-fourth of Britain’s national income is earned in and around the city of London. Much of the money comes from international businesses based there.

英国近四分之一的国民收入都是在伦敦及伦敦周围赚取的。其中大部分都源于总部位于此地的国际商业。

But the British vote to leave the European Union means London could lose its place as Europe’s leading business center.

但是英国公投脱离欧盟意味着伦敦或将会失去欧洲首要商业中心的地位。

As part of the European Union, Britain has rights to sell its services without tariffs² in many countries across the continent. The EU currently³ has 28 member states, and it serves a market of 500 million people.

英国作为欧盟的一员，有权力在欧洲大陆向其他国家销售各项服务而不需要缴纳任何关税。目前，欧盟有28个成员国，拥有5亿人口的市场。

But when Britain officially leaves the bloc⁴, London-based businesses will likely lose their tax-free access to the single EU market.As a result, some banks have already said they may move their operations to the European mainland.

但自英国正式脱欧之后，总部位于伦敦的企业将会在欧盟市场失去免税优惠。因此，一些银行已经表示将自己的业务迁往欧洲大陆。

David Slater is with the company London & Partners.Its goal is to strengthen London’s image overseas and help London-based businesses work with foreign partners.

David Slater在伦敦发展促进署工作。该公司的目标在于增强伦敦在海外的形象，并帮助总部位于伦敦的企业与海外展开合作。

Slater says the new government in Britain must negotiate⁵ for businesses to have continued access to the single market.

Slater表示，英国新政府必须进行协调，保证企业有权继续进入欧盟的单一市场。

But some European leaders say Britain cannot have special economic ties with the European Union without permitting freedom of movement. They say people from EU member states should have the right to come freely to Britain.

但很多欧洲领导人表示，英国不允许自由出入境，就不能享有与欧盟的经济联系。他们表示欧盟其他国家的公民本应有权自由出入英国。

Concern over immigration was the main issue that drove the "Leave" campaign to victory in Britain’s Brexit vote.

有关移民问题的担忧是导致英国公投脱欧成功的主要原因

With the possibility that London will lose its special ties to the EU market, other cities are eyeing its position as Europe’s leading financial center. The list of cities that want to replace London includes Paris, Berlin and Amsterdam.

伦敦有可能失去与欧盟市场的特殊关系，因此其他城市正觊觎欧洲首要金融中心的地位。希望取代伦敦的城市有巴黎、柏林和阿姆斯特丹。

In France, government officials recently spoke⁶ of "rolling out the red carpet" to businesses fleeing Brexit. They promised to make taxes for French expatriates the most favorable in Europe. The word “expatriate” is used to describe people who live outside their home country.

目前，法国官员表示“热烈庆祝”由于英国脱欧外逃的企业。他们承诺为法国侨民提供欧洲最优惠的税收政策。侨民是指没有在自己国家居住的人。

In Berlin, people see a chance to expand the city’s technology industry. Berlin is already Europe’s second biggest tech city after London. And, the prices for housing and offices are much less costly⁷ there.

柏林的人们则看到了努力发展科技产业的机会。柏林已经是欧洲第二大科技城市，仅次于伦敦。此外，柏林住房和办公室租金远比伦敦便宜。

Lukas Kampfmann is with a business called Factory Berlin. The group is home to high-tech⁸ companies, including the music website Soundcloud.

Lukas Kampfmann在一家叫柏林工厂的公司工作。该公司是高科技公司的所在地，其中包括音乐网站云录制。

“With Brexit, London has more or less taken itself out of the race,” Kampfmann said. “And we do believe that over time the advantage of Berlin will grow and more tech start-ups will come to Berlin.”

“脱欧之后，伦敦几乎就退出了角逐。”Kampfmann说道。“我们坚信，柏林的优势将日渐增长，也会有更多科技创业者会来柏林。”

Then there is Amsterdam, in the Netherlands. The New York Times newspaper recently rated Amsterdam as best placed to steal London’s position. The paper noted⁹ that Amsterdam has international connections, an English-speaking population and appeal for expatriates.

随后是位于荷兰的阿姆斯特丹。《纽约时报》表示阿姆斯特丹最有望取代伦敦的位置。该报表示，阿姆斯特丹拥有说英语的人口吸引外侨，因此具有全球关系。

But London’s supporters still say their city will remain number one.

但伦敦支持者仍然表示伦敦将仍然是“老大哥”。

David Slater of London & Partners says the reason is because the businesspeople working in London want to stay there.

伦敦促进发展署的David Slater表示，原因在于在伦敦工作的人们依旧想留在这里。

Words in This Story

income – n. earnings¹⁰

tariff¹ – n. taxes

rolling out the red carpet – phrase formally greeting or welcoming an important guest who has just arrived

expatriates – n. people who live in a foreign country

appeal – n. a quality that causes people to like someone or something

1 tariff   

n.关税，税率；(旅馆、饭店等)价目表，收费表

参考例句：

• There is a very high tariff on jewelry.宝石类的关税率很高。
• The government is going to lower the tariff on importing cars.政府打算降低进口汽车的关税。

2 tariffs   

关税制度； 关税( tariff的名词复数 )； 关税表； （旅馆或饭店等的）收费表； 量刑标准

参考例句：

• British industry was sheltered from foreign competition by protective tariffs. 保护性关税使英国工业免受国际竞争影响。
• The new tariffs have put a stranglehold on trade. 新的关税制对开展贸易极为不利。

3 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

4 bloc   

n.集团；联盟

参考例句：

• A solid bloc of union members support the decision.工会会员团结起来支持该决定。
• There have been growing tensions within the trading bloc.贸易同盟国的关系越来越紧张。

5 negotiate   

v.洽谈，协商，谈判，顺利通过，成功越过

参考例句：

• I'll negotiate with their coach on the date of the match.我将与他们的教练磋商比赛的日期问题。
• I managed to negotiate successfully with the authorities.我设法同当局进行了成功的协商。

6 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

7 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

8 high-tech   

adj.高科技的

参考例句：

• The economy is in the upswing which makes high-tech services in more demand too.经济在蓬勃发展，这就使对高科技服务的需求量也在加大。
• The quest of a cure for disease with high-tech has never ceased. 人们希望运用高科技治疗疾病的追求从未停止过。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 earnings   

n.工资收人；利润，利益，所得

参考例句：

• That old man lives on the earnings of his daughter.那个老人靠他女儿的收入维持生活。
• Last year there was a 20% decrease in his earnings.去年他的收入减少了20%。