伦敦：隐藏在城市中的城市：英语精读讲义

The great city of London,

伟大的伦敦市，

known for its historical landmarks,

以其历史地标、

modern skyscrapers, ancient markets,

现代摩天大楼、古老市场，

and famous bridges,

以及著名桥梁而闻名，

is arguably the financial capital of the world 用詞

称得上是世界金融之都，

and home to over 11,000 people. 短語搭配

并且拥有超过11000名居民。

Wait, what? 語氣意圖

等等，什么？

11,000?

11000人？

That's right, but the City of London

没错，但“伦敦城”（City of London）

is a different place from London.

是一个与伦敦不同的地方。

Though London is also known for its historical landmarks,

尽管伦敦也以其历史地标、

modern skyscrapers, ancient markets,

现代摩天大楼、古老市场、

famous bridges, and is home to the government,

著名桥梁而闻名，并且是政府、

royal family, and 7 million people.

王室以及700万人的所在地。

But if you look at a map of London 語法

但如果你看一张伦敦地图，

crafted by a careful cartographer,

是由一位细心的制图师绘制的，

that map will have a 1 square mile hole

那张地图上会有一个1平方英里的空洞，

near the middle.

靠近中心位置。

It's here where the City of London 語法

正是在这里，“伦敦城”

lives inside the city named London.

存在于名为伦敦的城市之中。

Despite these confusingly close names, 語法

尽管这些名字极其相似，容易混淆，

the two Londons have separate city halls 表達脈絡

但这两个伦敦有各自的市政厅，

and elect separate mayors

选举各自的市长，

who collect separate taxes

征收各自的税收，

to fund separate police

资助各自的警察，

who enforce separate laws.

执行各自的法律。

The mayor of the City of London

伦敦城的市长

has a fancy title,

拥有一个华丽的头衔：

the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London

“尊敬的伦敦城市长大人”，

to match his fancy outfit.

以搭配他华丽的服饰。

He also gets to ride in a golden carriage 語法

他还能乘坐金色马车，

and work in a guildhall,

在市政大厅里办公；

while the mayor of London has to wear a suit,

而伦敦市长只能穿西装，

ride a bike, and work in an office building.

骑自行车，并在写字楼里工作。

The City of London also has its own flag

伦敦城还有自己的旗帜

and its own crest, which is awesome

和自己的纹章，这非常酷，

and makes London's lack of either twice as sad. 語法

也让伦敦这两样都没有显得加倍可悲。

To top it off, the City of London 習語

更厉害的是，伦敦城

gets to act more like one of the countries in the UK 語法

表现得更像英国的一个国家，

than just an oddly located city.

而不仅仅是一个位置奇怪的城市。

For uniquely, the corporation that runs the City of London

独特的是，管理伦敦城的公司

is older than the United Kingdom 語法

比联合王国的历史还要悠久

by several hundred years.

几百年。

So how did the UK end up with two Londons, 短語動詞

那么，英国是如何演变成有两个伦敦，

one inside of the other?

且一个在另一个里面的呢？

Because Romans. 表達脈絡

因为罗马人。

2,000 years ago, they came to Great Britain,

2000年前，他们来到大不列颠，

killed a bunch of Druids,

杀了一群德鲁伊，

and founded a trading post on the River Thames

并在泰晤士河畔建立了一个贸易站，

and named it Londinium.

将其命名为“伦蒂尼恩”。

Being Romans, they got to work doing what Romans do, 講解

作为罗马人，他们开始做罗马人该做的事：

enforcing laws, increasing trade,

执行法律，增加贸易，

building temples, public baths,

建造神庙、公共浴场、

roads, bridges, and a wall

道路、桥梁，以及一面城墙

to defend their work.

来保卫他们的成果。

And it's this wall which is why

正是因为这面城墙，

the current City of London exists.

现在的伦敦城才得以存在。

For though the Romans came and the Romans went 表達脈絡

因为尽管罗马人来了又走，

and kingdoms rose and kingdoms fell,

王国兴衰交替，

the wall endured protecting the city within.

城墙却保留了下来，保护着里面的城市。

And the city, governing itself 語法

而这座城市，通过自治

and trading with the world, grew rich.

与世界进行贸易，变得富有。

A thousand years after the Romans,

罗马人之后的一千年，

yet still a thousand years ago,

也就是一千年前，

when William the Conqueror came to Great Britain 文化背景

当征服者威廉来到大不列颠

to conquer everything and begin modern British history,

征服一切并开启现代英国历史时，

he found the City of London with its sturdy walls

他发现拥有坚固城墙的伦敦城

more challenging to defeat than farmers on open fields. 語法

比开阔地里的农民更难击败。

So he agreed to recognize the rights and privileges 短語搭配

因此，他同意承认

City of Londoners were used to 語法

伦敦城市民早已习惯的权利和特权，

in return for them recognizing him as the new king. 短語搭配

作为交换，他们承认他为新国王。

Though after the negotiation,

尽管在谈判之后，

William quickly built towers around the City of London,

威廉迅速在伦敦城周围建造了塔楼，

which were just as much about protecting William 語法

这不仅是为了保护威廉

from the locals within 用詞

免受城内当地人的攻击，

as defending against the Vikings from without.

也是为了防御城外的维京人。

This started a thousand-year-long tradition

这开启了一项长达千年的传统，

whereby monarchs always reconfirmed 用詞

历代君主总是不断确认：

that yes, the City of London is a special unique place

是的，伦敦城是一个特殊、独特的地方，

that's best left to its own business,

最好让它自己管自己的事，

while simultaneously distrusting it.

同时又对它保持警惕。

Many a monarch thought the City of London 語法

许多君主认为伦敦城

was too powerful and rich,

过于强大和富有，

and one even built a new capital city nearby

甚至有一位君主在附近建了一座新首都，

named Westminster to compete with the City of London

命名为威斯敏斯特，以与伦敦城竞争，

and hopefully suck power and wealth away from it. 習語

并希望能吸走它的权力和财富。

This was the start of the second London.

这就是第二个伦敦的开始。

As the centuries passed, Westminster grew 表達脈絡

几个世纪过去了，威斯敏斯特不断发展，

and merged with nearby towns,

并与附近的城镇合并，

eventually surrounding the walled-in

最终包围了被城墙围住

and still separate City of London.

且依然独立的伦敦城。

But people began to call the whole urban collection London,

但是人们开始把整个城市群称为伦敦，

and the name became official when Parliament

当议会正式把这些城镇合并，

joined the towns together under a single municipal government 用詞

置于一个统一的市政府

with a mayor.

和一位市长之下时，这个名字成了官方名称。

But the mayor of London still doesn't have power 短語搭配

但是伦敦的市长依然没有权力

over the tiny City of London,

管辖那个微小的伦敦城，

which has rules and traditions like nowhere else

它拥有不同于全国甚至可能不同于全世界任何地方的

in the country and possibly the world.

规则和传统。

For example, the ruling monarch doesn't just enter 語法

例如，在位的君主不能一时兴起

the City of London on a whim, 習語

就随便进入伦敦城，

but instead asks for permission from the Lord Mayor

而是必须在一个仪式上

at a ceremony.

征得市长大人的许可。

While it's not required by law, 短語搭配

虽然法律上没有要求，

the ceremony is unusual, to say the least. 習語

但这个仪式至少可以说非常不寻常。

The City of London also has a representative in Parliament,

伦敦城在议会中还有一名代表，

the Remembrancer, whose job it 語法

即“游说专员”，其职责

is to protect the city's special rights.

就是保护该城的特殊权利。

Because of this, laws passed by Parliament 表達脈絡

正因为如此，议会通过的法律

sometimes don't apply to the City of London,

有时并不适用于伦敦城，

most notably voting reform laws,

最著名的就是选举改革法，

which we'll discuss next time.

这个我们下次再讨论。

But if you're curious for a preview

但如果你好奇想先了解一下，

unlike anywhere else in the UK,

与英国其他地方不同，

elections in the City of London involve

伦敦城的选举涉及

medieval guilds and modern companies. 文化背景

中世纪行会和现代公司。

Finally, the City of London also owns

最后，伦敦城还拥有

and operates land and buildings

并经营着其边界之外

far outside its border,

很远的土地和建筑物，

making it quite wealthy. 語法

这使它非常富有。

Once you start looking for the city's crest, 語法

一旦你开始留意该城的纹章，

you'll find it in lots of unexpected places,

你会在很多意想不到的地方发现它，

most notably on Tower Bridge,

最显眼的就是在伦敦塔桥上，

which while being in London

虽然它在伦敦境内，

is operated by the City of London.

但由伦敦城运营。

These crests everywhere, when combined

这些随处可见的纹章，加上

with the City of London's age and wealth

伦敦城的历史、财富

and quasi-independent status, 用詞

以及准独立状态，

make it an irresistible temptation for conspiracy nuts. 用詞

使它成为阴谋论者无法抗拒的诱惑。

Add in the oldest Masonic temple, 短語動詞

再加上最古老的共济会神庙，

and it's not long before the crazy part of the internet 語法

没过多久，互联网上疯狂的那部分人

starts yelling about secret societies controlling the world

就开始嚷嚷秘密社团控制了世界，

via the finance industry from inside the city-state of London.

是从伦敦这个城邦内部通过金融业进行控制的。

And don't forget the reptilian alien

而且别忘了，还有一个爬行类外星

queen who's really behind it all. 習語

女王才是幕后黑手。

But conspiracy theories aside, 表達脈絡

但是抛开阴谋论不谈，

the City of London is not an independent nation

伦敦城并不是一个独立的国家，

like the Vatican is,

不像梵蒂冈那样，

no matter how much you might read it on the internet. 語法

无论你在网上看到多少这种说法。

Rather, it's a unique place in the United Kingdom 表達脈絡

相反，它是英国一个独特的地方，

with a long and very complicated history.

拥有悠久且非常复杂的历史。

The wall that began all this 2,000 years ago

2000年前开启这一切的那面城墙

is now mostly gone,

现在大多已不复存在，

so the border between London and its secret inner city

所以伦敦与其秘密内城之间的边界

isn't so obvious.

已经不再那么明显。

Though next time you're in London,

不过下次你在伦敦时，

if you come across a small dragon on the street, 短語動詞

如果你在街上遇到一条小龙，

he still guards the entrance to the city

它仍然在守护着这个城市的入口，

in a city in a country in a country. 表達脈絡

一座位于国家中的国家里的城市中的城市。