倫敦：隱藏在城市中的城市：英語精讀講義

The great city of London,

偉大的倫敦市，

known for its historical landmarks,

以其歷史地標、

modern skyscrapers, ancient markets,

現代摩天大樓、古老市場，

and famous bridges,

以及著名橋樑而聞名，

is arguably the financial capital of the world 用詞

稱得上是世界金融之都，

and home to over 11,000 people. 片語搭配

並且擁有超過11000名居民。

Wait, what? 語氣意圖

等等，什麼？

11,000?

11000人？

That's right, but the City of London

沒錯，但「倫敦城」（City of London）

is a different place from London.

是一個與倫敦不同的地方。

Though London is also known for its historical landmarks,

儘管倫敦也以其歷史地標、

modern skyscrapers, ancient markets,

現代摩天大樓、古老市場、

famous bridges, and is home to the government,

著名橋樑而聞名，並且是政府、

royal family, and 7 million people.

王室以及700萬人的所在地。

But if you look at a map of London 文法

但如果你看一張倫敦地圖，

crafted by a careful cartographer,

是由一位細心的製圖師繪製的，

that map will have a 1 square mile hole

那張地圖上會有一個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 文法

正是在這裡，「倫敦城」

lives inside the city named London.

存在於名為倫敦的城市之中。

Despite these confusingly close names, 文法

儘管這些名字極其相似，容易混淆，

the two Londons have separate city halls 表達脈絡

但這兩個倫敦有各自的市政廳，

and elect separate mayors

選舉各自的市長，

who collect separate taxes

徵收各自的稅收，

to fund separate police

資助各自的警察，

who enforce separate laws.

執行各自的法律。

The mayor of the City of London

倫敦城的市長

has a fancy title,

擁有一個華麗的頭銜：

the Right Honourable the Lord Mayor of London

「尊敬的倫敦城市長大人」，

to match his fancy outfit.

以搭配他華麗的服飾。

He also gets to ride in a golden carriage 文法

他還能乘坐金色馬車，

and work in a guildhall,

在市政大廳裡辦公；

while the mayor of London has to wear a suit,

而倫敦市長只能穿西裝，

ride a bike, and work in an office building.

騎自行車，並在辦公大樓裡工作。

The City of London also has its own flag

倫敦城還有自己的旗幟

and its own crest, which is awesome

和自己的紋章，這非常酷，

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

也讓倫敦這兩樣都沒有顯得加倍可悲。

To top it off, the City of London 慣用語

更厲害的是，倫敦城

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

表現得更像英國的一個國家，

than just an oddly located city.

而不僅僅是一個位置奇怪的城市。

For uniquely, the corporation that runs the City of London

獨特的是，管理倫敦城的公司

is older than the United Kingdom 文法

比聯合王國的歷史還要悠久

by several hundred years.

幾百年。

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

那麼，英國是如何演變成有兩個倫敦，

one inside of the other?

且一個在另一個裡面的呢？

Because Romans. 表達脈絡

因為羅馬人。

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

2000年前，他們來到大不列顛，

killed a bunch of Druids,

殺了一群德魯伊，

and founded a trading post on the River Thames

並在泰晤士河畔建立了一個貿易站，

and named it Londinium.

將其命名為「倫蒂尼恩」。

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

作為羅馬人，他們開始做羅馬人該做的事：

enforcing laws, increasing trade,

執行法律，增加貿易，

building temples, public baths,

建造神廟、公共浴場、

roads, bridges, and a wall

道路、橋樑，以及一面城牆

to defend their work.

來保衛他們的成果。

And it's this wall which is why

正是因為這面城牆，

the current City of London exists.

現在的倫敦城才得以存在。

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

因為儘管羅馬人來了又走，

and kingdoms rose and kingdoms fell,

王國興衰交替，

the wall endured protecting the city within.

城牆卻保留了下來，保護著裡面的城市。

And the city, governing itself 文法

而這座城市，透過自治

and trading with the world, grew rich.

與世界進行貿易，變得富有。

A thousand years after the Romans,

羅馬人之後的一千年，

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

當征服者威廉來到大不列顛

to conquer everything and begin modern British history,

征服一切並開啟現代英國歷史時，

he found the City of London with its sturdy walls

他發現擁有堅固城牆的倫敦城

more challenging to defeat than farmers on open fields. 文法

比開闊地裡的農民更難擊敗。

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

因此，他同意承認

City of Londoners were used to 文法

倫敦城市民早已習慣的權利和特權，

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

作為交換，他們承認他為新國王。

Though after the negotiation,

儘管在談判之後，

William quickly built towers around the City of London,

威廉迅速在倫敦城周圍建造了塔樓，

which were just as much about protecting William 文法

這不僅是為了保護威廉

from the locals within 用詞

免受城內當地人的攻擊，

as defending against the Vikings from without.

也是為了防禦城外的維京人。

This started a thousand-year-long tradition

這開啟了一項長達千年的傳統，

whereby monarchs always reconfirmed 用詞

歷代君主總是不斷確認：

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

是的，倫敦城是一個特殊、獨特的地方，

that's best left to its own business,

最好讓它自己管自己的事，

while simultaneously distrusting it.

同時又對它保持警惕。

Many a monarch thought the City of London 文法

許多君主認為倫敦城

was too powerful and rich,

過於強大和富有，

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

命名為西敏市，以與倫敦城競爭，

and hopefully suck power and wealth away from it. 慣用語

並希望能吸走它的權力和財富。

This was the start of the second London.

這就是第二個倫敦的開始。

As the centuries passed, Westminster grew 表達脈絡

幾個世紀過去了，西敏市不斷發展，

and merged with nearby towns,

並與附近的城鎮合併，

eventually surrounding the walled-in

最終包圍了被城牆圍住

and still separate City of London.

且依然獨立的倫敦城。

But people began to call the whole urban collection London,

但是人們開始把整個城市群稱為倫敦，

and the name became official when Parliament

當議會正式把這些城鎮合併，

joined the towns together under a single municipal government 用詞

置於一個統一的市政府

with a mayor.

和一位市長之下時，這個名字成了官方名稱。

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

但是倫敦的市長依然沒有權力

over the tiny City of London,

管轄那個微小的倫敦城，

which has rules and traditions like nowhere else

它擁有不同於全國甚至可能不同於全世界任何地方的

in the country and possibly the world.

規則和傳統。

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

例如，在位的君主不能一時興起

the City of London on a whim, 慣用語

就隨便進入倫敦城，

but instead asks for permission from the Lord Mayor

而是必須在一個儀式上

at a ceremony.

徵得市長大人的許可。

While it's not required by law, 片語搭配

雖然法律上沒有要求，

the ceremony is unusual, to say the least. 慣用語

但這個儀式至少可以說非常不尋常。

The City of London also has a representative in Parliament,

倫敦城在議會中還有一名代表，

the Remembrancer, whose job it 文法

即「遊說專員」，其職責

is to protect the city's special rights.

就是保護該城的特殊權利。

Because of this, laws passed by Parliament 表達脈絡

正因為如此，議會通過的法律

sometimes don't apply to the City of London,

有時並不適用於倫敦城，

most notably voting reform laws,

最著名的就是選舉改革法，

which we'll discuss next time.

這個我們下次再討論。

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,

與英國其他地方不同，

elections in the City of London involve

倫敦城的選舉涉及

medieval guilds and modern companies. 文化背景

中世紀行會和現代公司。

Finally, the City of London also owns

最後，倫敦城還擁有

and operates land and buildings

並經營著其邊界之外

far outside its border,

很遠的土地和建築物，

making it quite wealthy. 文法

這使它非常富有。

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

一旦你開始留意該城的紋章，

you'll find it in lots of unexpected places,

你會在很多意想不到的地方發現它，

most notably on Tower Bridge,

最顯眼的就是在倫敦塔橋上，

which while being in London

雖然它在倫敦境內，

is operated by the City of London.

但由倫敦城營運。

These crests everywhere, when combined

這些隨處可見的紋章，加上

with the City of London's age and wealth

倫敦城的歷史、財富

and quasi-independent status, 用詞

以及準獨立狀態，

make it an irresistible temptation for conspiracy nuts. 用詞

使它成為陰謀論者無法抗拒的誘惑。

Add in the oldest Masonic temple, 片語動詞

再加上最古老的共濟會神廟，

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

沒過多久，網路上瘋狂的那部分人

starts yelling about secret societies controlling the world

就開始嚷嚷秘密社團控制了世界，

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

是從倫敦這個城邦內部透過金融業進行控制的。

And don't forget the reptilian alien

而且別忘了，還有一個爬蟲類外星

queen who's really behind it all. 慣用語

女王才是幕後黑手。

But conspiracy theories aside, 表達脈絡

但是拋開陰謀論不談，

the City of London is not an independent nation

倫敦城並不是一個獨立的國家，

like the Vatican is,

不像梵蒂岡那樣，

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

無論你在網路上看到多少這種說法。

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

相反地，它是英國一個獨特的地方，

with a long and very complicated history.

擁有悠久且非常複雜的歷史。

The wall that began all this 2,000 years ago

2000年前開啟這一切的那面城牆

is now mostly gone,

現在大多已不復存在，

so the border between London and its secret inner city

所以倫敦與其秘密內城之間的邊界

isn't so obvious.

已經不再那麼明顯。

Though next time you're in London,

不過下次你在倫敦時，

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

如果你在街上遇到一條小龍，

he still guards the entrance to the city

牠仍在守護著這座城市的入口，

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

一座位於國家中的國家裡的城市中的城市。