金融英语口语辅导：The History

会计考友

　　New Words
# N6 i/ t4 H& s: |1 h　　新单词
　　Babylon     n.
; Z' a- T" L" o7 V　　巴比伦(古代巴比伦王国首都)
　　temple     n.
; H# j1 x8 W1 A0 L! M% C. k% U　　庙宇，专供某种活动场所
　　(the) Renaissance      n.
　　文艺复兴，
$ F8 X8 l" G" V& R- q+ B　　ancient      adj.
　　古代的
　　Greece    n.
4 G6 u' z: \" V3 P6 n　　希腊
　　breakup     n.
　　分裂，崩溃
　　decline    n.
9 d, b8 |- Z, |: ~$ {" }　　下降，衰落
, H, m+ z8 q0 {5 s( h$ O! k( k　　usury     n.
　　高利贷，高利
　　illegal        adj.
: l  |5 }. a0 g5 |; B8 C" y　　不合法的；非法的
5 {) l% U6 _5 s  L　　Belgium     n.
　　比利时
+ X5 T0 c5 M) i9 |, c8 {9 x　　function      n.
　　功能，作用
　　complex    adj.
　　复杂的
　　especially     adv.
　　特别地
+ u1 P6 @- u& ?4 W, _' {' C/ r* {　　expand     v.
　　扩大
　　partially     adv.
, ]+ j0 k8 P% a( M" ^5 D! g　　部分地
! o: Q5 {# Z& {# }% B, [( e/ ?　　Venice     n.
　　威尼斯(意大利港市)
5 I9 F* b% I6 b* `& @% r; t　　semi-public     adj.
3 t- \# w% V5 T2 g; X2 ]6 m1 t) d1 k: M3 S　　半公立的
　　Phrases & Expressions
　　Roman Empire
　　罗马帝国
　　emerge from
  l9 ]; m. o2 o* l+ C　　出现，冒出
　　feudal system
0 P' e. E3 l6 G$ y# h  S　　封建体制
　　Middle Ages
　　中世纪
　　bill of exchange
　　汇票
5 |2 C7 ^( Z4 a* ~* h$ J1 M" z　　regulatory function
' [1 i6 \0 C/ t) s) B4 g) }. \; R　　常规作用
4 R( _1 P3 Q7 ~# U5 c- m. Q/ S7 K　　Z:Good afternoon!
" k! z# E$ Q1 _% U　　张：下午好！
　　A:Good afternoon!
　　全体：下午好！
, U( W4 @5 ]* A3 h- y) @　　Z:Today I'll introduce something about the history of banking in the west.
　　张：今天我要讲点西方银行史。
5 G( B( T% W4 m　　Well, that's very interesting, the earliest banks started in Babylon almost 4 000 years ago.
% {% u: G5 z- b/ E, @: N4 Q7 F　　这是很有意思的，最早的银行大约是四千年前在巴比伦建立的。
- B3 l( `3 l0 G7 n6 e* y/ w　　They were really temples which collected deposits and made loans.
　　实际上，那些银行只是一种收集存款并进行的放款的场所。
7 X( q( u8 @+ {- y+ a& }　　S1:I see, but I had always thought that banking started during the Renaissance in Europe.
　　学1：我明白了，但我原来一直以为银行业务始于欧洲文艺复兴时期。
, h- e! W! d3 a4 B& X　　N:No, it was much earlier than that. Then, there were banks in ancient Greece and Rome, too.
9 ~6 \. G- O) p0 n* Y* L9 i　　周：不，比那个时期早多了。古希腊和罗马都有许多银行，
　　It wasn't until the breakup of the Roman Empire and the decline in trade and commercial transactions that banking lost its previous importance.
　　直到罗马帝崩溃和商贸业务的衰落，银行业才失去了它以往的重要性。
　　S2:What about the laws against usury during the Middle Ages?
0 k* O8 e1 p0 a7 l* Z- a0 o; S　　学2：中世纪时，放禁止放高利贷是怎么回事？
' I, n; P; \0 b' ~( P2 N　　Didn't such laws make it illegal to charge interest on loans?
　　这些法律没有规定贷款收取利息是非法的吗？
　　Z:Yes, they did, but these laws were gradually changed during the 14th and 15th centuries and banking functions started appearing again in Italy and Belgium and later in France,
　　周：是的，规定了，但是这些法律在14，15世纪时逐步地改变了，银行的作用又在意大利和比利时开始出现，后来又在法国，
8 p5 m$ a; L, m　　Germany and England.
　　德国和英国。
& z1 ^$ I" ]- {3 N　　S3:So we can really say that banking restarted during the Renaissance.
　　学3：所以实际上我们可以说，银行业在文艺复兴时期又重新开始了。
% k; x9 S9 H# X. D. ?　　Z:You are right. We can easily see the need for the development of the banks during that period.
% F+ k! \* \# ^8 K+ O6 v+ A7 G　　张：对的。显而易见，银行的发展正是出于那个时期的需要。当欧洲从中世纪封建制度的禁锢中挣脱出来时，
　　Commercial and financial transactions had once again started to become more complex as Europe emerged from the feudal system of the Middle Ages.
　　商业和金融交易再一次开始变得复杂起来了。
( x7 E0 V& `3 n3 q　　S4:Could you tell us more in detail?
　　学4：您能说得再具体些吗？
　　Z:Yeah. For one thing, many banks started that way, especially in France and England,
　　周：是的。一方面很多银行就是这样兴起的，特别是在法国和英国。
　　but they gradually expanded their activities to handling deposits and loans,
* j! z  z- U: k　　可是他们逐渐地扩展他们的经营活动，发展到从事储蓄，贷款，
　　issuing and trading bills of exchange and even issuing their own notes;
  k6 @+ f) L: y) P; y/ n　　发行和买卖汇票，甚至发行他们自己的货币。
. h' c2 T) K/ c- {+ G1 g1 i. P. D　　for another thing, they started the fractional reserve system which is the central feature of modern banks.
. O' {0 ]: l0 t9 u1 ^& c+ }* y+ B　　另一方面他们开始建立起部分储备制度，而这一点正是现代银行的主要特征。
　　S5:When did the idea of central banks get started?
　　学5：建立中央银行的想法是什么时候开始的？
　　Z:Well, the first bank that was partially owned and controlled by a state government was established in Venice in 1587.

会计考友

　　张：哦，第一个由国家政府部分拥有和控制的银行是1587年在威尼斯建立起来的。
　　Then, the bank of England appeared. We could call them semi-public.
9 T  I+ E, q6 C1 `; I. |: @　　后来英格兰银行出现。我们称这种银行为半公立银行。
9 s3 u* n1 u- h, H/ }! i2 d8 H　　As a matter of fact, the central banks with specific regulatory functions were created in the middle of 19th century. OK, we call it a day.
6 I  c2 E/ t' l7 f, L* v- i' m+ T　　事实上在19世纪中叶具有明确常规作用的中央银行已建立起来。好吧！下课。
　　A:Good-bye!
　　全：再见！