世界金融中心-英国.doc

世界金融中心--伦敦 2006年10月28日 18:45 London as a financial center 世界金融中心—伦敦 Capital City 金融之都 Oct 19th 2006??From The Economist print edition Twenty years ago London embarked on a remarkable transformation to become a global financial centre. It now has to keep its lead. 伦敦在20年前进行了一次成功的转型，成为全球的金融中心。如今的它必须保持领导地位 ONCE a year the Lord Mayor of London invites top financiers to the “City Banquet” at Mansion House, his official home. It is one of many opulent functions hosted by a Gilbert-and-Sullivan-sounding figure whose grand title harks back to the middle ages, when the Lord Mayor really did run the capital rather than act as an honorific salesman for its financial centre. But although the old City of London still celebrates its ancient traditions梩odays Lord Mayor is the 678th梩he new City has discovered a modern destiny as a hub of international finance since far-reaching reforms transformed the London stockmarket 20 years ago. 伦敦金融城的市长每年都要举行一次“正式的宴会”，招待那些顶尖的金融家们，地点是在他的办公场所Mansion House。这只是伦敦金融城的市长，这个Gilbert和Sullivan戏剧中的时代人物，举办的许多正式宴会中的一个。伦敦金融城市长的勋爵爵位的授予要追溯到遥远的中世纪，在那时，市长拥有实权，而不象现在只是向外界推广介绍自己管辖的城市。虽然伦敦金融城还在举行着悠久历史的传统仪式，（今年的市长已经是第678任了）但使金融城重获新生却缘自于20年前进行一场改革，这场针对其股票交易市场改革意义深远，将伦敦转型为国际的金融中心。 That revolution was called “Big Bang” because new ways of trading shares came into effect on one day, October 27th 1986. Just as the universe exploded after Big Bang, so the City has burst from its former boundaries around the old “square mile” of the Lord Mayors domain and, in the process, redrawn the capitals skyline. 那次大变革被称为“大爆炸”（Big Bang）,一些关于股票交易的新法规于1986年10月27日这一天，正式生效。这正如宇宙在大爆炸之后的情形一样，从此金融城从以往的狭小的“一平方英里”市长领地，蜕变成为首都一道新的亮丽风景线。 Twenty years ago, Canary Wharf was a wasteland in east Londons docklands. Now it sprouts skyscrapers, including Britains tallest, that provide palatial premises for global banks with giant trading floors. There are now almost as many financial staff working in just this one area as in the whole of Frankfurt, Londons main European rival, says George Iacobescu,