GRE阅读练习：中国古城从金融中心到旅游胜地.docxVIP

Word文档下载后（可任意编辑） 第 第 PAGE 1 页 共 NUMPAGES 1 页 GRE阅读练习：中国古城从金融中心到旅游胜地 GRE阅读训练：GRE阅读练习：中国古城从金融中心到旅游胜地 GRE考试精品课程指导  A former financial hub now begs for the patronage of tourists  曾经的金融中心，如今向光顾的游客乞食  ITALIAN cities such as Florence and Venice have long made a mint from the architectural wonders built when they were financial centres. China has been slower to capitalise on the physical remains of past commercial glory in Pingyao, an urban backwater in inland Shanxi province, which was Chinas banking hub in the 19th century. Today tourists flock to the walled city, with its unusually well-preserved houses built between the 17th and 19th centuries. But restoring its former wealth remains elusive.  像佛罗伦萨、威尼斯这类曾经是金融中心的意大利城市留有大量辉煌的建筑，人们也早就开始利用这些遗迹赚钱。中国的平遥是位于内地省份山西的闭塞小城，19世纪时曾是全国的金融中心，平遥往日商业辉煌的遗迹之前也开发得相对慢。如今这座城墙高耸，拥有大片保存良好的明清建筑的小城迎来了熙熙攘攘的游客。但要重现往日的富裕，仍是不太可能的。  The most-visited attraction in modern Pingyao is the Rishengchang Draft Bank, which in 1823 became the first in China to issue cheques. The city lay on the path of a lucrative trade route. The banks manager spied a business opportunity when he saw silver shipments passing each other in opposite direction. He replaced pricey security, wagons and pack animals with a clearing house.  日昇昌票号是如今平遥最吸引人的景点，1823年，这家票号开出了中国第 一张支票。平遥小城坐落在财源滚滚的贸易路线上。票号经理从来来往往运送白银的商队中觉察到了商机。他以这样一间提供结算服务的铺子，取代了代价不菲的镖师，马车，牲畜。  The bank spawned around 50 competitors across Shanxi (nearly half in Pingyao) with hundreds of branches across the empire. At the time Chinese bankers were held in lower esteem than peasants and tradesmen. They tried to keep staff honest by making them pledge their homes and even to surrender their families as slaves if they committed fraud; investors had no control over the banks daily operations.  在日昇昌的刺激下，山西省内诞生了约50家类似的票号(半数都在平遥)，数以百计的分庄遍布整个帝国。在那时的中国，票号掌柜的地位比农民商人都低。为了确保伙计的诚信，掌柜会让伙计当掉自己的房子，一旦发现有欺诈行为，会把伙计们的家人卖作佣人;同时票号的出资人无权掌控日常的经营。  But it was not the staff that did for the banks