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(单词翻译:双击或拖选)
The City of London is a unique place. 伦敦金融城是个特别的地方。
It's the city in a city in a country in a country that runs its government with perhaps the most complicated elections in the world, 它是个国中之国的城中之城，以大概是世界上最复杂的选举制度运作其政府，
involving medieval guilds1, modern corporations, mandatory2 titles and fancy hats, 涉及了中世纪的同业公会、现代的公司、法定的称谓和花俏的帽子，
all of which are connected in this horrifying3 org chart. 这些全都在这个可怕的组织图里相互连结。
Why so complicated? 为什么这么复杂？
Though the new Skyscrapers4 might make you think the City of London is relatively5 young, 虽然新的摩天大楼会让你觉得伦敦金融城相对来说还年轻，
it's actually the oldest continuous government on the Island of Great Britain. 但实际上它是大不列颠岛上最年长的连续政府。
The City of London predates the Empire that Victoria ruled, the Kingdoms Anne united and the Magna Carta that John reluctantly signed. 伦敦金融城在年代上早于维多利亚统治的帝国、安妮女王(1702-1714年的女王)统一的王国，以及约翰王心不甘情不愿签下的大宪章。
While the London which surrounds the city only got to electing its first Mayor in 2000, 虽然围绕伦敦金融城的伦敦市在2000年才首次选出第一位市长，
the list of Mayors who've governed the City of London is almost seven hundred people long, 但曾治理过伦敦金融城的市长名单有将近七百人，
going back more than a thousand years. 可远远追朔回一千年前。
The City of London's government is so old that there's no surviving record of exactly when it was born. 伦敦金融城的政府太老了，以致于它确切诞生的时间没有幸存的纪录。
There are only documents, like the Magna Carta, which mention the pre-existing powers of the City of London already had at that point in time. 只有像是大宪章的文件，有提到伦敦金融城在那个时间点之前就已经有了势力。
So while a government like the United States's officially gets its power from the people, 所以尽管美国这样的政府从人民身上正式得到权力、
and Parliament gets its power from the Crown (which in turn gets it from God), 议会从王权得到权力(反过来王权从神那里取得的权力) ，
the City of London gets its power from "time immemorial," 伦敦金融城则是从“太古时代”得到权力，
meaning that the City is so old. It just is. 意思就是这城市实在太老了。它就是这么老。
And that age brings with it unusual and complicated traditions, 随同它的年岁也带来了独特、复杂的传统，
the most notable of these, perhaps, is that in City of London elections, companies get votes. 其中最值得注意的，或许是在伦敦金融城的选举中，公司行号持有选票。
Quite a lot actually...about 3/4th of the votes cast in City elections are from companies with the remaining 1/4th from residents. 事实上还挺多的...伦敦金融城选举中约有四分之三投下的选票是来自于公司行号，剩下的四分之一来自于居民。
The way it works is that the bigger a company is, the more votes it gets from the City of London. 它运作的方式是，公司越大，从伦敦金融城拿到的选票就越多。
The companies then give their votes to select employees who work but do not live within the city, 接着这些公司将其选票给予那些挑出来的、在这城市工作、但不居住在此城市的员工，
and it's these employees who do the actual voting at election time. 而就是这些员工在选举时实际投票。
The result is that the Common Council, the bureaucratic6 beating heart of the City of London, 结果是，市议会，伦敦金融城跳动的官僚心脏，
has about twenty common councilors elected by residents of the city 有大约二十名市议会议员是由伦敦金融城的居民选出，
and about eighty elected by companies of the city. 而有大约八十名是由伦敦金融城的公司选出。
The reasoning behind this unusual tradition is that for every one person who lives in the City of London, 这个特殊传统背后的理由是，对于每一个住在伦敦金融城的人，
In total that's three hundred thousand commuters using City services, 整体来说有三十万名通勤族在使用城里的服务，
and whose employment depends on the City of London being business friendly. 他们的工作则仰赖伦敦金融城对企业友好的态度。
The man in charge of the common council and who heads The City's government is The Right Honorable, the Lord Mayor of London. 负责市议会和带领伦敦金融城政府的人，是“正义高尚伦敦金融城市长大人”。
Now, suppose you want to be Lord Mayor... 现在，假如你想要成为市长大人...
Surely, just as in that other London all you'll need to do is: 当然，就像在另外一个伦敦，所有你需要做的是：
a) Be a British, Commonwealth8, or EU citizen, who has a) 成为英国，联邦，或是欧盟的公民
b) lived in the city for a year, and who b) 已在此城市住了一年
c) wins the election c) 赢得选举
Right? No. 对吧？才怪。
In The City of London, that's not nearly enough. Ready for the qualifications list? 在伦敦金融城，那还差得远。准备好看资格条件列表了吗？
Before you can even run for Lord Mayor, you need to have been a Sheriff of The City of London. 在你可以参选市长大人前，你需要当过伦敦金融城的郡长。
But before you can be Sheriff, you need to be an Aldermen. 但在你可以当上郡长之前，你需要先当市府参事。
What's an Aldermen? Well, the City of London is divided into twenty-five wards10, 市府参事是什么？嗯，伦敦金融城分成二十五个区，
and each Ward9 elects one Aldermen to represent it on the Court of Aldermen (a sub-section of the common council). 每个区选出一名市府参事在参事议政厅代表该区(参事议政厅是市议会的附属部门)。
But before you can run for Alderman, you need to gain Freeman Status... 但在你可以参选市府参事前，你需要得到自由人身分...
and who gives out Freeman Status? Why none other than the very Court of Aldermen you're trying to get elected to, 而谁发放自由人身分呢？为什么不是别人而正是你试着要选进去的参事议政厅？
which might just seem like a conflict of interest? 这看起来似乎是利益上的冲突。
Luckily, there is another way to get the Freeman Status: join one of the City's Guilds. 很幸运地，有另一个得到自由人身分的方式：加入其中一个伦敦金融城的同业公会。
Sadly, they aren't called guilds, they're called Livery Companies 不幸的是，他们不叫公会，他们称作伦敦金融城同业公会
(a name which is both more boring and less descriptive, but the remnants of medieval guilds many of them are), (一个更无聊、更少描述性的名字，但中世纪公会的残存者很多都是)，
and within the City there are a hundred and eight of them to choose from, 而在伦敦金融城中其中有一百零八个可供选择，
including, but not limited to: 包括但不限于以下：
The Apothecaries11, The Fishmongers, The Masons, The Mercers, The Scientific Instrument Makers12, 药材商公会、鱼商公会、泥瓦匠公会、绸布商人公会、科学仪器制造商公会、
The Bankers, The Shipwrights13, The Wheelwrights, The Butchers, The bakers14, 银行业公会、造船工人公会、车匠公会、屠夫公会、面包师傅公会、
Two different candlestick makers and the most exciting of all: The Chartered Accountants! 两个烛台的制造商公会、还有全部之中最刺激的：特许会计师公会!
Many of these guilds, like the Fletchers, have become charities, 这些公会里有许多，像是Fletchers(造箭商)，变成慈善机构，
but some are still active, such as the Goldsmiths who test the quality of British coinage 但有些还很活跃，像是测试英国货币品质的Goldsmiths(金匠)，
and the Hackney Carriage Drivers who license15 taxi drivers. 以及发给计程车司机执照的Hackney Carriage Drivers(出租马车驾驶)。
To join one of these guilds, you'll either need to meet the professional requirements, 要加入这些公会，你要嘛得达到专业需求规定，
or for the charities like the Haberdashers, you'll need the approval of two existing members. 要嘛对于像是Haberdashers这样的慈善机构，你则需要两位现有成员的批淮。
If you meet none of the Livery Companies membership requirements, 如果你没有符合任何一项伦敦金融城同业公会成员的规定，
but you think you'll be a clever clogs16 and start your own Livery Company and grant yourself Freeman Status, 但你认为你会是个爱卖弄的聪明人，着手成立自己的同业公会，
tough luck because new Livery Companies need to be approved by...you guessed it, 接着授与自己自由人的身分，太糟糕了，因为新的同业公会需要由...你猜对了，
the Court of Aldermen. 由参事议政厅批淮。
But let's assume one way or another you get the official freeman status certificate, 但假设你想办法得到了正式的自由人证书，
now you can finally run for Aldermen of a Ward...after the Lord Chancellor's Advisory17 Committee also approves of you. 现在你终于可以参选某区的市参议员...在法官大人的咨询委员会批淮你之后。
But that small barrier passed, you can win election as Aldermen in either one of the four wards, 但跨过这小障碍，你可以在居民居住的四个区内、
where people live, or the twenty-one wards where companies live. 或公司所在的二十一个区之一赢得市参议员选举。
Once on the court of aldermen, to continue your path to the Mayor's Office in Guildhall, 一旦你进入参事议政厅后，要继续走向市政厅的市长办公室之路，
you must now be elected as sheriff, 你现在需要选上郡长，
but this time it's the members of the Livery Companies who pick the sheriffs. 但这会儿是由同业公会的成员来选出郡长。
So if the Livery Company members elect you as Sheriff, 所以如果同业公会成员选你为郡长，
after you have successfully completed your term, then you can finally run for Mayor. 在你成功地完成你的任期后，那么你就可以参选市长。
But surprisingly, the residents of the City of London don't vote for the Mayor, 但令人讶异的是，伦敦金融市的居民并不投票选市长，
our old friends on the Court of Aldermen do. 我们在参议市政厅的老朋友才要选。
So in summary, once you get your freeman status from either the court of aldermen or the livery companies, 所以总结来说，一旦你从参议市政厅或同业公会取得自由人身分，
and after your ward elected you as alderman, and then the livery companies elect you as sheriff, 然后你的区选你为市参议员之后，接着同业公会选你为郡长，
and after your term as sheriff ends, but while you're still on the court of aldermen, 然后郡长的任期结束，但你仍在参议市政厅中，
then you can run for Mayor. 接着你才可以参选市长。
And assuming the other aldermen select you, you can finally take your place as The Right Honorable, The Lord Mayor of London... 然后假设其他市参议员选你，你终于可以当上“正义高尚伦敦金融城市长大人”...
for one year, with no salary. And you have to cover your own expenses, 任期一年，没有薪水。你必须支付自己的开支，
which will be quite considerable as your new job consists mostly of making hundreds of speeches a year around the world promoting city business. 这可是很可观的一笔钱，因为你的新工作大部分包括一年在全世界办上数百场的演讲来推广伦敦金融城的事业。
But you do get that fancy hat, which just might make it all worthwhile. 但你的确会得到那顶花俏的帽子，这让一切都值得了。
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收听单词发音
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1
guilds
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| 行会，同业公会，协会( guild的名词复数 ) | |
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mandatory
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| adj.命令的；强制的；义务的；n.受托者 | |
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horrifying
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| a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的 | |
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skyscrapers
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| n.摩天大楼 | |
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relatively
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| adv.比较...地，相对地 | |
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bureaucratic
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| adj.官僚的，繁文缛节的 | |
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commute
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| vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通 | |
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commonwealth
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| n.共和国，联邦，共同体 | |
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9
ward
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| n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开 | |
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10
wards
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| 区( ward的名词复数 )； 病房； 受监护的未成年者； 被人照顾或控制的状态 | |
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11
apothecaries
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| n.药剂师，药店( apothecary的名词复数 ) | |
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12
makers
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| n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式） | |
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13
shipwrights
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| n.造船者，修船者( shipwright的名词复数 ) | |
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14
bakers
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| n.面包师( baker的名词复数 )；面包店；面包店店主；十三 | |
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15
license
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| n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许 | |
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clogs
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| 木屐； 木底鞋，木屐( clog的名词复数 ) | |
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advisory
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| adj.劝告的，忠告的，顾问的，提供咨询 | |
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