什么是银行

　　Whenever banks are mentioned in China， it is natural to be associated with the People's Bank of China. This is because its branches can be found in the cities in this country， and this bank is commonly known as the leading body of the Chinese banking system which includes state commercial banks such as the Agricultural Bank of China， Bank of China， the Construction Bank of China， the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China， Bank of Communications， and other banking institutions.

　　在中国，人们一提到银行，就自然而然地和中国人民银行联系起来。这是因为它的分支机构在全国的各城市都能找到，通常被认为是包括国有商业银行，比如中国农业银行、中国银行、中国建设银行、中国工商银行、交通银行，以及其它金融机构在内的中国金融体系的主管部门。

　　But what is a bank then？ It may be advisable to define a bank as an institution for doing financial work. Here， each specialized bank has its own business activities，but there are two basic functions in common.

　　那么，什么是银行？将银行解释为办理金融业务的机构可能是较为恰当的。这里，每家专业银行都有各自的业务范围，但一般有两项基本职能。

　　One is to accept deposits of money from customers；The other is to make loans to the customers who wish to borrow. With the continuous development of China‘s economy and trade， especially after the country has opened to the outside world， banks will be playing more and more important role in our lives.　　

　　一是吸收客户的存款；二是向那些想借款的客户发放贷款。随着中国经济和贸易的持续发展，尤其是对外开放以后，银行将会在我们的生活中发挥越来越重要的作用。