【正确答案】The Pingyao Ancient City is an ancient cultural city with a history of more than 2,700 years. It is the prototype of China's ancient county in the Ming and Qing Dynasties which has been preserved in the most complete state in China. The Pingyao Ancient City has been a commercial town of strategic importance in Northern China since the 16th century. In the middle of the 19th century, it reached its huge prosperity and had become a center of modern Chinese financial industry. The Pingyao Ancient City is of important value for the researches on the transition of China's ancient cities, the development of urban architecture and human living forms.

【答案解析】这篇短文考查考生对中国境内保存最为完整的明清时期古县城原型——平遥古城的了解，属于历史方面的题材。原文共有4个句子。在表达方面，除了考查对特定词汇如明清时期、古县城、近代、金融业及商业重镇等的表达外，还考查段落中句与句之间逻辑关系的表达。时态是语法方面的考查重点。此外，定语的翻译及基本翻译技巧之变序法、分句法的运用也在考查之列。