退欧引爆人才争夺战
经济学家认为，即便欧盟可以“孤立”伦敦，大型银行也不会希望全球衍生品市场及其客户呈现割裂状态。尽管如此，法国已展开一场对企业和人才的争夺战。
测试中可能遇到的词汇和知识：
dangle 摇晃地悬挂着['dæŋg(ə)l]
stigmatized 使……蒙上污名['stiɡmətaiz]
bloc 国家集团[blɒk]
intensify 强化；变激烈[ɪn'tensɪfaɪ]
rekindle 重新点燃[riː'kɪnd(ə)l]
阅读马上开始，建议您计算一下阅读整篇文章所用的时间，对照下方的参考值就可以评估出您的英文阅读水平。
如果您读完全文用时为： 那么，您的阅读速度相当于 每分钟阅读的英文单词数
3分14秒 母语为英语者的朗读速度 140
1分56秒 母语为英语的中学生的阅读速度 250
1分5秒 母语为英语的大学生的阅读速度 350
0分44秒 母语为英语的速读高手 1000
Paris dangles tax carrots to entice bankers fleeing London（440 words）
By Anne-Sylvaine Chassany in Paris
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Four years after François Hollande — then soon to be elected French president — stigmatised the “world of finance” as his “true adversary”, France is rolling out the red carpet for bankers. His socialist government is now leading the pack of EU countries seeking to lure highly paid London bankers looking for a home when the UK leaves the bloc.
On Wednesday, it unveiled a list of carrots for executives considering Paris for their new base, including a hefty income tax break of up to 50 per cent and the right to exclude foreign properties and assets from the calculation of wealth tax for eight years — up from five years currently.
The measure means France will offer Europe’s “most favourable” fiscal regime for returning expatriates and foreign executives, Manuel Valls, prime minister, said at a gathering of financial executives in Paris.
“Paris as a financial centre is what makes France’s attractiveness,” Mr Valls said to cheers in the audience.
The aggressive marketing is a sharp reverse from 2012. After Mr Hollande imposed a temporary 75 per cent marginal income tax, British prime minister David Cameron promised to “roll out the red carpet” for French bankers. When French ministers attacked steel magnate Lakshmi Mittal for closing steel plants, Boris Johnson, London’s then-mayor and now Brexit frontman, joined in, declaring: “Venez à Londres, mes amis! (Come to London, my friends!)”
Now, it’s the turn of Paris to try to seduce London bankers and their families with its “Welcome to Europe” slogan. Facing competition from Frankfurt, Dublin, Luxembourg and Amsterdam, Mr Valls has decided to step up his efforts, according to his staff.
“We’re aware of the negative signals that are sometimes perceived abroad. The Brexit vote is providing us with an opportunity to show that France is business-friendly,” a member of his team said.
Other measures include a single point of contact for those relocating to France, in order to provide guidance on everything from taxes to office space and schools. “We will open as many international classes as necessary,” Mr Valls said.
The French government is intensifying plans to promote Paris and its suburbs as part of a plan to rekindle growth in the Eurozone’s second-largest economy 10 months before presidential elections.
Mr Hollande was quick to warn last week that the City of London would not be able to keep euro-trade clearing operations after leaving the EU.
But the French government, conscious of the typically higher taxes it imposes on companies and individuals, is also eager to emphasise the other advantages of a move to Paris — such as high-quality infrastructure, a pool of well-educated graduates and a vibrant cultural scene.
请根据你所读到的文章内容，完成以下自测题目：
1. How many years has François Hollande been the French president?
A. 4
B. 3
C. 2
D. 1
2. How long is the right to exclude foreign properties from the calculation of wealth tax for British executives in Paris now?
A. none
B. 50 months
C. 5 years
D. 8 years
3. Which one is not mentioned as France’s competitor about enticing bankers fleeing London?
A. Netherlands
B. Germany
C. Australia
D. Ireland
4. Which one is the Eurozone’s second-largest economy?
A. Germany
B. Italy
C. France
D. Bulgaria
[1] 答案 A. 4
解释：文章提到他已经做了4年的法国总统（自2012年）。
[2] 答案 C. 5 years
解释：迁往法国的高管将可以享受最高50%的所得税减免，而且在8年里（目前为5年）在计算财富税时不计他们的境外财产。
[3] 答案 C. Australia
解释：文章提到了巴黎还面临着Frankfurt（德国）, Dublin（爱尔兰）, Luxembourg（卢森堡）, Amsterdam（荷兰）的竞争。
[4] 答案 C. France
解释：欧元区第二大经济体是通常给公司和个人施加沉重税收负担的法国政府，还急于强调迁往巴黎的整体好处。
