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Culture Corner The Euro - the Second Biggest Currency in the World On 1st January 2002, twelve European countries started using the new euro as their official currency. The euro soon became the second biggest currency in the world. Introducing the euro was not a simple matter. There were many things to consider. One problem was the design of the coins and notes.Usually, a currency is associated with one country only so it is easier to find images and symbols to put on the coins and notes. However, for the euro, twelve different countries were involved,and each country was as keen as the other to be represented. The notes were designed by Robert Kalina of Austria and he developed an interesting solution to the problem.His designs show seven different periods in European architecture. However, instead of showing real, existing structures,he used photographs to make up imaginary structures that best represented the different architectural styles. The fronts of the notes show windows or gates while the backs show bridges. This is to represent communication between the people of Europe. All euro notes show the European flag and a map of Europe. The 12 stars on the European flag represent the 12 countries within the European Union,including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. The coins were easier to design. Each country was allowed to design their own euro coins which could be used in any of the participating countries. For example, Spain put one of their famous writers, called Cervantes, on one of their coins and Austria made a coin with Mozart's face on it. 文化广角 欧元—世界第二大货币 2002年1月1日，12个欧洲国家开始使用欧元作为正式货币。欧元很快成为世界第二大货币。 引入欧元可不是一件简单的事情。要考虑很多问题。一个问题就是硬币和纸币的设计。 一般来说，一种货币只涉及一个国家，因此找到一种印制在硬币或纸币上的典型形象并不难。 然而，欧元涉及12个不同的国家， 每个国家又都像其他国家一样渴望出现在画面上。纸币由奥地利人罗伯特o卡利纳设计，他提出一种解决此问题的有趣方法。 他的设计体现了七个不同时期的欧洲建筑。但他没有去展现真实存在的建筑结构，而是用照片聚合成一个想象中的能最佳代表不同建筑风格的结构图。 纸币正面是窗户和门，背面是桥。这样设计旨在表现欧洲人民之间的关系。所有纸币上都有欧盟旗和欧洲地图。 欧盟旗上的12颗星星代表欧盟的12个成员国，包括奥地利、比利时、芬兰、法国、德国、希腊、爱尔兰、意大利、卢森堡、荷兰、葡萄牙和西班牙。 硬币的设计要容易一些。每个国家都可以设计自己的硬币，而这些硬币可以在每一个成员国使用。 比如，西班牙在硬币上刻了他们的著名作家塞万提斯，奥地利在硬币上刻了莫扎特的面容。 |
