Question

跪求英语达人答疑解惑：有关until 的解释，请问这道题该选哪个？

Bills of exchange contributed to the development of banks, as exchangers began to provide loans. Not until the eighteenth century, however, did such banks as the Bank of Amsterdam and the Bank of England begin to provide capital for business investment. Their principal function was to provide funds for the state.

According to this paragraph , until the eighteenth century, it was the principal function of which of the following to provide funds for the state?
○ Bills of exchange
○ Exchangers who took loans
○ Banks
○ Business investment

Answer 1

Not until the eighteenth century, however, did such banks as the Bank of Amsterdam and the Bank of England begin to provide capital for business investment. 这句话等同于
Such banks as the Bank of Amsterdam and the Bank of England did not begin to provide capital for business investment until the eighteenth century,(上句话是这句话的倒装）
意思是：像阿姆斯特丹银行和英国银行一样，很多银行直到18世纪才向商业投资提供资金。
题目选Business investment，根据上一句获得信息点。

追问

我注意到一点，原文里面是not until，但是问题中出现的是until，所以我选了bill of exchange
（我理解的问题是说“在18世纪之前，哪个的主要功能是为国家提供资金？”），
但是参考答案是banks

追答

不好意思啊，没看仔细问题，你的题目理解是正确的。
这段大意是说，银行直到18世纪才向商业投资提供资金，在之前其主要作用是仅为国家提供资金。
所以是bank