Chicago: An American City 兼容并蓄的芝加哥
by Kevin Lustig
If you want to see the US, don't overlook Chicago and its Millennium Park.
如果你想了解美國,千萬別錯過芝加哥和千禧公園。
People all over the world are familiar with major American cities like New York, Washington D.C., and Los Angeles. But what about Chicago? The Windy City is well worth exploring.
Chicago has played a big part in American history. In modern times, this metropolis in the Midwest region of the United States has become an important center for business, music, and education.
Chicago was founded in 1837, during a time when America was expanding. Most Americans lived east of the Mississippi River then, but they were moving in large numbers toward the west coast. Chicago is located very close to the Mississippi River and is situated on the southern shore of Lake Michigan, one of the five Great Lakes between the US and Canada. Through the system of lakes and rivers, Chicago was well connected to all of the American states. Travelers moving west brought business and new residents to the city, which grew to 1 million people within 50 years of its founding.
By the 1890s, Chicago had become a leading international city. The University of Chicago, one of the world's most prominent universities, was founded in 1892, and Chicago hosted the 1893 World's Fair, bringing millions of visitors from around the globe. Later on, Chicago became an important center for jazz music. In 1974, Chicago's Sears Tower was built, the tallest building in the world at the time. Chicago is now the third largest city in the US, and one of its most important in commerce and culture. For anyone who is interested in seeing the US, Chicago is not to be missed.
世界各地的民眾都很熟悉紐約、華盛頓特區(qū)和洛杉磯等美國主要城市。那芝加哥呢?這座人們口中的『風(fēng)城』值得讓人探索一番。
芝加哥在美國歷史上占有舉足輕重的地位。在現(xiàn)代,這座位于美國中西部的大都市成為商業(yè)、音樂和教育的重鎮(zhèn)。
芝加哥建于 1837 年正值美國擴(kuò)張時(shí)期。當(dāng)時(shí)大部分美國人居住在密西西比河?xùn)|岸,后來逐漸大批移往西岸。芝加哥地理位置靠近密西西比河,位于美加交界的五大湖之一,也就是密西根湖的南岸。透過河湖系統(tǒng),芝加哥與美國各州緊緊聯(lián)系。西進(jìn)的人口帶來商業(yè)活動和新的居民,讓芝加哥在成立 50 年內(nèi)人口增加到 1 百萬。
到了 1890 年代,芝加哥已成為重要的國際城市。成立于 1892 年的芝加哥大學(xué)是世界最知名的學(xué)府之一。芝加哥也舉辦過 1893 年的世界博覽會,吸引了世界各地好幾百萬的觀光人潮。之后,芝加哥成為爵士樂的重鎮(zhèn)。1974 年,芝加哥希爾斯大廈落成,成為當(dāng)時(shí)世界的最高樓。如今,芝加哥是美國第三大城市,也是美國貿(mào)易和文化重鎮(zhèn)。對于任何有興趣一窺美國的人而言,絕對不能錯過芝加哥。
單字小鋪
1. metropolis n. 大都市
2. found vt. 建立;創(chuàng)立
3. resident n. 居民
4. leading a. 主要的;領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的
5. prominent a. 顯著的;卓越的
6. commerce n. 商業(yè);貿(mào)易
詞組小鋪
1. all over the world 全球各地
= around the world
= across the world
= throughout the world
= the world over
2. be interested in... 對……有興趣
精解字詞詞組
1. A be familiar with B A 熟悉 B
= B be familiar to A
例: He was familiar with the scenery.
= The scenery was familiar to him.
(那景色對他而言很熟悉。)
2. be worth + N/V-ing 值得……
注意:
worth 為形容詞,卻帶有介詞的功能,換言之,其后須接名詞或動名詞作受詞。
例: This TV show is definitely worth watching.
(這個電視節(jié)目絕對值得一看。)
3. play a big part/role in... 在……中∕方面扮演舉足輕重的角色
play an important part/role in... 在……中∕方面扮演重要的角色
例: Computers play an important part in every modern office.
(在所有現(xiàn)代化辦公室中,計(jì)算機(jī)都扮演了重要的角色。)
4. expand vi. 擴(kuò)張;發(fā)展 & vt. 擴(kuò)充,擴(kuò)大
例: Mr. Brown has recently expanded his business.
(布朗先生最近擴(kuò)張了他的事業(yè)。)
5. in large numbers 為數(shù)很多地
in small numbers 少數(shù)地
例: The brochures were printed in small numbers.
(這些小冊子印制的份數(shù)很少。)
6. be connected to... 與……連接
connect A to B 連接 A 和 B
例: Jim connected the blue wire to the red one, and the phone worked again.
(吉姆將藍(lán)色的線接上紅色的,然后電話又通了。)
7. host vt. 主辦;主持
例: I'm hosting a dinner party on Friday. Can you come?
(星期五我要舉辦一場晚宴。你能夠來參加嗎?)
8. later on 后來,稍后
例: Let's swim now and get some food later on.
(我們現(xiàn)在先游泳,稍后再吃點(diǎn)東西。)