Standing on the Hudson River, New York City is the most important part and the largest city in the USA. The city is the leading commercial, financial, and cultural center of the country. It can be divided into five areas: Brooklyn, Bronx, Manhattan, Queens, and Staten Island. Manhattan is the heart of New York City. And Wall Street, a small street in Manhattan, is one of the most important financial centers in the world. It is the home of many major stock exchanges and financial institutions. Broadway in Midtown Manhattan is one of the leading entertainment centers all over the world. In addition, there are more than one hundred institutions of higher education operating in New York City. The city is very attractive.

New York remains as such a city of people, places, and things as it is a city of moments. In the mind's eye, Audrey Hepburn is eternally pairing diamonds and a doughnut as she strolls down Fifth Avenue to have breakfast at Tiffany's. And the miniature park on Sutton Place will always be where Woody Allen and Diane Keaton began their angst-ridden Manhattan love affair, with the 59th Street Bridge gleaming beyond and Gershwin's music swelling in the background.

The first glimpse of a landmark could excite a visitor's infatuation, too: frenetic Grand Central Terminal, bursting at the seams with commuters; the concrete caverns of Wall Street, throbbing with power and ambition; the Empire State Building, its top 30 stories festively illuminated; or the Statue of Liberty, which neither cliche nor cheap souvenir can render common.

Like all great cities, New York has an indefinable aura all its own.

位于哈德逊河旁的纽约是美国最重要的部分和最大的城市，它是美国主要的商业、金融和文化中心。纽约分为五个地区：布鲁克林、布朗克斯、曼哈顿、昆斯和斯塔腾岛。曼哈顿是纽约市的中心。其中的华尔街虽然规模不大，却是世界最重要的金融中心之一，它是许多主要证券交易所和金融机构的大本营。曼哈顿中城区的白老汇是世界主流娱乐中心之一。除此之外，在纽约市还有一百多家高等教育机构。这是一座充满着吸引力的城市。

像过去一样，纽约依然是一座充满机遇的城市，这里的人、景观和故事依然独具特色。在人们心中，奥黛丽.赫本永远都是佩戴着钻饰，手拿甜甜圈，漫步在第五大道，去蒂法尼吃早餐。人们也不会忘记，伍迪.艾伦和戴安娜.基顿是在苏顿广场微缩景观公园里开始了他们充满忧伤的曼哈顿之恋的，还有远处隐现的第五十九街桥和渐起的格什温的背景音乐。

第一次看到纽约的标志性建筑，总会激起观光者的迷恋之情：繁忙的中央车站挤满了上下班的人；在华尔街的钢筋水泥深处搏动着权力和野心；最高30层的帝国大厦节日般地灯火闪烁；还有自由女神像，不论是那些陈词滥调或是廉价纪念品都不能削弱它的名声。

纽约像其他大城市一样，有它自己不可言状的氛围。

commercial adj. 商业的

entertainment n. 娱乐

landmark n. 地标

illuminate vt. 照明，照亮

stock n. 股份

eternally adv. 不朽地，永久地

commuter n. 每日往返的上班者

Benjamin 刚去纽约参加了一个国际学术研讨会，回来后朋友Todd 问起了他在纽约的所见所闻。

T = Todd 托 = 托德 B = Benjamin 本 = 本杰明

T: New York is really a big city, isn't it?

B: Yes. The area of it is 780 km2 with the population of more than 7 million in the urban area. It's crowded in the street.

T: Is the architecture in New York very modern?

B: Of course. The city has been home to several of the tallest buildings in the world, such as the Empire State Building.

T: I know that New York has a nickname "the Big Apple". Do you know how does it get this name?

B: Oh, I just heard the story from an old man in New York. Fifty years ago, jazz musicians earned money by performing in many cities and towns across the United States. They usually played their music in a different town each night. But the performers would like to play in New York City best of all. The early jazz musicians described each town and city in America as an apple on a tree. Naturally they called New York City the Big Apple. Later a night club was named "the Big Apple", and a popular dance was also called "the Big Apple". The city officials wanted to get more people to visit New York. They need a new symbol for their city. They remembered the stories of the jazz musicians and began using "the Big Apple" in their advertisements.

T: Sounds interesting!

托：纽约的确是一座很大的城市，是吗？

本：是的，它的面积为780平方公里，市区人口有700多万，所以街道很拥挤。

托：纽约的建筑很现代吗？

本：当然了，它汇聚了世界上许多最高的建筑物，例如帝国大厦。

托：纽约有个绰号叫“大苹果”，你知道它的由来吗？

本：我刚从纽约的一位老人那听到这个故事。大约在50年前，美国一群爵士乐师们经常到美国各地巡回演出赚钱。他们每晚通常在不同的城镇演出，但他们最喜欢在纽约演出。他们把所去的城镇比喻成树上的苹果。纽约当然就被称为大苹果了。不久，纽约一家俱乐部和一种流行舞蹈也取名为“大苹果”。大约50年后，纽约市的官员想吸引更多的人来这个城市旅游。他们需要一个新的城市标识，于是想起了爵士乐师的故事，便开始在广告里用起了“大苹果”这个名字。

托：这个故事听起来真有趣！

population n. 人口

musician n. 音乐家

describe vt. 描述

official n. 官员

nickname n. 昵称

performer n. 表演者

naturally adv. 自然地

假如你的一位外国朋友一直对纽约很感兴趣，一天，你和他谈论起了关于纽约这座城市。试着完成下面的对话。

1. 外国朋友：Do you know the area and population of New York?

你：_______________________________________________

2. 外国朋友：Can you tell me any tallest building in New York?

你：_______________________________________________

3. 外国朋友：Who firstly called New York "the Big Apple"?

你：_______________________________________________

1. Yes. The area is 780 km2, and the population in more than 7 million in the urban area.

2. Of course, such as the Empire State Building.

3. Some jazz musicians about fifty years ago.

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