11-6 纽约

New York

 

Like all great cities, New York has an indefinable aura¹ all its own.

 

Rather than diminish that aura, the events of September 11, 2001, when terrorists crashed jetliners into the World Trade Center towers, only intensified¹ the spotlight² already trained on the city and gave the term “New Yorker” a truly global definition. In a sense, when the two towers collapsed³, the city's borders collapsed with them, allowing a tide of worldwide affection to wash over New York, softening⁴ its image as a place inhabited by rude and ruthless people. Indeed, even in its darkest days the city lives up to² the slogan originally coined³ for the Plaza⁵ Hotel: “Nothing unimportant ever happens in New York.”

 

New York's history is a testament⁶⁴ to this sentiment. This is, after all, the city that swore in the first U.S. President, George Washington, and witnessed the influx⁷⁵ of millions of immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Known around the world as a major cultural and financial center, this is a hub of fashion, art, publishing, broadcasting, theater, and advertising⁸. And, of course, the city is famous for New Yorkers for their panache⁹⁶, persistence¹⁰, diversity, and strength of character, all qualities that were consistently evident throughout the crisis that unfolded in fall 2001.

 

Today, New York remains¹¹ as much a city of people, places, and things as it is a city of moments. For some visitors, their special “New York moment” comes when they spot a street or building made familiar by movies or television, like An Affair to Remember or Friends or Seinfeld.

 

In the mind's eye, Audrey Hepburn is eternally pairing diamonds and a doughnut⁷ 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 angst⁸ ridden Manhattan love affair, with the 59th Street Bridge gleaming beyond and Gershwin's music swelling¹² in the background.

 

There's a moment of sudden magic when you experience one of those only? in New York experiences, like when a gum cracking waitress calls you “hon,” or when a cabbie risks life and limb to cross several lanes of traffic to pick you up. There's also the thrill of discovering one of New York's cities within the city: Mulberry Street in Little Italy; Mott Street in Chinatown; Park Avenue's enclave⁹ of wealth and privilege; SoHo and TriBeCa, with their artistic¹³ types dressed in black from head to toe; or Eighth Avenue in Chelsea, the nexus¹⁴¹⁰ of one of the city's prominent lesbian and gay communities.

 

The first glimpse of a landmark¹⁵ could excite a visitor's infatuation¹¹, too: frenetic¹² Grand Central Terminal, bursting at the seams with commuters¹³; the concrete caverns¹⁷ of Wall Street, throbbing¹⁸ with power and ambition; the Empire State Building, its top 30 stories festively¹⁹ illuminated²⁰; or the Statue of Liberty, which neither cliché nor cheap souvenir can render common.

 

To this list of must see landmarks²² has been added a somber²³¹⁴ new entry: “ground zero,” the site of the World Trade Center. Many visitors make the pilgrimage here, to deposit flowers at makeshift shrines²⁴, view the site, or simply pay their respects.

 

注释：

1. aura [5C:rE] n. 气氛，氛围

2. live up to 遵守，符合，与……相配

3. coin [kCin] vt. 发明，创造，杜撰（新字等）

4. testament [5testEmEnt] n. 证明，证据

5. influx [5inflQks] n. 流入，涌进，汇集

6. panache [pE5nAF] n. 炫耀，夸示，神气十足

7. doughnut [5dEunQt] n. 炸面圈，多福饼，糖纳子

8. angst [B:Nst] [德] n. （尤指对时世的）忧虑，疑惧

9. enclave [5enkleiv] n. 存在于大团体中的独立小团体，孤立的小块地区

10. nexus [5neksEs] n. 交叉点，中心

11. infatuation [in7fAtju5eiFEn] n. 热恋，着迷，迷恋

12. frenetic [fri5netik] a. 极度激动的，狂热的

13. commuter¹⁶ [kE5mju:tE] n. （尤指市郊之间）乘公交车辆上下班者，月季票旅客

14. somber [5sRmbE(r)] a. [美]=sombre 阴沉的，忧郁的

 

纽约

 

纽约像其他大城市一样，有它自己难以形容的气氛。

　　2001年9月11日发生的恐怖分子劫持客机撞向世贸中心大厦的事件，非但没有冲淡这种气氛，反而使本来已经很受关注的这个城市引来更多的目光，同时也给了“纽约人”一个真正全球化的定义。从某种意义上来讲，随着双子塔的倒塌，纽约城的疆界也消失了，让全世界关爱的浪潮冲刷纽约，同时也淡化了纽约是一座粗野和无情的人居住的城市的形象。确实，即使在那段最黑暗的日子里，纽约也体现了那句本来为广场饭店打造的宣传口号——“纽约无小事”。

纽约的历史是这种情感的见证。毕竟，在这座城市里，美国第一任总统乔治·华盛顿宣誓就职；它目睹了19世纪末、20世纪初数百万人的移民潮。这里是世界闻名的重要文化、金融中心，也是时尚、艺术、出版、广播、戏剧、广告的中心。当然，这座城市也因为纽约人而闻名——他们外表神气，内心坚韧，形形色色，具有人格力量——这些品质在2001年秋天发生的那场悲剧中一直表现得十分明显。

　　而今，纽约依然是一座充满机遇的城市，它的人、景观和故事依然独具特色。对有些观光者来说，当他们看到因《金玉盟》、《老友记》、《宋飞正传》等电影或电视剧而熟悉的街道或建筑时，他们特别的“纽约一瞬”到来了。

　　在人们的想像中，奥黛丽·赫本永远会佩戴钻饰，手拿炸面圈，漫步在第五大道上，去蒂法尼饭店吃早餐；人们也不会忘记，伍迪·艾伦和黛安娜·基顿是在苏顿广场微缩景观公园里开始了他们充满了忧伤的曼哈顿之恋，第五十九街桥在远处隐现，格什温的背景音乐逐渐增强。

　　当你感受一次纽约特有的经历时，这将是魔术般的瞬间。譬如，嘴里嚼着口香糖的女招待叫你声“亲爱的”，或是出租车司机为了拉上你冒着生命危险横穿过几条繁忙的车道。发现纽约的“城中之城”也会让你非常激动，例如小意大利的桑树大街，唐人街上的莫特街，公园大街上的富人区，SoHo和TriBeCa街区——这里的艺术代表形象从上到下被装扮成黑色，还有切尔西内的第八大道——纽约一个著名的同性恋聚集区。

　　第一次看到纽约的标志性建筑也会令观光者着迷：繁忙的中央车站挤满了上下班的人；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辉煌；还有那自由女神像，陈词滥调或廉价纪念品都不能减弱它的声名。

　　在必看的标志性景点名单上又增加了让人伤感的一处——“零地带”，即世贸中心遗址。许多游客来到这里，在临时灵坛上献花，参观遗址，或者只是表示敬意。

 

 

1 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

3 collapsed   

adj.倒塌的

参考例句：

• Jack collapsed in agony on the floor. 杰克十分痛苦地瘫倒在地板上。
• The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. 房顶在雪的重压下突然坍塌下来。

4 softening   

变软，软化

参考例句：

• Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的，已经成了个软心肠的人了。

5 plaza   

n.广场，市场

参考例句：

• They designated the new shopping centre York Plaza.他们给这个新购物中心定名为约克购物中心。
• The plaza is teeming with undercover policemen.这个广场上布满了便衣警察。

6 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

7 influx   

n.流入，注入

参考例句：

• The country simply cannot absorb this influx of refugees.这个国家实在不能接纳这么多涌入的难民。
• Textile workers favoured protection because they feared an influx of cheap cloth.纺织工人拥护贸易保护措施，因为他们担心涌入廉价纺织品。

8 advertising   

n.广告业；广告活动 a.广告的；广告业务的

参考例句：

• Can you give me any advice on getting into advertising? 你能指点我如何涉足广告业吗?
• The advertising campaign is aimed primarily at young people. 这个广告宣传运动主要是针对年轻人的。

9 panache   

n.羽饰；假威风，炫耀

参考例句：

• She dresses with great panache.她穿著十分浮华。
• Her panache at dealing with the world's media is quite astonishing.她应付世界媒体的派头非常令人吃惊。

10 persistence   

n.坚持，持续，存留

参考例句：

• The persistence of a cough in his daughter puzzled him.他女儿持续的咳嗽把他难住了。
• He achieved success through dogged persistence.他靠着坚持不懈取得了成功。

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

13 artistic   

adj.艺术(家)的，美术(家)的；善于艺术创作的

参考例句：

• The picture on this screen is a good artistic work.这屏风上的画是件很好的艺术品。
• These artistic handicrafts are very popular with foreign friends.外国朋友很喜欢这些美术工艺品。

14 nexus   

n.联系；关系

参考例句：

• Shared ambition is the vital nexus between them.共同的志向是把他们联结在一起的重要纽带。
• Either way,the nexus between the consumer and consumer prices is important.无论那个方面，消费者与消费价格之间的关系是至关重要的。

15 landmark   

n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标

参考例句：

• The Russian Revolution represents a landmark in world history.俄国革命是世界历史上的一个里程碑。
• The tower was once a landmark for ships.这座塔曾是船只的陆标。

16 commuter   

n.(尤指市郊之间)乘公交车辆上下班者

参考例句：

• Police cordoned off the road and diverted commuter traffic. 警察封锁了道路并分流交通。
• She accidentally stepped on his foot on a crowded commuter train. 她在拥挤的通勤列车上不小心踩到了他的脚。

17 caverns   

大山洞，大洞穴( cavern的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Within were dark caverns; what was inside them, no one could see. 里面是一个黑洞，这里面有什么东西，谁也望不见。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• UNDERGROUND Under water grottos, caverns Filled with apes That eat figs. 在水帘洞里，挤满了猿争吃无花果。

18 throbbing   

a. 跳动的,悸动的

参考例句：

• My heart is throbbing and I'm shaking. 我的心在猛烈跳动，身子在不住颤抖。
• There was a throbbing in her temples. 她的太阳穴直跳。

19 festively   

adv.节日地，适合于节日地

参考例句：

20 illuminated   

adj.被照明的；受启迪的

参考例句：

• Floodlights illuminated the stadium. 泛光灯照亮了体育场。
• the illuminated city at night 夜幕中万家灯火的城市

21 cliche   

n./a.陈词滥调(的)；老生常谈(的)；陈腐的

参考例句：

• You should always try to avoid the use of cliche. 你应该尽量避免使用陈词滥调。
• The old cliche is certainly true:the bigger car do mean bigger profits.有句老话倒的确说得不假:车大利大。

22 landmarks   

n.陆标( landmark的名词复数 )；目标；（标志重要阶段的）里程碑 ~ (in sth)；有历史意义的建筑物（或遗址）

参考例句：

• The book stands out as one of the notable landmarks in the progress of modern science. 这部著作是现代科学发展史上著名的里程碑之一。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The baby was one of the big landmarks in our relationship. 孩子的出世是我们俩关系中的一个重要转折点。 来自辞典例句

23 somber   

adj.昏暗的，阴天的，阴森的，忧郁的

参考例句：

• He had a somber expression on his face.他面容忧郁。
• His coat was a somber brown.他的衣服是暗棕色的。

24 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。