纽约势必遇水重生 The Big Apple Bites Back

简介∶人称大苹果的纽约，既非美国首都，城市规模也不是全球最大，却能在世界上发挥全方位的影响力。诚如彭博市长所下的注解，纽约的包罗万象成就其强劲的竞争力。尽管珊蒂飓风重创这座不夜城的电力供给、运输系统与商业活动，她并未就此被击倒。一如天际线上一栋栋高耸无比的摩天大楼，纽约要再次向世人展现其坚韧、自豪的生命力┅┅

The Big Apple Bites Back

As images of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy were beamed into households worldwide, people were stunned to see New York City reduced to near chaos. Yet, as expected, the Big Apple is coming out swinging. As former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani observed, “The city has been through this before and . . . New York probably does it better than most.”

Founded as New Amsterdam in 1624, the city was originally a Dutch trading post but grew in stature as a port under British rule. Mass immigration from Europe saw the population surge and, by the 1920s, New York had surpassed London as the world's most populous city. These days, millions of visitors flock to the city annually, attracted by iconic landmarks such as the Statue of Liberty or luxury boutique-lined thoroughfares like Fifth Avenue. Other highlights include the Broadway theater district and Time Square, while the Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim have art lovers in rapture.

As with any modern metropolis, New York is not without problems. Tourist areas are notoriously overcrowded, and Sandy exposed serious infrastructure problems with the antiquated subway system. On the plus side, efforts are being made to make the city greener, and one fascinating proposal is to develop part of the city's vast, unused underground space as a park.

纽约势必遇水重生

当珊蒂飓风所造成的破坏景象传到全球家家户户里，大家都很惊讶看见纽约处於近乎混乱的状态。然而一如预期，纽约正进行著捍卫之战。如同前市长鲁迪·朱利安尼所观察的∶「这座城市以前曾挺了过来┅┅纽约可能比大多数的城市做得更好。」

一六二四年创建时名为新阿姆斯特丹的纽约原本是荷兰的贸易集散地，但在英国统治下茁壮为一座港口。大批来自欧洲的移民使得人口遽增，到了一九二○年代，纽约已超越伦敦，成为全球人口最多的城市。如今，每年都有数百万名游客涌入纽约，他们深受自由女神或奢华精品店林立的第五大道等著名地标所吸引。其他吸睛点包括百老汇剧院区和时代广场，而现代艺术博物馆与古根汉博物馆则让艺术爱好者欣喜若狂。

和任何一个现代大都市一样，纽约也不是没有问题。旅游区是出了名的人满为患，珊蒂飓风则突显了老旧地铁系统严重的基础建设问题。在好的方面，市民正努力让纽约更绿化，有个很棒的提案是将这座城市部分广大且废置的地下空间开发为公园。

2013/01/21(一) You can borrow my car on one condition -- you fill the tank with gas.

你可以跟我借车，条件是你要把油加满。

2013/01/22 (二) There was a situation in the building lobby, but security handled it quickly.

大楼大厅有状况，不过警卫人员很快就处理好了。

2013/01/23 (三) A hostile takeover occurs when a company acquires the majority of publicly offered shares of another company.

当一家公司大量买下另一家公司公开发行的股份时，即为恶意并购。

2013/01/24 (四) A change might do us some good around here..

也许一个改变能为我们带来好处。

2013/01/25(五) I wish someone would spill the beans and let us in on what's happening.

我希望有人能透露消息，告诉我们发生了什麽事。