Do you have a nickname (昵称)? Most of us do by our looks, clothing, or personality. Many big cities have nicknames, such as New York—The Big Apple, London—The Great Smog, and Rome The Eternal (永恒的) City.
In the 1920s, there were many races in New York. People called the prizes of these races apples. Writer John J. Fitz Gerald first called New York the Big Apple, because New York is the place that many people dreamed of getting for the biggest prize of all.
Romans believed that no matter what happened to the world, Rome would go on forever. Rome has becn an important center of power for more than 2,000 years.
Later in 1952, serious air pollution made a lot of people fall ill. But now the air of London has become better.
Does your city have a nickname?
| A. Why do cities have such nicknames? B. But for cities, the meaning of their nicknames has much more than that. C. Does that sound interesting? D. For Rome, as the name suggests, the answer is simple. E. As for London, in the Victorian period, it had problems with its air. |
