Do you have a nickname(昵称)? Most of us do by our looks, clothing,or personality. But for cities, the meaning of their nicknames has much more than that.
Many big cities have nicknames, such as New York—the Big Apple, London—the Great Smog, and Rome—the Eternal(永恒的)City. Why do cities have such nicknames?
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 going to for the biggest prize of all.
For Rome, as the name suggests, the answer is simple.Romans believed that no matter what happened to the world, Rome would go on forever. Rome has been an important center of power for more than 2.000 years.
As for London, in the Victorian period, it had problems with its air. Later in 1952, serious air pollution made 10000 people fall ill. But now the air of London has become better.
Does that sound interesting? Does your city have a nickname?
