VOA慢速英语2013 Words and Their Stories: Nicknames for Chicago

Words and Their Stories: Nicknames for Chicago

词汇典故：芝加哥别名

Now, the VOA Special English program WORDS AND THEIR STORIES.

现在是美国之音慢速英语词汇典故节目。

A nickname is a shortened version of a person's name. A nickname also can describe a person, place or thing. Many American cities have interesting nicknames. These can help establish an identity, spread pride among citizens and build unity 1.

别名是一个人名字的缩写形式。也可以是有关某人、某地、某事物的描述。许多美国城市都有别名，这有助于确立城市风格，激发民众的自豪感，并增进团结。别名也可以非常有趣。

(Frank Sinatra - "Chicago")

Chicago, Illinois was once the second largest city in the United States. So, one of its nicknames is The Second City. Over the years, the population of Chicago has decreased. Today it is the third largest American city.

伊利诺伊州的芝加哥曾经是美国第二大城市。所以，芝加哥其中一个别名就是“第二城”。多年来，芝加哥的人口不断减少。今天，芝加哥变成了美国第三大城市。

However, another nickname for Chicago is still true today. It is The Windy City. Chicago sits next to Lake Michigan, one of North America's Great Lakes. Language expert Barry Popick says on his web site that Chicago was called a "windy city" because of the wind that blows off of Lake Michigan. In the eighteen sixties and seventies, Chicago was advertised as an ideal place to visit in the summer because of this cool wind.

然而，芝加哥的另一个别名今天仍名副其实。这个别名就是“风城”。芝加哥坐落在北美五大湖之一密歇根湖畔。语言学家巴里·波皮克（Barry Popick）在他的网站上表示，芝加哥被称为“风城”是由于从密歇根湖吹来的风。在十九世纪六七十年代，芝加哥标榜其凉风习习，是夏日避暑的理想场所。

But anyone who has ever lived in Chicago knows how cold that wind can be in winter. The wind travels down the streets between tall buildings in the center of the city.

但任何曾在芝加哥住过的人都知道冬天时候风有多冷。寒风在市中心高楼大厦之间的街道肆虐。

Barry Popick says other cities in the central United States called Chicago a "windy city." This meant that people in Chicago liked to brag 2 or talk about how great their city was. They were full of wind or full of hot air. He says newspapers in Cincinnati, Ohio used this expression in the eighteen seventies.

波皮克表示，美国中部其他城市称芝加哥为“浮夸之城”。意思是说芝加哥人喜欢吹嘘或谈论芝加哥有多了不起，空话连篇，夸夸奇谈。他说，俄亥俄州辛辛那提的报纸曾在19世纪70年代使用过这个说法。

Chicago was an important agricultural, industrial and transportation center for the country.

芝加哥是美国重要的农业、工业和交通运输中心。

In nineteen sixteen, the city gained two more nicknames from a poem called "Chicago," written by Carl Sandburg. Here is the first part of the poem:

1916年，芝加哥从卡尔·桑德堡（Carl Sandburg）创作的《芝加哥》一诗中又获得了两个别名。以下是这首诗的第一部分：

Hog 3 Butcher for the World,

全世界的屠猪场，

Tool Maker 4, Stacker of Wheat,

工具场，积麦仓，

Player with Railroads and the Nation's Freight Handler;

玩弄铁路的游戏师，国民经济的搬运大王；

Stormy, husky, brawling 5,

风暴，破嗓，喧嚣，

City of the Big Shoulders.

臂力刚强的大肩膀。

Chicago was called Hog Butcher for the World because of its huge meat-processing industry. And, it was called The City of the Big Shoulders or City of Broad Shoulders because of its importance to the nation.

由于其庞大的肉类加工行业，芝加哥被称为“世界屠猪城”(Hog Butcher for the World)。同时由于其对全国的重要性，又被叫做“巨肩之城”(City of Broad Shoulders)。

There are several songs about Chicago. "My Kind of Town" was made popular by Frank Sinatra in nineteen sixty-four.

关于芝加哥的歌曲有很多。1964年，辛纳屈演唱的"My Kind of Town"流行开来。

This program was written by Shelley Gollust. I'm Faith Lapidus. You can find more WORDS AND THEIR STORIES at our website, www.voanews.cn.