Besides the capital city,Washington, D.C., there are other important yet famous cities in the UnitedStates. In this graph, the capital city of each states is marked in red dots. It is interesting that some of the capital cities are not the most noticeable ones in the state. Other big cities are marked in black dots in the map. In this part, let’s talk about some of the major cities in the US. We will start with New York.

   New York City （纽约市）

New York City (shorten as NYC) is situated in southeastern New York State. It’s the most populous city in the United States. With more than 8.7million people distributed over a land area of 784 km², the city is also the most densely populated one in the country.

As a city of Islands, New York covers all or part of three islands: Manhattan Island, Long Island and Staten Island（斯塔滕岛）at the mouth of the Hudson River. The city can be divided into five boroughs（行政区）: Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx（布朗克斯区）, and Staten Island. The Bronx isthe only borough on the mainland. Queen and Brooklyn occupy the western end ofLong Islands. Being surrounded by water, the other two boroughs, Manhattan andStaten Island, face each other across New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty,（自由女神像） a gift of friendship from Franceand a universal symbol of freedom and democracy, is just standing in the New York Harbor.

The New York City is always regarded as the economic, financial,political and cultural center of the United States. And Manhattan is the heartof the city. Many districts and landmarks have become well known in this borough.

Time Square, a major intersection in Midtown Manhattan, is a symbolof the City. It’s the site of the New Year’s Eve ball drop (we’ve mentioned it in Chapter 7).

Here’s also the hub of the Broadway Theater District, which is a major center of the world's entertainment industry. Broadway（百老汇） is an entire area on and adjacent to Broadway Street, and includes more than 40 theaters of varying sizes and popularity. Broadway is famous for its musical shows, which have a great influence on American pop culture and help make the city the culture of thenation.

The Manhattan borough also owns many world-renowned skyscrapers. The Empire State Building（帝国大厦） is a 102-story landmark located in Midtown Manhattan. It once stoodas the world’s tallest building for more than 40 years after its completion in1931. Now the title of the tallest building has been replaced by the new One World Trade Center, also known as Freedom Tower. The original World TradeCenter featured landmark twin towers, which were destroyed in the September 11attacks of 2001.

 Almost 1/5 of the borough is used as parkland. Nor far from the Empire State Building is the most visitedurban park, Central Park（中央公园）. It offers a zoo, a nature center, playgrounds, paths for runningand bicycling. Some well-known museums are also situated in this area.

As the most important financial district in Lower Manhattan, Wall Street helps make New York the leading financial center of the world. It is home to the world’s two largest stock exchanges: the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ.

The headquarters of the United Nations is also located in NYC.

     Philadelphia（费城）

Philadelphia was once the largest city in the colonial days and theseat of the Continental Congress during the War of Independence and served asthe national capital for a short time. It is now an international port, acommercial and industrial center on the Delaware River, East Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia is home to many national historical sites that arerelated to the founding of the country. Independence National Historical Parkis the center of these landmarks. Some famous attractions include the LibertyBell and the Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence wassigned.

   Boston（波士顿）

Boston is the capital of the state of Massachusetts. With a finenatural harbor, it is one of American’s great seaport.

First settled in 1630, Boston was one of the resistance centers tothe British rule during the American Revolution. Several key events took placehere, including the Boston Tea Party, the first shot in the War of Independencefired in Lexington, and the first real battle of the Revolution fought onBunker Hill in 1775.

Many highly ranked universities in the world are located here, suchas Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and BostonUniversity. These college and universities make Boston an international centerof higher education and the city is considered to be a world leader ininnovation.

 Chicago （芝加哥）

Chicago, “the Windy City”, is the third largest cities in the US themost populous city in the American Midwest. It lies on the southwest shore ofLake Michigan. The beneficial location has made it the greatest transportationcenter in the country ever since the beginning of the settlement. As one of theleading industrial cities, both heavy and light industries are highly developedhere. It’s now a commercial, financial and industrial center of the Midwestregion. Meanwhile it’s a cultural center, for it has one of the world’s bestcollections of modern architecture, such as the 110-story Willis Tower（威利斯大厦）and the Art Institute of Chicago.

Los Angles （洛杉矶）

Located along the Pacific Ocean, Los Angles is the largest city inthe state of California and the second largest in the United States. LosAngeles is an important electronic center. It’s known for the manufacture oftire, automobiles, and aircrafts, and is also the center of atomic research. Asthe home base of Hollywood, Los Angeles is known as the “Entertainment Capitalof the World,” leading the world in the creation of motion pictures, televisionproduction and recorded music. The importance of the entertainment business tothe city attracts many ambitious young people seeking their dream of stardomhere.

 San Francisco （旧金山）

San Francisco is a chief port and financial center of the Pacificcoast in North California. The transcontinental railroad connects San Franciscowith the industrial and agricultural centers of the Midwest and the East. TheSan Francisco Bay area, with its beautiful hills, parks and fine climate, is anideal summer resort. The Golden Gate Bridge is a spectacular scene for visitor.Chinatown in San Francisco is one of the largest Chinese settlements in the United States.

Houston （休斯顿）

Houstonis the most populous city in the state of Texas and also the largest city in the southern United States. With the manned Spacecraft Center, Houston has won the name “Space City”. It’s a major port too, linked with the Gulf of Mexico by the Houston Ship Channel.