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New York is nothing like Paris； it is nothing like London. The poem whose magic is comprehensible① to millions of permanent② residents but whose full meaning will always remain elusive③. At the feet of the tallest and plushest offices lie the crummiest④ slums. The genteel mysteries housed in the Riverside Church are only a few blocks from the voodoo charms of Harlem.
Manhattan has been compelled⑤ to expand skyward because of the absence of any other direction in which to grow. Every time the residents brush their teeth， millions of gallons of water must be drawn from the hills. The smoke-fog that drifts over every few days， blotting out all light at noon.
But the city makes up for its hazards and defi ciencies⑥ by supplying its citizens with massive doses of a supplementary vitamin—the sense of belonging to something unique， cosmopolitan， mighty and unparalleled city.
紐约一点也不像巴黎，与伦敦也毫无相似之处。这座小岛的魔力，久居此地的人们都能充分体会，但谁也别想参透它这首诗的诗意。高耸入云的豪华写字楼旁就是破败不堪的贫民屋；河滨公园古朴静谧的神秘感与几个街区外哈勒姆区萦绕着的巫毒氛围相映成趣。
因为无法向四面扩张，曼哈顿不得不向天空延展。城市的居民们每刷一次牙，就有数百万加仑的水要被从山间抽出。浓得可怕的雾霾每隔几日就会飘过来，在正午也能遮天蔽日。
但是尽管这座城市有那么多的麻烦和匮乏，它却能为它的市民们注射大剂量的名为“归属感”的维生素补充剂，使他们觉得自己是这座独特、现代、无所不能、无可比拟的城市的一分子。
Manhattan has been compelled⑤ to expand skyward because of the absence of any other direction in which to grow. Every time the residents brush their teeth， millions of gallons of water must be drawn from the hills. The smoke-fog that drifts over every few days， blotting out all light at noon.
But the city makes up for its hazards and defi ciencies⑥ by supplying its citizens with massive doses of a supplementary vitamin—the sense of belonging to something unique， cosmopolitan， mighty and unparalleled city.
紐约一点也不像巴黎，与伦敦也毫无相似之处。这座小岛的魔力，久居此地的人们都能充分体会，但谁也别想参透它这首诗的诗意。高耸入云的豪华写字楼旁就是破败不堪的贫民屋；河滨公园古朴静谧的神秘感与几个街区外哈勒姆区萦绕着的巫毒氛围相映成趣。
因为无法向四面扩张，曼哈顿不得不向天空延展。城市的居民们每刷一次牙，就有数百万加仑的水要被从山间抽出。浓得可怕的雾霾每隔几日就会飘过来，在正午也能遮天蔽日。
但是尽管这座城市有那么多的麻烦和匮乏，它却能为它的市民们注射大剂量的名为“归属感”的维生素补充剂，使他们觉得自己是这座独特、现代、无所不能、无可比拟的城市的一分子。