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New York is nothing like Paris; it is nothing like London.The poem whose magic is comprehensible①comprehensible 英 [k?mpr?'hens?b(?)l]美 ['kɑmpr?'h?ns?bl] adj. 可理解的to millions of permanent②permanent英 ['p??m(?)n?nt] 美 ['p?m?n?nt]adj. 永久的，永恒的；不變的residents but whose full meaning will always remain elusive③elusive 英 [?'l(j)u?s?v] 美 [?'lus?v]adj. 難懂的；易忘的；逃避的；難捉摸的. At the feet of the tallest and plushest offices lie the crummiest④crummy 英 ['kr?m?]美 ['kr?mi]adj. 微不足道的；寒酸的；骯臟的slums. The genteel mysteries housed in the Riverside Church are only a few blocks from the voodoo charms of Harlem.

Manhattan has been compelled⑤compel英 [k?m'pel] 美 [k?m'p?l]vt. 強(qiáng)迫，迫使；強(qiáng)使發(fā)生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 deficiencies⑥deficiency 英 [d?'f??(?)ns?]美 [d?'f???nsi] n. 缺陷，缺點；缺乏；不足的數(shù)額by supplying its citizens with massive doses of a supplementary vitamin—the sense of belonging to something unique,cosmopolitan, mighty and unparalleled city.

紐約一點也不像巴黎，與倫敦也毫無相似之處。這座小島的魔力，久居此地的人們都能充分體會，但誰也別想?yún)⑼杆@首詩的詩意。高聳入云的豪華寫字樓旁就是破敗不堪的貧民屋；河濱公園古樸靜謐的神秘感與幾個街區(qū)外哈勒姆區(qū)縈繞著的巫毒氛圍相映成趣。

因為無法向四面擴(kuò)張，曼哈頓不得不向天空延展。城市的居民們每刷一次牙，就有數(shù)百萬加侖的水要被從山間抽出。濃得可怕的霧霾每隔幾日就會飄過來，在正午也能遮天蔽日。

但是盡管這座城市有那么多的麻煩和匱乏，它卻能為它的市民們注射大劑量的名為“歸屬感”的維生素補(bǔ)充劑，使他們覺得自己是這座獨特、現(xiàn)代、無所不能、無可比擬的城市的一分子。