#24. The advantages and disadvantages of my city
If my friend Joey wants to move to Beijing, I think even though she might find something she dislikes, she will ultimately like this greatest city in our country. The weather might be one thing that she dislikes. The weather in Beijing is characterized by dry climate and it is much windy and dusty than that of Guangzhou city. Joey is very sensitive about her skin, so she will definitely hate dusty winds in Beijing. Moreover, Beijing's winter is far too much colder than that of Guangzhou, it might take Joey, as many other people came from the South, a very long time to get accustomed to. Nevertheless, she might well enjoy winter in the North, since she has never seen snowflakes in reality before. I remembered the shining of yearning and eager in her eyes when I once told her what the winter in the North looks like.
She might be always irritated by heavy traffic in Beijing, though taxis in Beijing cost much less than in Guangzhou. When I was in Guangzhou, seldom was I trapped by traffic jams. It must be ridiculous for her to have spent more than two hours and still didn't arrive at the destination which is merely 10 kilometers away. And the most ludicrous thing is, even if you possess a private car, it is more likely to be useless, for parking lots are always crowded, which means more time is to be wasted. Good news for her is that the bus system and that of subway in Beijing are well developed and more convenient, and she won't have to bear that odor of bromhidrosis owing to burning weather as she once experienced in buses of Guangzhou.
What she will definitely love is the cultural ethos of the city. Beijing has a history probably longer than any other big city in China. To visit all historical landscapes in Beijing, she will need at least three years, no kidding! Beijing has the most famous and excellent universities, the largest libraries, the richest museums, yet most important of all, her best friend! Amazingly, in this aged city, people are sometimes more international. Joey is especially fond of art, and Beijing is the right place for her, in which concerts of international singers or other musicians are much frequent, and she will even be able to attend Cui Jian's casual private concert in a coffee shop on a rainy autumn weekend.
24. 我的城市的优点与缺点
如果我的朋友乔伊想搬到北京来，我认为即使她有一些不喜欢的地方，最后她还是会喜欢上这个中国最伟大的城市。
天气可能会是她不喜欢的一件事。北京的气候干燥，比广州要多风和沙尘。乔伊的皮肤很敏感，所以她肯定会不喜欢北京的沙尘暴。此外，北京的冬天要比广州冷得多得多，所以乔伊肯定要像很多南方人一样花很长时间才能适应。然而，她可能会很喜欢北方的冬天，因为她以前还从来没有见过真正的雪花。我还记得有一次我给她讲北方的冬天是什么样子时她那向往而又渴望的眼神。
尽管北京的出租车要比广州的便宜得多，她可能永远不会喜欢北京拥挤的交通。我在广州时很少被交通阻塞所困。两个多小时走了不到十公里对于她来说肯定是荒唐可笑的。而最滑稽的是即使你拥有一辆私家车也是无用之举，因为停车场总是拥挤不堪，这意味着浪费更多时间。对她的好消息则是北京的公交与地铁系统十分发达、更加便利，这样她就不必忍受酷热天气中臭汗的味道了，而她在广州的公车中就遇到过。
她一定会喜欢的是这座城市的文化气息。北京的历史可能比任何其他中国的大城市都要长。要想参观完北京所有的历史古迹，她至少需要花3年的时间，绝不开玩笑！北京拥有最著名和最优秀的大学、最大的图书馆、藏品最丰富的博物馆，最重要的是有她最好的朋友！令人惊讶的是，在这座古城里人们有时却更加国际化。乔伊特别喜欢艺术，北京对她来说正合适，这里各国歌唱家或音乐家的音乐会十分频繁，她甚至可以在秋天阴雨的周末参加咖啡馆里崔健的歌友会。
- get accustomed to 适应
- bromhidrosis ［ˌbrəumhaiˈdrəusis］n. 臭汗，腋臭
- snowflake ［ˈsnəufleik］n. 雪花
- yearning ［ˈjə:niŋ］ n. 向往
- landscape ［ˈlændˌskeip］ n. 风景
- traffic jam 堵车
- frequent ［ˈfri:kwənt］adj. 时常发生的，频繁的
- ludicrous ［ˈlu:dikrəs］adj. 滑稽的，愚蠢的
- odor ［ˈəudə］ n. 气味