by Simon Edward Smith

Manchester， or Madchester， is a place where the people are livelier than any boxer before a fight. The place is 1）infused with an 2）undeniable feeling of attitude and pride.

Manchester city can be found in the North West of England. The city has around half a million people living in it， however， including its 3）suburbs and surrounding towns the total number is more like 2.2 million （tiny numbers in 4）comparison to Chinese cities！）

曼彻斯特（或者叫“Madchester”）人比任何一个比赛前的拳击手都要有冲劲。这个地方洋溢着一种无可争辩的态度感和自豪感。

曼彻斯特城位于英格兰西北部，约有50万人在这个城市生活。不过，如果算上郊区和周边城镇，其人口总数可达220多万（和中国的城市比起来还是小巫见大巫了！）。

But what is so great about Manchester？ If we are talking about Britain， why not talk about London or Edinburgh. Just what is the big deal？ When I was 22， I lived there for 12 months， but I have been making shopping trips with friends and family twice a week ever since I could walk.

Lets begin with a little bit of dirt and 5）grime. At around the beginning of the 19th century and during the Industrial Revolution注1， Manchester 6）boomed and as a result became the first 7）industrialised city in the world…basically the first place where factories were 8）manufacturing lots of things. Thats a pretty interesting fact！

From dirt and grime， music must be next. Here are just a few of Mancunians sons you may know： Oasis； The Bee Gees； The Smiths； Joy Division； The Stone Roses； The Happy Mondays…the list just goes on and on and on.

It is also home to two of the worlds greatest football teams： Manchester United and Manchester City （Manchester United of course being better！）. It wouldnt be a bad idea to check out a game at Old Trafford （Manchester Uniteds football ground） whilst youre there…it is where superstar David Beckham got started.

The problem is that there is just so much to do in the Rainy City that this short article couldnt possibly fit everything in that one can do！

So Ive decided to tell you about my favourite places； those that I first visited when I realised how great a city Manchester is.

注1：工业革命于18世纪发源于英格兰中部地区，是以机器取代人力、以大规模工厂化生产取代个体工场手工生产的一场生产与科技的革命。

曼彻斯特到底好在哪里？如果我们要谈英国，难道不是应该从伦敦或者爱丁堡说起吗？曼彻斯特到底有什么过人之处呢？我22岁的时候在这里住了12个月；但自从会走路开始，我会每周两次与朋友和家人到城里购物。

我们先从它沾满灰尘和油垢的发家史说起吧。曼彻斯特大约从19世纪初和工业革命期间开始蓬勃发展，并由此成为世界上第一个工业化城市……可以说是世界上第一个通过工厂生产各种东西的地方。这是一个非常有趣的事实！

说完了灰尘和油垢，接下来要说的肯定就是音乐了。你可能知道一些来自曼彻斯特的音乐巨星，这里只列举一小部分：绿洲乐队、比吉斯乐队、史密斯乐队、快乐分队、石玫瑰乐队、快乐星期一乐队……还可以继续列举出无数的名字。

曼彻斯特还拥有世界上其中两支最伟大的足球队—曼联队和曼城队（曼联当然更好一些！）。如果你在曼彻斯特，到老特拉福德球场（曼联的足球场）看一场球赛会是不错的主意。