AlthoughthemetropolitanareaofBOSTONhaslongsinceexpandedtofilltheshorelineofMassachusettsBay,andstretchesformilesinlandaswell,theseventeenth-centuryportatitsheartisstilldiscernible.ForgettheneatgridsofmodernurbanAmerica;thetwistingstreetsclusteredaroundBostonCommonareareminderofhowthenationstartedout,andthecityisenjoyablyhumaninscale.Bostonwas,until1755,thebiggestcityinAmerica;astheonemostdirectlyaffectedbythelatestwhimsoftheBritishCrown,itwasthenaturalbirthplacefortheoppositionthatculminatedintheRevolutionaryWar.NumerousevocativesitesfromthateraarepreservedalongtheFreedomTrailthroughdowntown.Sincethen,however,Bostonhasineffectturneditsbackonthesea.AsthethirdbusiestportintheBritishEmpire,itstoodonanarrowpeninsula.WhatisnowWashingtonStreetprovidedtheonlyaccessbyland,andwhentheBritishsetofftoLexingtonin1775theyembarkedinshipsfromtheCommonitself.Duringthenineteenthcentury,theCharlesRivermarshlandswerefilledintocreatetheposhBackBayresidentialarea.CentralBostonisnowslightlysetbackfromthewater,separatedbythehideousJohnFitzgeraldExpresswaythatcarriesI-93acrossdowntown.Thecityhasbeenworkingonroutingthetrafficundergroundanddisposingofthiseyesore,thoughthemonumentaltaskwon'tlikelybecompletedbefore2004,muchtothefrustrationoflocals.ThereisacertaintruthinthechargeleveledbyotherAmericansthatBostonlikestoliveinthepast;echoesoftheBrahminsofacenturyagocanbeheardintheupper-classdrawloftheposherdistricts.ButthisisbynomeansjustacityofWASPs:theIrishwhobegantoarriveinlargenumbersaftertheGreatFaminehadproducedtheirfirstmayorasearlyas1885,andthepresidentofthewholecountrywithinahundredyears.TheliberaltraditionthatspawnedtheKennedysremainsalive,fedinpartbythepresenceinthecityofmorethanonehundreduniversitiesandcolleges,themostfamousofwhich–HarvardUniversity–actuallystandsinthecityofCambridge,justacrosstheCharlesRiver,andisfullyintegratedintothetouristexperiencethankstothearea'sexcellentsubwaysystem.TheslumpoftheDepressionseemedtolingerinBostonforyears–eveninthe1950s,thepopulationwasactuallydwindling–butthesedaystheplacedefinitelyhasarejuvenatedfeeltoit.QuincyMarkethasservedasablueprintforurbandevelopmentworldwide,andwithitsbusystreetlife,imaginativemuseumsandgalleries,finearchitectureandpalpablehistory,BostonistheonedestinationinNewEnglandthere'snoexcuseformissing.第二篇Callingthisquaintandcharmingcitythe'AthensofAmerica'mightseemabitbraggadocio，butthecity's19th-centurygloryradiatesthroughitsgrandarchitecture，itspopulationofliterati，artistsandeducatorsanditsworld-renownedacademicandculturalinstitutions.Disastrous'urbanrenewal'inthe1950sprovokedsuchafuriousbacklashthatBostonnowhassomeofthebestpreservedhistoricbuildingsandneighbourhoodsinthecountry.Compact，walkable，historicandclean，thecityblendsold-worldbeautyandmodernconvenience.BostonisonasmallpeninsulainthemiddleofMassachusetts'AtlanticCoast，alittleover320kmnortheastofNewYorkCity.Mostofthecity'ssightsarecontainedinlessthan8sqkm.CambridgeisashortdriveorsubwayridenorthacrosstheCharlesRiver.CalledTrimountaininitsearliestdays，BostontookitspermanentnamefromtheEnglishtown.ThevanguardofEnglishsettlers，ledbyReverendWilliamBlaxton，arrivedin1624-lessthanfouryearsafterthePilgrimsarrivedinnearbyPlymouth。ThecolonyofMassachusettsBaywasestablishedsixyearslaterin1630whentheelderJohnWinthrop，officialrepresentativeoftheMassachusettsBayCompany，tookupresidence.FromthebeginningthiswasthecentreofPuritancultureandlifeintheNewWorld.Puritanismwasintellectualandtheocratic，andsotheleadingmenandwomenofearlyBostonsocietywerethosewhounderstoodandfollowedBiblicallaw-andcouldexplaininpowerfulrhetoricwhytheydid.ThusitcomesasnosurprisethattheBostonPublicLatinSchoolwasestablishedin1635。Ayearlater，HarvardCollegewasfoundedinneighbouringCambridge.By1653Bostonhadapubliclibraryaswell，andby1704theThirteenColonies'firstnewspaper，theNews-Letter.ThoughtheNewEnglandcoasthadmanyexcellentnaturalports.Bostonwasblessedbygeographywiththebestofall.Bytheearly1700sitwaswellonitswaytobeingwhatitremainstoday：NewEngland'slargestandmostimportantcity.Asthechiefcityintheregion，itdrewLondon'sattention.WhenKingGeorgeIIIandParliamentchosetoburdenthecolonieswithtaxationwithoutrepresentation，thetaxeswerefirstleviedinBoston.Whenresistancesurfaced，itwasinBoston.TheBostonMassacreandtheBostonTeaPartyweresignaleventsinthedevelopmentofrevolutionarysentiments，andtheBattleofBunkerHillsolidifiedcolonialresolvetodeclareindependencefromtheBritishcrown.FollowingtheRevolutionaryWar，BostonsufferedeconomicallyastheBritishgovernmentcutoffAmericanships'accesstootherportsintheBritishEmpire.Butasnewtradingrelationshipsdeveloped，Bostonenteredacommercialandindustrialboomwhichlastedfromthelate1700suntilthemid-1800s.Fortunesweremadeinshipbuilding，maritimetradeandmanufacturingtextilesandshoes.Charteredasacityin1822，Boston'sBeaconHillwassooncrownedwithfinemansionsbuiltbytheleadingfamilies，andBackBaywasfilledintomakeroomformore.Thesesameprominentfamiliesalsopatronisedartsandcultureheavily.Thoughconservativeandtraditionalistintheirgeneraloutlook，BostonianswerefirmbelieversinAmericanidealsoffreedomandfirmsupportersoftheabolitionofslaveryandtheactivitiesoftheUndergroundRailroad.Asthe19thcenturydrewtoacloseBoston'sprominencewaschallengedbythegrowthofotherportcitiesandthewestwardexpansionofthenationalborders，andNewEngland'seconomicboomturnedintoabustwhenthetextileandshoefactoriesmovedtocheaperlabourmarketsintheSouth.Inthe20thcenturythecitybecamemoreculturallydiversethaneverbefore.Thecity'sethnicandeconomicprofilehadalreadybeensignificantlyalteredbythe19th-centuryarrivalofthousandsofIrishimmigrants，drivenfromhomebydevastatingpotatofamines.Theculturalmixgrewmorediversewith20thcenturyarrivalsfromItaly，theOttomanEmpireandPortugal.Economically，Bostonbecamemoreofasatellitethanahub，althoughitremainedaprominentcentreformedicaleducation，treatmentandresearch，andUSA'spremiereuniversitycentre.ManygraduateschoosetoremainintheBostonarea，whichhashelpedfuelalocalboomingcommerceincomputerresearch，developmentandmanufacturing.Forallitstiestothepast，Bostonhasalwayslookedforward.ThenewmillenniumsawBostonenteringarenaissance，thankstothenear-completionofthe‘BigDig'-anambitiouspublicworksprojecttoplacetheCentralExpresswayunderground.Wealthyyoungprofessionalsaremovingbacktothecityindrovesand，sincethedemiseofrentcontrolinthemid-1990s，theyaretheonlyoneswhocanreasonablyaffordtolivethere！Affluentandcomfortable，BostonremainsatthecentreofUSintellectuallife.
