- [countable, uncountable]
a place with many houses, shops, etc. where people live and work. It is larger than a village but smaller than a city. 镇；市镇；集镇 The nearest town is ten miles away. 最近的集镇离这里有十英里远。 a university/seaside/market town 大学/海滨/集镇 - in a town
I live in a small town. 我住在一个小镇上。 How many people live in the town? 有多少人生活在城里？ We spent a month in the French town of Le Puy. 我们在一个叫勒皮的法国小镇里待了一个月。 They live in a rough part of town. 他们居住在一个社会秩序混乱的城区。
Culture place namesplace namesBritain and the US have a rich variety of place names. Some names come from a feature of the countryside. Others are named after a church or castle. Some honour famous people, while others have been brought from abroad.Many names reflect the history of an area and of the people who once lived there. Some of the oldest place names in Wales and Scotland date back to the time of the Celts. Some towns in Southern England have Latin names dating from Roman times. Other names are of Anglo-Saxon or Viking origin and date from the period when these peoples entered Britain with their armies. Later, the Normans introduced some French names.In the US many place names come from Native American words: Chicago, for example, means 'place of the onion' in the Algonquian language, Seattle is named after a chief, and Natchez after a tribe. Sometimes the names were translated, sometimes not: the Black Warrior River in Alabama runs through the city of Tuscaloosa, which was named after a Native American whose name means 'black warrior'. Names of Spanish origin are found mainly in the South-Western US. They include San Francisco, San Diego, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. A few names are of French origin, for example, Baton Rouge. Some names come from more than one culture: Anaheim combines the Spanish name 'Ana' with the German 'heim' (= home).Many British towns take their name from a river. In Wales and Scotland many towns have names beginning with Aber-, which means 'river mouth', for example, Aberystwyth, Aberdeen. In England towns close to a river mouth often end with -mouth, for example, Dartmouth. The name of the river forms the rest of the name. Names ending in -ford (Oxford) suggest a place where a river is shallow enough to cross. A town next to a lake may, in Scotland, contain loch- or, in England, -mere, for example, Lochinver, Windermere.In Scotland, there are several place names beginning with Dun-, meaning 'hill', for example, Dunbar. Any place whose name ends with -don (Swindon), -hurst (Sandhurst), -head (Gateshead) or, in Wales, begins with pen- (Penarth), probably stands on or near a hill. Towns near passes may end in -gate, for example, Harrogate, or, in Scotland, begin with Glen-, for example, Glencoe. Names ending with -coumbe or -combe (Ilfracombe) or -dale (Rochdale), or, in Wales, beginning with cwm- (Cwmbran) suggest that the town is in a valley.American place names based on natural features are easier to recognize. Examples include Two Rivers, River Edge, Mirror Lake, Ocean City, Gulf Breeze, Seven Hills, Shady Valley, Twentynine Palms, Lookout, Little Rock, Round Rock, White Rock and Slippery Rock. French names include La Fontaine and Eau Claire. Some place names describe a product, for example, Bean City, Copper City.Many British towns developed around an early fort or castle. This may be indicated by a name ending in -burgh (Edinburgh), -bury (Salisbury), -caster or -cester (Doncaster, Gloucester) or -chester (Dorchester), or beginning or ending with castle (Newcastle), or, in Wales, with Caer- (Caernarfon).Names that include church-, kirk- or, in Wales llan- refer to a church (Offchurch, Kirkby, Llandaff). Towns where there was a monastery may have names ending in -minster (Kidderminster).Names ending with -ham (Cheltenham), -hampton (Southampton), -ington (Workington), -stock or -stoke (Woodstock, Basingstoke), -thorpe (Scunthorpe), -wich or -wick (Norwich, Warwick) mean that there was a village or farm there.In the US place names that refer to buildings include House, Brick Church and High Bridge. Atlanta, Georgia is named after a railway.Some British place names refer to ancient tribes. The elements -ing and -ingham at the end of a name mean 'people of' and 'home of the people of', as in Reading ('Read's people') and Birmingham ('home of Beorma's people'). Places with names ending in -by were the homes of Vikings , for example, Grimsby ('Grim's village').Some towns take their name from Christian saints, particularly if they had local connections. These include St Albans and St Andrews. Towns named after people who lived in more recent times are rare in Britain. They include Nelson, named after Lord Nelson and the new town Telford, named after the engineer Thomas Telford.By contrast, many towns in the US honour famous Americans, especially presidents. Abraham Lincoln is honoured in towns named Lincoln, Lincolnville, Lincolnwood, etc., Andrew Jackson at Jackson and Jacksonville and Thomas Jefferson at Jefferson, Jeffersonville and Jefferson City.Other towns named after famous Americans include Houston, Texas, named after Sam Houston; Cody, Wyoming, after William Cody (better known as Buffalo Bill); Boone, Tennessee, after Daniel Boone; and Custer, Montana, after General George Custer. Often the person is now little heard of, for example, H M Shreve, a 19th century boat captain on the Mississippi River, whose name was used for Shreveport, Louisiana. A few towns are named after companies, for example, Hershey, Pennsylvania.Many American towns are named after a place in Britain or another country from which the people who had moved to the US originally came. British names are found especially in New England. They include Boston, Cambridge, Gloucester, Manchester-by-the-sea, and Stafford. British names used in other parts of the US include the cities of New York and Birmingham, and Glasgow, a small town in Montana. Like New York (New Amsterdam), Brooklyn (Breukelyn) was originally named by Dutch immigrants.Names from other countries include New Orleans, Moscow, Athens, Paris, Naples and New Holland.Americans enjoy creating unusual or humorous names, such as Tombstone in Arizona. Truth or Consequences in New Mexico is named after a radio quiz show. Other names include Cannon Ball, Pie Town, Smackover, Humble City, High Lonesome, Cut and Shoot, and Monkey's Eyebrow.Extra ExamplesTopics Geographya1I spent years moving from town to town. 多年来，我从一个镇子搬到另一个镇子。 It was built as a new town in the 1960s. 这是在20 世纪60 年代建立的新城镇。 Kitzbühel is an ancient fortified town with fine medieval buildings. 基茨比厄尔是一个有着精美中世纪建筑的古老防御城镇。 She has gone back to live in her home town. 她已经回到她的故乡去生活了。 a 19th-century mill town that used to produce cotton 19 世纪生产棉制品的工业小镇 a busy market town 繁忙的集镇 a lake just outside the town 城外的湖 a sleepy provincial town in southern France 法国南部一个冷清的小镇 a thriving holiday town 繁荣的度假城 the dusty border town of Eagle Pass, Texas 伊格尔帕斯，得克萨斯州一个尘土飞扬的边境小镇 the rolling hills that surround the town 环绕着镇子的连绵起伏的丘陵 the sun-drenched beach towns of Southern California 沐浴着阳光的南加州海滩小镇 Sackville is a small university town in eastern Canada. 萨克维尔是加拿大东部一个小型大学城。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- large
- major
- …
- build
- found
- live in
- …
- flourish
- grow
- centre
- hall
- square
- …
- in town
- out of town
- outside (the) town
- …
- the centre/center of (the) town
- the middle of (the) town
- the edge of (the) town
- …
- the town[singular]
the people who live in a particular town （某一市镇的）居民，市民 - [uncountable]
the area of a town where most of the shops and businesses are （城镇的）商业区 We are only five minutes from the centre of town. 我们离市中心只有五分钟的路程。 - in town
Mum's in town doing some shopping. 妈妈正在市中区购物。 Can you give me a lift into town? 我可以搭你的车到商业区去吗？ Millie hit the town, looking for excitement. 米莉来到镇上寻求刺激。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryverb + town- go into
- hit
- in town
- [uncountable] (especially North American English)
a particular town where somebody lives and works or one that has just been referred to （生活、工作或刚提到的）城镇 - in town
I'll be in town next week if you want to meet. 如果你想见面的话，我下个星期在城里。 This restaurant serves the best steaks in town. 这家餐厅有全市最好的牛排。 - out of town
He married a girl from out of town. 他娶了一个外地姑娘。 The gossips finally drove her out of town. 流言最终把她赶出了小镇。
Extra ExamplesHe left town yesterday for a conference in Cape Town. 他昨天离城去开普敦出席一个会议。 I was out of town last week. 上星期我去外地了。 They wanted to move out of town and start a new life in the country. 他们想搬离城市去乡村开始新的生活。 They'll be back in town tomorrow. 他们将于明天返城。
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- large
- major
- …
- build
- found
- live in
- …
- flourish
- grow
- centre
- hall
- square
- …
- in town
- out of town
- outside (the) town
- …
- the centre/center of (the) town
- the middle of (the) town
- the edge of (the) town
- …
- in town
- [singular, uncountable]
life in towns or cities as opposed to life in the country 城市生活（与乡村生活相对） Pollution is just one of the disadvantages of living in the town. 污染只是生活在城里的不利条件之一。 Do you prefer the town to the country? 你喜欢城市生活还是乡村生活？
Collocations Town and countryTown and country 城镇与乡村 Town 城镇 - live in a city/a town/an urban environment/(informal) a concrete jungle/the suburbs/shanty towns/slums
住在城里／镇上／城区／混凝土丛林／郊区／棚户区／贫民窟 - live (especially North American English) downtown/in the downtown area/(British English) in the city centre
住在市中心 - enjoy/like the hectic pace of life/the hustle and bustle of city life
喜欢忙碌的生活节奏／城市生活的热闹 - cope with the stress/pressure of urban life
应对城市生活的压力 - get caught up in the rat race
卷入大城市里为财富、权力等的疯狂追逐中 - prefer/seek the anonymity of life in a big city
更喜欢／追求大城市里人与人互不相识的生活 - be drawn by/resist the lure of the big city
被大城市的诱惑所吸引；抵御大城市的诱惑 - head for the bright lights (of the big city/New York)
奔向（大城市／纽约）五光十色的生活 - enjoy/love the vibrant/lively nightlife
享受／喜爱充满生机的夜生活 - have/be close to all the amenities
拥有／紧靠各种便利设施 - be surrounded by towering skyscrapers/a soulless urban sprawl
被高耸入云的摩天大楼／毫无生气的城市拓展区所包围 - use/travel by/rely on (British English) public transport/(North American English) public transportation
使用／出行乘坐／依赖公共交通 - put up with/get stuck in/sit in massive/huge/heavy/endless/constant traffic jams
忍受／陷入大面积／严重的／没完没了的／持续的交通堵塞 - tackle/ease/reduce/relieve/alleviate the heavy/severe traffic congestion
处理／缓解严重的交通堵塞 - be affected/choked/damaged by pollution
受到污染的影响；被污染呛得透不过气；受到污染的伤害
Country 乡村 - live in a village/the countryside/an isolated area/a rural backwater/(informal) the sticks
住在村里／乡村／偏僻的地区／落后的乡村／偏远的乡村地区 - enjoy/like the relaxed/slower pace of life
享受／喜欢悠闲／缓慢的生活节奏 - enjoy/love/explore the great outdoors
享受／喜欢／探索蓝天碧野 - look for/find/get/enjoy a little peace and quiet
寻找／找到／得到／享受一点宁静与安宁 - need/want to get back/closer to nature
需要／想要回去／接近大自然 - be surrounded by open/unspoilt/picturesque countryside
四周被空旷的／未被污染的／风景如画的乡村环绕 - escape/quit/get out of/leave the rat race
逃离／退出城市中你死我活的竞争 - seek/achieve a better/healthy work-life balance
寻求／达到工作与生活更好的／健康的平衡 - downshift to a less stressful life
选择压力较小的生活 - seek/start a new life in the country
在乡村寻求／开始一种新的生活 - (British English, informal) up sticks/ (North American English, informal ) pull up stakes and move to/head for…
- create/build/foster a strong sense of community
树立／培养强烈的社群意识 - depend on/be employed in/work in agriculture
依赖／从事农业 - live off/farm/work the land
靠土地为生；耕种土地 - tackle/address the problem of rural unemployment
解决农村失业问题
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- big
- large
- major
- …
- build
- found
- live in
- …
- flourish
- grow
- centre
- hall
- square
- …
- in town
- out of town
- outside (the) town
- …
- the centre/center of (the) town
- the middle of (the) town
- the edge of (the) town
- …
Word OriginOld English tūn ‘enclosed piece of land, homestead, village’, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch tuin ‘garden’ and German Zaun ‘fence’.
Idioms
go to town (on something)
- (informal)
to do something with a lot of energy, enthusiasm, etc., especially by spending a lot of money （尤指花大钱）大干一番 They really went to town on the decorations for the party. 他们真的去镇上为晚会装饰了一番。
a/the man about town
- (old-fashioned)
a man who frequently goes to fashionable parties, clubs, theatres, etc. 喜欢社交者；社交界名人 In his new suit, he looked quite the man about town. 穿着新西装，他看上去很像城里的人。
the only game in town
- (informal)
the most important thing of a particular type, or the only thing that is available 同类中最重要的事物；唯一的选择
(out) on the town
paint the town red
- (informal)
to go to a lot of different bars, clubs, etc. and enjoy yourself 花天酒地地玩乐；出没于各娱乐场所