London is obviously the most important city in the U.K., but Manchester and Birmingham are in competition to be the next most important city. While Birmingham is more populous, Manchester is clearly the more beautiful and culturally influential. Also, Manchester is the third most visited city in U.K, after London and Edinburgh.

显然，英国最重要的城市是伦敦。曼彻斯特和伯明翰正在争夺第二的位置。虽然伯明翰人口更多，但曼彻斯特显然更美丽，更具文化影响力。此外，曼彻斯特是英国第三大访问量最大的城市，仅次于伦敦和爱丁堡。

Manchester began as a Roman fort called 'Mamucium' or 'Mancunium' around the year 79 and then developed as a regional centre of commerce. At the start of the Industrial Revolution, Manchester grew significantly and became a city in 1853.

公元 79 年左右，曼彻斯特最初是一座名为“Mamucium”或“Mancunium”的罗马堡垒，然后发展成为区域商业中心。在工业革命前期，曼彻斯特发展迅速，并于 1853 年成为一座城市。

During the Industrial Revolution, Manchester was largely associated with the textile industry. It was famous for spinning cotton and making cotton products. As a result, Manchester was nicknamed 'Cottonopolis', a concatination of the words 'cotton' and 'metropolis'. Later it became a centre for the chemical industry. Its reputation for science continues to this day with its expertise in scientific research.

在工业革命期间，曼彻斯特主要与纺织业联系在一起。它以纺棉和制作棉制品而闻名。因此，曼彻斯特被昵称为“棉花城”，是“棉花”和“大都市”这两个词的组合。后来它成为化学工业的中心。凭借其在科学研究方面的专业知识，它在科学方面的声誉一直延续到今天。

Manchester is also known for a number of major engineering projects such as the Manchester Ship Canal, a major canal between Manchester and Liverpool, and the world's first inter-city passenger rail system.

曼彻斯特还以许多重大工程项目而闻名，例如曼彻斯特运河(曼彻斯特和利物浦之间的主要运河)以及世界上第一个城际客运铁路系统。

The city is famous for the football teams, Manchester United and Manchester City. Manchester United is currently the biggest and richest club in the world. Manchester is also the seat of Lancashire County Cricket Club.

这座城市以曼联和曼城两个足球队而闻名。曼联是目前世界上最大、最富有的俱乐部。曼彻斯特也是兰开夏郡板球俱乐部的所在地。

Manchester is also well known for its popular music scene. An explosion of disruptive bands like Oasis, The Smiths, Joy Division and Happy Mondays in the 1980s. Rumours that small amounts of hallucinogenic drugs were being added to the water supply of some northern towns led Manchester to nicknamed 'Madchester' (Mad = mad).

曼彻斯特还以其流行的音乐场景而闻名。 1980 年代涌现出 Oasis、The Smiths、Joy Division 和 Happy Mondays 等颠覆性的乐队的爆发。其中一些流行音乐与吸毒有关。一些北部城镇的供水中添加了少量致幻药物的谣言导致曼彻斯特被昵称为“Madchester”（Mad = 疯狂）。

Lastly but not least, Manchester city centre is very popular with shoppers from all over the country. Shoppers are also served by the Trafford Centre, a huge indoor shopping arcade and entertainment complex, 30 minutes drive from the city centre.

最后但同样重要的是，曼彻斯特市中心非常受来自全国各地的购物者欢迎。特拉福德中心也为购物者提供服务，这是一个巨大的室内购物商场和娱乐中心，距离市中心 30 分钟车程。

As a result of its history, job opportunities and entertainment facilities, Manchester has become one of the most popular places to live in the country for both workers and university students.

由于其历史、就业机会和娱乐设施，曼彻斯特已成为该国最受工人和大学生欢迎的居住地之一。