Los Angeles is widely known as the entertainment capital of the world. Its largest entertainment industry is film production， but it is an important center for music， art， and architecture as well. As a major global metropolis， Los Angeles has evolved a unique culture and that is wellportrayed in popular media and is sometimes idealized as highly desirable. However， this culture has also inspired criticism that it is not really a unique culture， although most believe the contrary. For more criticism， see Arts and culture of Los Angeles： Criticism.
Residents of the city of Los Angeles are served by the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) and its branch locations. Residents of the unincorporated areas of Los Angeles County and various cities within the county are served by the County of Los Angeles Public Library The LAPL is funded by voterapproved bond and tax levylevy n.征收， 征税， 征兵 v.征收， 征集， 征用 packages. The Main Library is located in downtown Los Angeles and has been recognized as a National Historic Site.
Education
The primary school district that serves Los Angeles is the Los Angeles Unified School District.
After Proposition 13 in 1978， urban school districts had considerable trouble with funding and LAUSD became known for its underfundedunderfunded adj.资金不足的， overcrowded and poorly maintained campuses. Wealthy and uppermiddleclass parents placed their children in elite private schools， while middleclass families fled into suburban school districts beyond LAUSD boundaries.
Since then， the LAUSD has embarked on an aggressive school construction program to relieve overcrowdingovercrowding 过度拥挤， 挤满， and has developed highquality magnet schools to nurture talented students and encourage them to remain within the public school system.
There are several famous colleges and universities in Los Angeles，such as University of California， Los Angeles， University of Southern California， California State University， Los Angeles， California State University， Northridge， Loyola Marymount University， Los Angeles City College， Los Angeles Pierce College， Los Angeles Valley College， Los Angeles Mission College， and University of Phoenix (Private College).
Sports
Los Angeles is the home of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team， the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers men，s basketball teams， the Los Angeles Sparks women，s basketball team， the Los Angeles Kings hockey team， the Club Deportivo Chivas USA and Los Angeles Galaxy soccer teams， and the Los Angeles Avengers arena football team. Los Angeles has been without an NFL franchisefranchise n.特权， 公民权 v.赋予特权， 赋予公民权 since 1995 despite being the second biggest television market in North America.
Anaheim， about 25 miles (40 km) to the southeast， is home to the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim hockey team and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim baseball team. At various times in history the Angels have been known as the Los Angeles Angels (1961~1965)， the California Angels (1965~1997)， and the Anaheim Angels (1997~2004)； talks in 2004 suggested the team was considering returning to the original name， over loud protests from the Anaheim government. The name was officially changed to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in late December 2004 in order to link with the larger city while still complying with contractual obligationsobligation n.义务， 职责， 债务.
Beach volleyball and windsurfing were both invented in the area (though predecessors of both were invented in some form by Duke Kahanamoku in Hawaii). Venice， also known as Dogtown， is credited with being the birthplace of skateboarding and the place where rollerblading first became popular. Area beaches are popular with surfers， who have created their own subculturesubculture n.亚文化群.
Los Angeles has twice played host to the summer Olympic Games： in 1932 and in 1984.
Los Angeles is perhaps the most mountainous metropolis in the world (it，s the only major city in the United States bisected by a mountain range)， with four mountain ranges partly inside city boundaries. Thousands of miles of trails crisscross the city and neighboring areas， providing exercise and wilderness access on foot， bike， or horse. Across the county a great variety of outdoor activities are available， such as skiing， rock climbing， gold panning， hang gliding， and windsurfing. Numerous outdoor clubs serve these sports， including the Angeles Chapter of the Sierra Club， which leads over 4，000 outings annually in the area.
Flora
Los Angeles is remarkably rich in native plant species. With its beaches， dunes， wetlands， hills， mountains， and rivers， the area contains a number of important biological communities. The largest area is coastal sage scrub， which covers the hillsides in combustible chaparral. Native plants include： California poppy， matilija poppy， toyon， coast live oak， giant wild rye grass， and hundreds of others. Unfortunately， many native species are so rare as to be endangeredendangered adj.(生命等)有危险的，有灭绝危险的，将要绝种的， such as the Los Angeles sunflower.
There are many exotic flowers and flowering trees that are blooming yearround， with subtle colors， including the jacaranda， hibiscus， phlox， bougainvillea， coral tree blossoms and bird of paradise. If there were no city here， flowergrowing could still flourishflourish vi.繁荣， 茂盛， 活跃， 手舞足蹈， 兴旺， 处于旺盛时期 vt.挥动， 夸耀 n.茂盛， 兴旺， 华饰， 繁荣 as an industry， as it does in Lompoc. Wisteria has been known to grow to houselot size， and in Descanso Gardens there are forests of camellia trees. Orchids require special attention in this Mediterranean climate.
Chicago风城芝加哥
芝加哥(Chicago)是美国第三大城市，位于美国中部、世界第一大湖密歇根湖畔与芝加哥河交汇处，面积５８８平方公里。气候夏日酷热，冬季不寒，终年多风，号为“风城”。现有人口２７０多万，是美国黑人、犹太人聚居较多的城市。
芝加哥市内保存着早期传统式的西欧古建筑，又有壮观巍峨的现代摩天大楼。市区沿着宽阔壮丽的大道连绵数十公里，规划布局井井有条。现在的城市是１８７１年的大火之后重建的，新城各种形状新奇、色彩各异的高层建筑使其成为一建筑艺术博物馆。芝加哥市区内摩天大楼之多，仅次于纽约。当今全世界５座最高的摩天大楼有３座在芝加哥，市中心的西尔斯大厦是美国第一高楼，有１１０层，高４４３米。
19世纪开通的伊利诺伊－密歇根运河，把处于内陆的芝加哥同五大湖和大西洋连接起来，变为港口城市。海洋巨轮从加拿大的圣劳伦斯湾直驶芝加哥码头。芝加哥是美国的铁路枢纽，几十条铁路交汇于此，连接美国各大城市；它还有世界上最繁忙国际机场之一的奥黑尔国际机场；因此，芝加哥可以称得上美国东西交通、水、陆、空运输的中心。
美国最大的期货市场——芝加哥商品交易所和芝加哥期货交易所均设在此，经营品种包括：金融票据的期货契约，国库债期货、国库券期货、股票指数期货和期权交易等。