二、气候条件
Located just east of the US’s center-spot, which is in neighboring Kansas, Missouri is something of a meeting point for the cultures of the east, west and south of the country.This is summed up in its nickname, ‘the Gateway to the West’, and visualized in the iconic Gateway Arch in second-largest city, St Louis.While this 630 ft high structure – the tallest monument in the US – appears modern in style, it was actually designed in 1947, and completed in 1968.St Louis has a long association with performing arts and live music, particularly the blues, jazz and ragtime genres, and its clubs and venues witnessed the earliest performances of the likes of Chuck Berry and Miles Davis.
In fact, live music is a theme that runs through much of the state. Branson, in the south, claims to be the ‘live music capital of the world’, while the state’s largest city, Kansas City (not to be confused with the city of the same name in neighboring state Kansas), is renowned for a jazz scene that, in its heyday, featured greats such as legendary saxophonist Charlie Parker.Missouri’s Kansas City is also famed for its passion for barbecue cooking, its numerous boulevards (only Paris has more), and its many fountains (second only to Rome).Compared to other states in the Great Plains region, Missouri has less farmland and more forest. The Ozark Mountain Region – a highland region covering much of the southern part of the state – offers plenty of scope for outdoor exploration.Popular activities include horse riding, canoeing, cycling, hiking, skiing and fishing.
密苏里州位于美国的中心位置，位于邻近的堪萨斯州，是美国东部、西部和南部文化的聚集点。它的绰号是“通往西方的大门”，并在第二大城市圣路易斯的标志性拱门拱门上显现出来。虽然这座630英尺高的建筑——美国最高的纪念碑——看起来很现代，但实际上是1947年设计的，1968年完工。圣路易斯与表演艺术和现场音乐有着长期的联系，尤其是蓝调、爵士和拉格泰姆音乐流派，它的俱乐部和场地也见证了查克·贝瑞和迈尔斯·戴维斯等人最早的表演。
事实上，现场音乐是贯穿整个国家的一个主题。布兰森在南方，自称是“世界音乐之都”是该州最大的城市。堪萨斯城(不要混淆同名的城市在邻近的州堪萨斯)以爵士乐现场。在其鼎盛时期伟大如传奇萨克斯演奏家查理·帕克。密苏里州的堪萨斯城也因其对烧烤的热情而闻名，它有众多的林荫大道(只有巴黎有更多)，还有许多喷泉(仅次于罗马)。与大平原地区的其他州相比，密苏里的农田和森林面积更少。欧扎克山地——一个覆盖了该州大部分南部地区的高地地区——为户外探险提供了大量的空间。流行的活动包括骑马、划独木舟、骑自行车、徒步旅行、滑雪和钓鱼。
三、密苏里州的顶尖大学
Missouri’s top-ranked university, Washington University in St Louis (‘Wash U’), is placed at 78 in the 2011/12 QS World University Rankings.The university is medium-sized, with about 6,000 full-time undergraduate students, 6,000 graduate students and 1,000 part-time/evening students.Wash U is joined in the top 400 by the University of Missouri. ‘Mizzou’, as it is known, has more than 33,000 students, and prides itself on its diversity; students come from across Missouri, around the US, and 115 countries.Mizzou is based in Columbia, the state’s fifth-largest city. Columbia ranks in the top 10 of Forbes magazine’s 2011 list of the USA’s Best Small Places for Business and Careers, based on factors including average property prices and income, cost of living, unemployment rate and college attainment.
密苏里州排名第一的华盛顿大学圣路易斯大学在年度QS世界大学排名中排名78名。该大学中等规模，全日制本科生约6000人，研究生6000人，兼职/夜校学生1000人。华盛顿大学也加入了沃什大学的前400名。据了解，“Mizzou”有超过3.3万名学生，并为自己的多样性感到自豪;学生来自密苏里州，美国各地，115个国家。Mizzou位于该州第五大城市哥伦比亚。《福布斯》杂志2011年公布了美国最适合商业和职业发展的小地方，哥伦比亚大学位列前10名，这些因素包括平均房价和收入、生活成本、失业率和大学成绩等因素。
