(39~41)  Helen: Hi, it’s been a long time since I saw you last time. Where have you been?  Vivian: Oh, I just came back from “Big Apple” with my family. What a wonderful city it is.  Helen: Big Apple? Did you just come back from a farm?    I can’t make heads or tails of it.     Vivian: You got me wrong. Big Apple is one of the nicknames of New York City, the biggest and most                   populous city in the United States. It has many nicknames, but Big Apple is the most famous one.  Helen: Why is it called Big Apple since it has nothing to do with fruit production?  Vivian: Well, there are many stories about the origin of Big Apple. No one makes sure about it. Some                   say it comes from the well-to-do families who sold apples on the city's streets to make money                   during the Great Depression. It’s because apples were the most expensive fruits at that time.                   Some say the nickname is about horseracing. A horseracing reporter, John Fitzgerald, began                   writing in the newspaper about calling the horse races in New York City "the big apples"                           because of the competitive races in the States. At that time, people said that the riders of                         smaller horses want to get a “Big Apple”. It meant the biggest prize in the horse races in New                    York City. And then, “Big Apple” was officially accepted to call New York City. Helen: Wow, you help me learn something new. Then, did you go any interesting places in “Big Apple”?Vivian: We rode a bicycle through the Brooklyn Bridge to cross the East River and we enjoyed the                        beautiful sights of Manhattan under our feet. I liked to see many famous tall and modern                          buildings along the river bank below the bridge. Then, in Manhattan, the most impressive thing                for me was to visit Madison Square Garden. It’s the home ground of the Knicks, a famous NBA                basketball team.  Helen: Wow, the Knicks! It interests me a lot. You know I’m a big fan of the Knicks. Maybe next time we can go there together. I want to cheer for the team in person. 

 nickname外號 populous人口稠密的 nothing to do with和…無關 production生產well-to-do富裕的 the Great Depression經濟大蕭條 competitive競爭激烈的

【題組】39. What does “   it   ” in line 5 mean?
(A) Big Apple
(B) United States
(C) New York City
(D) a fruit farm