Level 4-Day 21.The Grand Canyon

词汇提示

1.course 流动

2.stretches 绵延

3.worn 磨损

4.layers 层次

5.limestone 石灰岩

6.granite 花岗岩

7.cacti 仙人掌

8.sub-tropical 亚热带

9.mules 驴

10.zigzag Z字形

11.harness 利用

12.irrigate 灌溉

13.mighty 巨大

原文

The Grand Canyon

The Grand Canyon is one of the most spectacular sights in nature.

It is found in one section of the valley of the Colorado River.

The river begins its course high in the Rocky Mountains of the State of Colorado.

The river travels a total of 1,400 miles through Colorado, Utah and Arizona and into the Gulf of California.

It forms part of Arizona's border with Nevada and California.

The Colorado River is a very swift and muddy river.

It carries dirt and rocks down from the mountains.

The story is told of an old fur trader who was attacked by Indians high up the river.

His only escape was down the Colorado River in a small boat.

It was a terrifying trip through rapids and around rocks at top speed.

The fur trader was found some days later in very rough shape hundreds of miles down the river.

No one would believe that he had come so far so fast.

The Grand Canyon stretches for about 250 miles in the State of Arizona.

The canyon was carved out by the flow of the river itself.

In places the canyon is more than a mile deep.

It stretches from four to 18 miles wide at the top.

The canyon valley contains worn rocks that rise up like a mountain range.

The canyon has been worn down through many layers of rock.

The river has cut its way down through layers of sandstone, limestone and shape to the granite bedrock.

The different layers are of different colors and the rocks appear very beautiful, especially at sunrise and sunset.

At the top, the climate is typical of a mountain area, with evergreen trees.

Next, you have typical forest trees.

Third, there are plants like cacti that grow in warm deserts.

Finally, there are sub-tropical plants at the valley bottom.

Tourists can ride down the narrow trails to the bottom of the valley on mules.

On one side is the rock wall of the canyon, and on the other side is a steep drop down to the bottom.

Tourists have to trust their guide, and the mule that they are riding, to get them down safely.

The trails zigzag back and forth, and the tourist going down travels much more than a mile.

Some 1,000 square miles of the area became the Grand Canyon National Park in 1919.

Because the Colorado River is very swift and runs through dry country, several dams have been built along it.

These are designed to harness its power, save its water and provide recreational opportunities.

The best-known dam is Hoover Dam, formerly Boulder Dam, on the Arizona-Nevada border.

This impressive structure is 727 feet high, and 1,282 feet long.

Elevators are used to carry workers up and down inside the dam.

The water, which is backed up by the Hoover Dam, forms Lake Mead.

Lake Mead is used to irrigate nearby land, as well as for boating and fishing.

The dam itself is a major source of electric power for this section of the country.

Visitors to the Grand Canyon are often filled with awe by the size and beauty of the canyon.

People seem very small in comparison to the immense cliffs, valleys and the mighty river.

翻译

大峡谷

大峡谷是自然界最壮观的景观之一。
它位于科罗拉多河流域的一段。
这条河发源于科罗拉多州的落基山脉。
这条河全长1400英里，穿过科罗拉多州、犹他州和亚利桑那州，进入加利福尼亚湾。
它是亚利桑那州与内华达州和加利福尼亚州边界的一部分。
科罗拉多河是一条湍急而泥泞的河流。
它把泥土和岩石从山上带下来。
有个故事讲的是一个老毛皮商人在河的上游遭到印第安人的袭击。
他唯一的逃生途径是乘坐小船沿科罗拉多河顺流而下。
这是一次以最高速度穿越急流和岩石的可怕旅程。
几天后，人们在河下游数百英里处发现了一个皮毛商人，他的形状非常粗糙。
没人会相信他走得这么远这么快。
大峡谷绵在亚利桑那州延约250英里。

峡谷是由河流本身的水流切割而成的。

在一些地方，峡谷超过一英里深。
它的顶部从4到18英里宽。
峡谷里有磨损的岩石，它们像山脉一样隆起。
峡谷已被许多岩石层冲垮。
这条河穿过砂岩、石灰岩层，形成花岗岩基岩。
不同的层有不同的颜色，岩石看起来非常漂亮，尤其是在日出和日落时。
顶部的气候是典型的山区气候，常绿树木。
接下来，您将看到典型的森林树木。
第三，像仙人掌这样的植物生长在温暖的沙漠中。
最后，谷底还有亚热带植物。
游客们可以骑着骡子沿着狭窄的小路走到谷底。
一边是峡谷的岩壁，另一边是一个陡坡，一直延伸到底部。
游客必须相信他们的向导和他们骑的骡子，才能安全地把他们带下来。
这些小径蜿蜒曲折，游客下山的路程远不止一英里。
1919年，约1000平方英里的区域成为大峡谷国家公园。
由于科罗拉多河非常湍急，流经干燥的乡村，因此沿途修建了水坝。
这些设施旨在利用其电力、节约用水和提供娱乐机会。
最著名的大坝是胡佛大坝，原名博尔德大坝，位于亚利桑那州-内华达州边界。
这座令人印象深刻的建筑高727英尺，长1282英尺。
电梯用于在大坝内上下运送工人。
湖水由胡佛大坝支撑，形成米德湖。
米德湖用于灌溉附近的土地，以及划船和钓鱼。
大坝本身是该地区的主要电力来源。
参观大峡谷的游客常常对峡谷的大小和美丽充满敬畏。
与巨大的悬崖、山谷和浩瀚的河流相比，人们显得非常渺小。