VOA慢速英语2016--大本德国家公园：德克萨斯的宝藏

Big Bend National Park: A Texas Treasure 大本德国家公园：德克萨斯的宝藏

Today on our national parks journey, we head to the far western part of Texas. The landscape here is severe. The Chisos Mountains rise from the desert. The Rio Grande River cuts deep into ancient limestone¹ rock. Cactus² plants flower under the intense sun.

Welcome to Big Bend National Park.

At first sight, Big Bend seems empty of life. But, the park is home to many plants and animals. Over 450 kinds of birds can be found within the park, along with 75 mammal species and more than 50 kinds of reptiles³.

The park’s diversity comes from its three different ecosystems⁵. Within the park are mountain, desert and river environments.

The Rio Grande sustains the park. The river starts high up in the Rocky Mountains. Melting mountain snow is its main source. It travels more than 3,000 kilometers on its way to the Gulf⁶ of Mexico.

The river cuts through the dry Chihuahuan Desert. Big Bend National Park contains the northernmost part of this desert. It is the second-largest desert in North America. Much of the desert is south of the border in Mexico. The Rio Grande serves as an international border between the United States and Mexico for about 1,600 kilometers. The park itself shares a border with Mexico for 189 kilometers

The Chihuahuan Desert is the largest ecosystem⁴ in the park. Eighty percent of the park is desert. Animals like jackrabbits, roadrunner birds and mule⁷ deer live in the Chihuahuan. Many cactus and yucca species thrive. These are succulent plants. Most succulents have thick, heavy leaves that store water. Cacti⁸ store water in their stems.

High up in the park’s Chisos Mountains, you will find fir and pine trees, aspens and maples⁹. Temperatures here are much cooler than down on the desert floor.

The entire Chisos Mountain range exists within Big Bend. It is the only mountain range in the United States that is fully¹⁰ within a national park. Its highest mountains, Emory Peak and Lost Mine Peak, each rise more than 2,000 meters above the hot desert floor.

The woodland environment in the mountains is home to black bears, mountain lions, and gray foxes. It is also home to many kinds of birds. Visitors are drawn¹¹ to the park because of its rare and unique bird species.

One of these is the Colima warbler. These small gray, yellow and red birds arrive at Big Bend in the springtime to mate and nest. Then, they return south to Mexico.

In the late summer, mountain sage¹² flowers appear. Hummingbirds¹⁴ -- blue-throated, ruby-throated, magnificent, and Lucifer, and others -- seek out these flowers.

Along with its plant and animal life, the park is also rich in cultural history. Archaeological records of humans in the area go back about 10,000 years, beginning with the prehistoric¹⁵ Paleo-Indians.

Later on, the Chisos Indians lived here, as did the Comanche and Jumano people, and other native groups. Spanish explorers began to arrive in the area in the 1500s. They were searching for gold and fertile land. They described this land as “despoblado,” or “uninhabited.”

Much of what is now Big Bend National Park was Mexican territory until 1848. Mexican settlers farmed and raised animals here. In the early 1900s, many Anglo-Americans began settling in the area.

The creation of Big Bend National Park

Big Bend became a national park on June 12, 1944. It covers more than 320,000 hectares.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt established the park just one week after D-Day. That is the day American and British troops invaded Normandy, France. As America’s attention centered on World War II, Roosevelt established a new national park for future generations to enjoy.

For several years before the park was created, hundreds of men worked to build roads and trails to prepare the area for visitors. They built the 11-kilometer road that leads to the Chisos Mountains Basin. A basin is a large area of the earth’s surface that is lower than the area surrounding it.

Today, the basin is a popular place within the park. Visitors can stay in the Chisos Mountain Lodge¹⁶ there or at campgrounds. Many of the park’s hiking trails begin near the basin.

One of the most popular is the Lost Mine Trail. It starts near the Chisos Mountain Lodge. The trail goes up sharply through forests of pine, juniper and oak trees.

The 8-kilometer-long hike passes by lookout¹⁷ points for viewing Casa Grande Peak, one of Texas’s major mountains. Hikers can also enjoy a view into the park’s Juniper Canyon¹⁸.

More than 300,000 people visit Big Bend each year. Most come between November and April, when the weather is cooler.

A favorite way to explore the park is by boat on the Rio Grande. Many tour operators organize rafting trips.

Rafting trips take you through many kilometers of beautiful deep canyons¹⁹. They may last half a day or several days. On longer trips, travelers sleep next to the river in tents.

Another way to enjoy the Rio Grande is in its many hot springs. These are places where hot water flows up from underground. The water temperature is over 40 degrees Celsius²⁰. The river’s hot springs are said to have healing properties. They hold mineral salts from the earth.

Big Bend National Park has offered beauty, excitement and recreational challenge to visitors for more than 80 years. It is a true treasure of Texas, and the larger United States.

Words in This Story

ecosystem - n. everything that exists in a particular environment

sustain - v. to provide what is needed for (something or someone) to exist, continue, etc.

thrive - v.? to grow or develop successfully?

range - n. ?a series of mountains or hills in a line?

mate - v.? to have sexual activity in order to produce young?

hummingbird¹³ - n. ?a very small, brightly colored American bird that has wings which beat very fast?

fertile - adj. able to support the growth of many plants

uninhabited - adj. not lived in by people?

rafting - v. the activity of traveling down a river on a flat boat (called a raft)

tent - n. ?a portable shelter that is used outdoors, is made of cloth and is held up with poles and ropes?

1 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

2 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

3 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

5 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

6 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

7 mule   

n.骡子，杂种，执拗的人

参考例句：

• A mule is a cross between a mare and a donkey.骡子是母马和公驴的杂交后代。
• He is an old mule.他是个老顽固。

8 cacti   

n.（复）仙人掌

参考例句：

• There we could see nothing but cacti.那里除了仙人掌我们什么也看不到。
• Cacti can survive the lack of rainfall in the desert.仙人掌在降水稀少的沙漠中也能生存下去。

9 maples   

槭树，枫树( maple的名词复数 )； 槭木

参考例句：

• There are many maples in the park. 公园里有好多枫树。
• The wind of the autumn colour the maples carmine . 秋风给枫林涂抹胭红。

10 fully   

adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地

参考例句：

• The doctor asked me to breathe in,then to breathe out fully.医生让我先吸气，然后全部呼出。
• They soon became fully integrated into the local community.他们很快就完全融入了当地人的圈子。

11 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

12 sage   

n.圣人，哲人；adj.贤明的，明智的

参考例句：

• I was grateful for the old man's sage advice.我很感激那位老人贤明的忠告。
• The sage is the instructor of a hundred ages.这位哲人是百代之师。

13 hummingbird   

n.蜂鸟

参考例句：

• The hummingbird perches on a twig of the hawthorn.小蜂鸟栖在山楂树枝上。
• The hummingbird is the only bird that can fly backward.蜂鸟是唯一能倒退向后飞的鸟。

14 hummingbirds   

n.蜂鸟( hummingbird的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Hummingbirds have discovered that nectar and pollen are very nutritious. 蜂鸟发现花蜜和花粉是很有营养的。
• Why do hummingbirds and gorillas both have backbones? 为什么蜂鸟和大猩猩都有脊骨？

15 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

16 lodge   

v.临时住宿，寄宿，寄存，容纳；n.传达室，小旅馆

参考例句：

• Is there anywhere that I can lodge in the village tonight?村里有我今晚过夜的地方吗？
• I shall lodge at the inn for two nights.我要在这家小店住两个晚上。

17 lookout   

n.注意，前途，瞭望台

参考例句：

• You can see everything around from the lookout.从了望台上你可以看清周围的一切。
• It's a bad lookout for the company if interest rates don't come down.如果利率降不下来，公司的前景可就不妙了。

18 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

19 canyons   

n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
• Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存？ 来自互联网

20 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。