VOA新闻杂志2023--Visitors Still Go to Death Valley Even with Record Heat

Visitors Still Go to Death Valley Even with Record Heat

Even as temperatures continue to climb, visitors are still coming to see Death Valley National Park on the California-Nevada border.

The park is known as the hottest place on Earth. The National Park Service said on July 10, 1913, the hottest temperature recorded at Death Valley was 56.6 degrees Celsius¹.

Temperatures at or above 54.44 degrees Celsius have only been recorded on Earth a small number of times, mostly in Death Valley.

This past weekend, the temperatures climbed to 53.33 degrees Celsius.

Most visitors at this time of year make it only a short distance to any area in the park before returning to the cool air in their vehicles.

But Daniel Jusehus from Germany chose to run in the heat earlier last week. He told the Associated Press, "I was really noticing, you know, I didn't feel so hot, but my body was working really hard to cool myself."

The active runner also took a photo of the thermometer outside Furnace Creek² Visitor Center at the park. It showed the thermometer reading 48.8 degrees Celsius.

Early information from the park service shows that across the nation's 424 national parks, at least four people have died this year from heat-related causes. That includes a 65-year-old man from San Diego who was found dead in his vehicle at Death Valley earlier this month.

Death Valley National Park suggests visitors be careful and not have expectations of rescue. While park rangers⁴ drive on park roads and can assist motorists in need of help, there is no guarantee that lost visitors will get help in time.

More than 1.1 million people visit the desert park each year. At 13,848 square kilometers, Death Valley National Park is one of the largest national parks. About one-fifth of the visitors come in June, July and August.

Many visitors want to explore, even after the suggested cutoff times. Physical activity can make the heat feel even worse and leave people exhausted⁵.

Park Ranger³ Nichole Andler said, "It does feel like the sun has gone through your skin and is getting into your bones."

Others mentioned feeling their eyes drying out from the hot wind sweeping⁶ through the valley.

Alessia Dempster, who was visiting from Edinburgh, Scotland, said, "It's very hot... especially when there's a breeze, you would think that maybe that would give you some slight relief from the heat, but it just really does feel like an air blow dryer⁷ just going back in your face."

Death Valley is a narrow area that is below sea level and surrounded by high, steep mountains, the park service's website says. The dry air and small plant coverage⁸ let sunlight heat up the desert surface. The heat then becomes trapped in the valley.

The park's brownish hills have signs saying, "heat kills" and other warnings.

Still, several areas in Death Valley continue to draw tourists. Badwater Basin, made up of salt flats, is considered the lowest point in all of North America. The 183-meter Ubehebe Crater⁹ dates back over 2,000 years. And Zabriskie Point is a great sunrise viewing spot.

Eugen Chen from Taiwan called the park "beautiful" and a "very special place."

Josh Miller¹⁰, a visitor from Indianapolis who has been to 20 national parks so far, shared that feeling.

"It's hot, but the scenery is awesome," he said.

Words in This Story

notice – v. to become aware of (something or someone) by seeing, hearing, etc.

ranger – n. a person in charge of managing and protecting part of a public forest

breeze – n. a gentle wind

relief – n. the removal or reduction of something that is painful or unpleasant

steep – adj. going up or down very quickly

scenery – n. a view of natural features (such as mountains, hills, valleys)

1 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。

2 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

3 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

4 rangers   

护林者( ranger的名词复数 )； 突击队员

参考例句：

• Do you know where the Rangers Stadium is? 你知道Rangers体育场在哪吗？ 来自超越目标英语 第3册
• Now I'm a Rangers' fan, so I like to be near the stadium. 现在我是Rangers的爱好者，所以我想离体育场近一点。 来自超越目标英语 第3册

5 exhausted   

adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的

参考例句：

• It was a long haul home and we arrived exhausted.搬运回家的这段路程特别长，到家时我们已筋疲力尽。
• Jenny was exhausted by the hustle of city life.珍妮被城市生活的忙乱弄得筋疲力尽。

6 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

7 dryer   

n.干衣机，干燥剂

参考例句：

• He bought a dryer yesterday.他昨天买了一台干燥机。
• There is a washer and a dryer in the basement.地下室里有洗衣机和烘干机。

8 coverage   

n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖

参考例句：

• There's little coverage of foreign news in the newspaper.报纸上几乎没有国外新闻报道。
• This is an insurance policy with extensive coverage.这是一项承保范围广泛的保险。

9 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

10 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。