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VOA慢速英语2013 The Potomac River Flows Through Cities, History

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The Potomac River Flows Through Cities, History

From VOA Learning English, welcome to This Is America.

I'm Jim Tedder1

And I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.

Today we tell about the Potomac River. The Potomac is one of America’s most historic2 waterways. It flows more than 600 kilometers, from the Allegheny Mountains to the Chesapeake Bay and finally into the Atlantic Ocean. 

Winding4 Through Cities and States

The Potomac River is the wildest river in the world that flows through a heavily populated area. On its way from the mountains to the ocean, it runs through West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia and the United States capital, Washington, DC.

The Potomac River supplies water for most of the six million people who live in the DC area. Millions of people use the river and the land nearby for boating, fishing, bird watching and other recreational activities. The area is home to birds such as the great blue heron and the American bald eagle. 

The Potomac River has played an important part in American history. For example, America's first president, George Washington, lived for many years along the Potomac in Virginia. He urged that the river be developed to link Americans with the West.

We Go Where People Lived Thousands of Years Ago... 

The wind is blowing hard along the Potomac today, making the water dangerous in some places. So we will make our trip along the river virtually, without ever having to leave the room. For our virtual5 tour, we will take a small boat, a canoe we move through the water by rowing oars6 or paddles.

Our trip will take seven or eight days. The boat has only enough space for two or three people. But there is other traffic on the river. We do not feel alone.   

We start in the calm waters of Shepherdstown, West Virginia. A travel guide tells us that people lived here 15,000 years ago. The Potomac River was a meeting place for American Indians long before Europeans arrived. The Indians gathered to trade food and furs. Today, people often find objects that the Indians left behind.

We work hard to power our virtual canoe, and are happy to stop and rest at Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. During the 19th century, this village was an important transportation center for the river, a smaller waterway and a railroad. At Harpers Ferry, the Potomac flows through the Blue Ridge7 Mountains. Here it meets the Shenandoah River.

From our boat we can see the water flowing toward huge rocks. Green trees cover the mountains on either side. Round white clouds hang low against a blue sky. It looks very peaceful.

A Place of Rebellion8  

But this area is not known for peace. In 1859, the United States was close to civil war between the northern and southern states.

The federal government stored weapons at Harpers Ferry. John Brown and 18 of his supporters captured the storage center. However, federal troops recaptured it the next day. Brown was later hanged. But his name was made famous forever by American writer Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson wrote that although Brown had died, his spirit would march on. 

Harpers Ferry became a national historical park in 1944. Today the park welcomes visitors who come to learn about life along the Potomac River.

It's a Bird...

Bird-watching is a favorite activity in the park, where more than 170 bird species9 have been identified. Great blue herons populate a part of the historic area, and Canada geese can be seen along the edges of the Shenandoah Canal. The park also has pileated woodpeckers and Baltimore orioles.

Most of the time we sail smoothly10 down the Potomac. But sometimes the river is wild. George Washington understood that the Potomac was difficult to travel on, even for much bigger boats than the canoe. He proposed a waterway to avoid dangerous areas along the Potomac. But he did not live to see it built. Washington died in 1799. The Chesapeake and Ohio Canal was built more than 25 years later.

Over the years, continued flooding from the Potomac damaged the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal. Today it no longer carries goods. Instead, the C&O Canal is a national park. Kayaks and barges11 float on the waterway, passing through locks. These devices close off the canal and use special gates to raise or lower the boats. They do this by raising or lowering the water level.

The Towpath

The area between the Potomac and the canal is called a towpath. It extends about 300 kilometers from Washington, DC to Cumberland, Maryland.

Today we see families walking their dogs along the towpath. Other people are running or riding bicycles. Still others are fishing. Swimming is not permitted.

Visitors to the towpath sometimes see brick ovens, or remains12 of brick ovens. A national park employee tells us that people who lost their homes during the Great Depression once warmed their meals in the ovens. 

Dangerous Waters Ahead...

Now we are getting close to the city of Washington. Here the river begins to look dangerous. Signs warn boats away from the 24 kilometers of the Potomac Gorge13. People leave their canoes to walk along the towpath.

Water moves fast in the gorge. There are many rocks and waterfalls. The gorge begins above a large waterfall called Great Falls. Here the water drops to sea level. The gorge then extends to Theodore Roosevelt Island, named for America's 26th president.

Here we may get a good look at a blue heron. This beautiful bird stands for a minute on a rock on one long, thin leg. An eagle spreads its wide wings in the sky, but does not land.

We Enter Washington

We take land transportation to follow the river into America's capital. Washington, DC was built on low wetlands in 1800. The British burned the city in 1812. But Americans soon rebuilt it.

While in Washington, we decide to continue our virtual trip on the Potomac in a larger boat. This will take us past George Washington's home in an area just south of Alexandria, Virginia. He helped design the big white house, called Mount3 Vernon. The former president and his wife Martha are buried on the property.

Today we see sheep and goats eating grass on the hill between the back of the house and the river. This sight probably looks about the same as it did when George Washington directed activities at his beautiful riverside farm.

The Threat of Pollution

After passing Mount Vernon, we end our trip on the Potomac River as it flows toward the Chesapeake Bay. By now, we have a deep feeling for the beauty of the river. But the beauty always exists under threat of pollution.

Over the centuries, industry, agriculture and human development severely14 damaged the environment of the Potomac. By the 1970s, people described the river's condition as sickening. Then Congress passed the Clean Water Act in 1972.

The water quality has improved greatly since then. Yet coal mines in West Virginia still drop harmful acids into the water. Waste materials from the Anacostia River float on the Potomac. Sediment15 material that falls to the bottom prevents traffic on some parts of the river. Pesticide16 products and fertilizers pollute the water. Many environmentalists worry about the building of new homes and businesses along the river.

The Potomac faces many environmental problems as a result of population growth and its resulting pressures on land and water resources.

The river flows through land controlled by developers, private owners, and state and local governments. These groups often have conflicting ideas about what is good and bad for the river. Several organizations work to protect and improve the Potomac River and the land near it.

The Potomac Conservancy is one of those organizations. It carries out a land protection program, develops land and water restoration projects, and provides education programs for adults and young people.

We hope that Americans will always take care of their historic Potomac River.

This program was written by Jerilyn Watson and produced by Kelly Jean Kelly.

I’m Jim Tedder.

And I’m Kelly Jean Kelly.


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点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tedder 2833afc4f8252d8dc9f8cd73b24db55d     
n.(干草)翻晒者,翻晒机
参考例句:
  • Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆?特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
  • Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆?泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网
2 historic AcNxw     
adj.历史上著名的,具有历史意义的
参考例句:
  • This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
  • We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。
3 mount 6Fixv     
n.山峰,乘用马,框,衬纸;vi.增长,骑上(马);vt.提升,爬上,装备
参考例句:
  • Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
  • She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。
4 winding Ue7z09     
n.绕,缠,绕组,线圈
参考例句:
  • A winding lane led down towards the river.一条弯弯曲曲的小路通向河边。
  • The winding trail caused us to lose our orientation.迂回曲折的小道使我们迷失了方向。
5 virtual yhfwi     
adj.实质上的,事实上的,实际上的
参考例句:
  • This reply is a virtual acceptance of our offer.这一回答实质上是接受了我们的建议。
  • At that time the East India Company was the virtual ruler of Bengal.那时东印度公司是孟加拉的实际统治者。
6 oars c589a112a1b341db7277ea65b5ec7bf7     
n.桨,橹( oar的名词复数 );划手v.划(行)( oar的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • He pulled as hard as he could on the oars. 他拼命地划桨。
  • The sailors are bending to the oars. 水手们在拼命地划桨。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 ridge KDvyh     
n.山脊;鼻梁;分水岭
参考例句:
  • We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
  • The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。
8 rebellion stVyI     
n.造反,叛乱,反抗
参考例句:
  • The next year they rose up in rebellion.第二年他们就揭竿起义了。
  • The new government quickly suppressed the rebellion.新政府迅速把叛乱镇压下去。
9 species FTizN     
n.物种,种群
参考例句:
  • Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗?
  • This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。
10 smoothly iiUzLG     
adv.平滑地,顺利地,流利地,流畅地
参考例句:
  • The workmen are very cooperative,so the work goes on smoothly.工人们十分合作,所以工作进展顺利。
  • Just change one or two words and the sentence will read smoothly.这句话只要动一两个字就顺了。
11 barges f4f7840069bccdd51b419326033cf7ad     
驳船( barge的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • The tug is towing three barges. 那只拖船正拖着三只驳船。
  • There were plenty of barges dropping down with the tide. 有不少驳船顺流而下。
12 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
13 gorge Zf1xm     
n.咽喉,胃,暴食,山峡;v.塞饱,狼吞虎咽地吃
参考例句:
  • East of the gorge leveled out.峡谷东面地势变得平坦起来。
  • It made my gorge rise to hear the news.这消息令我作呕。
14 severely SiCzmk     
adv.严格地;严厉地;非常恶劣地
参考例句:
  • He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
  • He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。
15 sediment IsByK     
n.沉淀,沉渣,沉积(物)
参考例句:
  • The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后,水变清了。
  • Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。
16 pesticide OMlxV     
n.杀虫剂,农药
参考例句:
  • The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
  • This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

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