VOA慢速英语2016--雷尼尔山的冰川世界

The Glacial World of Mount¹ Rainier 雷尼尔山的冰川世界

This week on our National Parks journey, we travel to America’s mountainous Pacific Northwest. We are exploring Mount Rainier National Park in Washington state.

The mountain in Washington rises more than 4,300 meters above sea level. It is one of America’s most glacier²-filled peaks. Snow covers the top of the mountain year-round. Its glacial meltwater forms six major rivers.

The Native Americans who lived in the northwest called the great mountain “Takhoma.” One tribe³ said it was a monster that would eat people. Other old stories among Native Americans said the mountain could produce great amounts of fire.

In 1792, British explorer George Vancouver became the first European to see the mountain. He named it after a navy⁴ friend, Captain Peter Rainier.

Today the people who live in the northwestern city of Seattle simply call it “The Mountain.” Mount Rainier is almost 100 kilometers outside of Seattle. Yet it can be seen from almost any place in the city.

Mount Rainier is not just a mountain. It is a sleeping volcano⁵. Steam and heat often rise from the very top of the mountain, causing some of the snow to melt. More than 25 thick glaciers⁶ cover part of the top of the mountain.

Mount Rainier has long been a popular place to visit. Many people go to enjoy the beautiful and peaceful forests that surround the mountain.Others try to climb to the top of the great mountain.

Hazard⁷ Stevens and Philemon VanTrump became the first people known to reach the top of Mount Rainier. They reached the top in August of 1870 after a 10-hour climb through the snow.                       

In 1890, a young schoolteacher became the first woman to reach the top of Mount Rainier. Her name was Fay Fuller. For many years after her successful climb, she wrote newspaper stories asking the federal⁸ government to make Mount Rainier a national park. Many people who visited the mountain also wanted its environment to be protected by the federal government.                

In March of 1899, President William McKinley signed a law that made Mount Rainier a national park. It was the fifth national park established in the United States.

Today, about 10,000 people try to climb to the top of Mount Rainier every year. The mountain is extremely difficult to climb. The National Park Service says only about half of the climbers successfully reach the top. Snow and ice cover parts of the mountain year-round. Severe weather is possible at any time. Many people have died trying to climb Mount Rainier.

Experienced⁹ mountain climbers often use it as a difficult test for people who want to climb extremely tall mountains around the world.

But, you do not have to be an experienced mountain climber to enjoy Mount Rainier National Park. More than one million people visit the park each year.

Many enjoy hiking along the hundreds of kilometers of paths. The paths lead through flat meadows¹⁰ filled with wildflowers and up through forests of large old trees.

Other visitors drive around the park to experience its natural beauty. They often see black tailed deer, elk¹¹, and mountain goats.

The large park is almost 100,000 hectares. Many lakes, rivers, roads, hotels and camping areas are within the park.

Experts believe that Mount Rainier could become a much more active volcano sometime in the near future. They say the real problem is that they do not know exactly when that could happen.

Experts also agree that the great heat produced by a volcanic¹² explosion¹³ would melt the rivers of ice that are part of the mountain. This melting could happen in a matter of minutes. The melting ice would then produce flowing rivers of mud and rock. That would put people who live in the southern part of Seattle and in the nearby city of Tacoma in danger.

These experts carefully study the conditions at Mount Rainier. They hope to be able to warn people of any dangerous change.

But for now, the great mountain provides a safe and enjoyable place to visit in America’s beautiful Pacific Northwest.

Words in This Story

glacier - n. a very large area of ice that moves slowly down a slope or valley or over a wide area of land

peak - n. the pointed¹⁴ top of a mountain

explorer - n. a person who travels over or through (a place) in order to learn more about it or to find something

monster - n. a strange or horrible imaginary creature

1 mount   

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。

2 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

3 tribe   

n.部落，种族，一伙人

参考例句：

• This is a subject tribe.这是个受他人统治的部落。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills.这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

4 navy   

n.海军，海军人员，海军军力，藏青色

参考例句：

• My brother is in the navy.我兄弟在海军服役。
• He has transferred from the army to the navy.他从陆军转到海军。

5 volcano   

n.火山

参考例句：

• The volcano unexpectedly blew up early in the morning.火山一早突然爆发了。
• It is most risky to go and examine an active volcano.去探察活火山是非常危险的。

6 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

7 hazard   

n.危险，危害；vt.冒...的危险，使遭危险

参考例句：

• He climbed into the car at the hazard of his life.他冒着生命危险进了汽车。
• I think we have provided for every possible hazard.我认为我们已经准备好了应付每一种可能的危险。

8 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

9 experienced   

adj.有经验的；经验丰富的，熟练的

参考例句：

• Experienced seamen will advise you about sailing in this weather.有经验的海员会告诉你在这种天气下的航行情况。
• Perhaps you and I had better change over;you are more experienced.也许我们的工作还是对换一下好，你比我更有经验。

10 meadows   

草地，牧场， （河边的）低洼地( meadow的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The trail wends its way through leafy woodland and sunny meadows. 这条小径穿过葱郁的林区和洒满阳光的草地。
• They have railed the meadows off from the new railway cutting. 他们已用栏杆把草地和新铁道的路堑隔离开来。

11 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

12 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

13 explosion   

n.爆发，发出，爆炸

参考例句：

• The police arrived right at the moment of the explosion.警察就在爆炸的那个时候赶到了。
• The shock of the explosion was felt far away.爆炸引起的震动很远都可感觉到。

14 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。