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VOICE ONE:
This is Phoebe Zimmermann.
VOICE TWO:
And this is Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Today, we
tell about one of the most famous national parks in the United States. You can
find it high in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of the western state of California.
It is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Its name is Yosemite.
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VOICE ONE:
Yosemite National Park is a
place of extremes. It has high mountains. It has valleys formed by ancient ice
that cut deep into the Earth millions of years ago. Water from high in the
mountains falls in many places to the green valley far below. There are thirteen
beautiful waterfalls in Yosemite Valley. One of these waterfalls, Yosemite
Falls, is the fifth highest on Earth.
Up in the mountains are clear lakes, quick-moving small rivers, and huge
formations of rock. One huge rock is called Half Dome. It rises more than two
thousand seven hundred meters into the air.
Yosemite has a beautiful slow-moving river and large grassy areas where you
can see wild animals. More than sixty kinds of animals live in the park. Deer
are very common. You can see them almost everywhere. They have little fear of
humans. You might even see a large black bear. You can also see two hundred
different kinds of birds.
In a place called the Mariposa Grove, visitors can see some of the largest,
tallest and oldest living things on Earth. These are the giant Sequoia Trees.
One of these trees is called Grizzly Giant. It is more than one thousand eight
hundred years old. One tree is almost ninety meters tall. Another is more than
ten meters around. The huge old trees can make you feel very, very small.
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VOICE TWO:
The story of the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the area that is Yosemite
National Park begins about five hundred million years ago. The area then was at
the bottom of an ancient sea.
Scientists believe strong earthquakes forced the bottom of the sea to rise
above the water. After millions of years, it was pushed up into the air to form
land and mountains. At the same time, hot liquid rock from deep in the Earth
pushed to the surface. This liquid rock slowly cooled. This cooling liquid
formed a very hard rock known as granite.
Many centuries of rain caused huge rivers to move violently through this
area. Over time, these rivers cut deep into the new mountains. During the great
Ice Age, millions of tons of ice cut and shaped the cooled granite to form giant
rocks. Millions of years later these would become the giant rocks called Half
Dome and El Capitan in Yosemite Park.
VOICE ONE:
Humans have lived in the area of Yosemite for more than four thousand years.
The people who first lived there were hunters. Most were members of a tribe of
Native Americans called the Miwok. They lived in Yosemite Valley near the river.
During the extremely cold winters, these people would move to lower, warmer
areas. They would return when the winter months had passed.
The first white Americans may have been hunters looking for fur animals. A
Yosemite Valley famous American hunter and explorer named Joseph Walker
passed through the area in the eighteen thirties. He reported about the huge
rock formations and said there was no way to reach the valley below.
VOICE TWO:
Citizens who had formed a military group were the first real modern explorers
of the valley. They were at war with the local Indians and came into the valley.
The white soldiers called the Indians Yosemites. The valley was named for the
Indian tribe. Soon, reports of its great natural beauty were sent all the way
back to Washington, D.C.
In eighteen sixty-four, a United States senator called for legislation to
give the Yosemite Valley to the state of California as a public park. The
legislation said the valley should be preserved and protected. President Abraham
Lincoln signed the bill after Congress approved it.
This event was extremely important in the history of the United States. It
was the first time that a government had approved a law to preserve and protect
land because of its great beauty. The land was to be kept for the public to
enjoy. Yosemite became the first state park. It was the first real park in the
world. In eighteen ninety, it became a national park. The National Park Service
is responsible for the park today. It is preserved and protected for all people
to enjoy.
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VOICE ONE:
No major roads lead to Yosemite National Park. Visitors must leave the
highways and drive their cars over smaller roads. Yosemite is about three
hundred twenty kilometers east of San Francisco.
It is deep in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. The roads leading to the park pass
over lower parts of the huge mountains. Then the road goes lower and lower into
the area of the park called Yosemite Valley.
Visitors can stay in different kinds of places in Yosemite Park. Several
beautiful old hotels have been built on the property. Some are very costly.
Others cost less. Many people bring temporary cloth homes called tents. It costs
only a few dollars a day to place a tent in the approved areas.
Visitors can walk through many areas in the beautiful valley and the
mountains. These walking paths are called trails. The National Park Service has
improved more than one thousand one hundred kilometers of trails. It is fun to
explore these trails. Some take only a few minutes to walk. Others can take
several days to complete.
VOICE TWO:
People come from all over the world to climb one of the huge rock formations
at Yosemite. The most famous of these is called El Capitan. People who climb it
call it “El Cap; Climbing El Cap is only for experts. This activity is
called "hard rock climbing"; It is extremely difficult and can be very
dangerous.
A climber must have expert skill and great strength. The climb is straight up
the face of a rock wall. Experts say it can take about three days to climb to
the top of El Cap. The climbing is very slow.
Climbers must look for cracks in the rock. They place their
hands and feet in the cracks and then work their way up. They also
use ropes and special equipment. From the bottom of the valley to the top of El
Cap is about 1100 meters.
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VOICE ONE:
In the summer months, Yosemite Park is filled with visitors. Large buses
bring people from San Francisco to spend the day. They leave San Francisco very
early in the morning and arrive back late at night. They drive from one place to
another to see Yosemite. Other visitors come by car. Some even come by bicycle.
Some visit for just a few hours. Others take several days or weeks to enjoy the
park. Many visitors come to Yosemite again and again. About four million people
visit the park every year.
VOICE TWO:
In the winter, heavy snow falls in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and Yosemite.
The snow usually begins to fall in the month of November. Heavy snow forces some
of the roads into Yosemite to close during the winter months. The National Park
Service works hard to keep most of the roads open.
Drivers must use special care because of ice and snow on the roads. They
enjoy a special beauty never seen by the summer visitors. Many winter visitors
come to Yosemite to spend their time skiing at Badger Pass. Badger ski area is
the oldest in California. It has a ski school for those who want to learn the
exciting sport.
Many visitors come to enjoy the park with its heavy coat of white snow. In
some areas the snow is many meters deep. Some of the tall mountains keep their
snow until the last hot days of summer.
VOICE ONE:
Whenever visitors come to Yosemite, they experience great natural beauty. A
visit to the park provides lasting memories of what nature has produced. Most
people who come to Yosemite usually bring a camera. They take many of pictures
of the huge rocks, the beautiful Yosemite Valley, the waterfalls and the giant
trees.
But you do not really need a photograph to remember its great natural beauty.
Yosemite will leave its image in your memory forever.
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VOICE TWO:
This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter.
This is Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And this is Phoebe Zimmermann. Join us again next week for another
EXPLORATIONS program in VOA Special English.
Yosemite National Park : (美國(guó)加利福尼亞州中部)約塞米蒂?lài)?guó)家公園
