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.我是美国之音自然探索栏目的Steve Ember ，今天我们谈谈美国最著名的国家公园之一，它位于西部的加利福尼亚州的内华达山脉上。是这个国家最美的地方之一，他的名字叫约赛密地国家公园（优胜美地）。
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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. 约赛密地国家公园是个极端的地方。它有高山，它有数百万年前冰川运动留下的峡谷。高山上的水掉落深深地绿色峡谷。在约赛密地国家公园有十三个魅力的瀑布。其中之一是约赛密地瀑布，是地球上第五高的瀑布。
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.山上是清澈的湖泊，快速流动的小溪和巨大的岩石构造。一块巨石叫做半圆屋顶。它高达2700米。
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.约赛密地有魅力的缓缓的河流，和大片草地，你可以在那里看到野生动物。超过60种动物生活在公园里。鹿很常见，你可以在任何地方看到他们，他们不怕人。也可能看到大黑熊，你也可以看到200种不同的鸟。
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.在一个叫做蝴蝶百合树林的地方，游客可以看到一些地球上最大最高最老的生物。他们是巨大的美洲杉。其中之一被称作灰巨人，它有1800岁了。有一棵树大约90米高，另一棵有约10米粗。这些大树让你觉得自己很小。
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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. 内华达山脉和约赛密地国家公园的故事从五百万年以前开始。那时这片地方在古代的海底。
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.科学家相信是地震使海底升高到海面以上。数百万年后，被推挤成陆地和山脉 。同时，地底形成的炙热熔岩被推到地面，这些熔岩慢慢冷却，慢慢形成我们所知的花岗岩。
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.很多世纪的雨水形成大河猛烈地穿过这里。慢慢的，河流深深地冲出新的山脉。在大冰期时代，数百万吨的冰切割花岗岩形成巨石。数百万年后形成了约赛密地的半圆屋顶和酋长岩。
VOICE ONE:
Humans have lived in the area of Yosemite for more than four thousand years. The first people who lived there were hunters. Most were members of a tribe of Native Americans called the Miwok. They lived in Yosemite Valley near the river.人类在约赛密地生活超过4000年。最早生活在那里的人是猎人。多数是叫做米沃克的美国土著部落的成员。他们生活在河边的约赛密地峡谷。
During the extremely cold winters, these people would move to lower, warmer areas. They would return when the winter months had passed.在极度寒冷的冬天，这些人会搬到低一些的温暖些的地方。冬天过去他们会回来。
The first white Americans may have been hunters looking for fur animals. A 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. 最早来这里的白人可能是寻找毛皮动物的猎人。一个著名的猎人和探险家Joseph Walker 在十九世纪三十年代曾通过这里。他报告了巨大的演示构造，他说没办法到达峡谷底部。
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.参加军队的公民可能是第一批探索峡谷的现代人。他们当时正与当地印第安人交战，因而进入峡谷。白人士兵称印第安人为约赛密地。峡谷以印第安部落命名。很快，关于自然美景的报告从各种渠道传到了华盛顿。
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. 1864年，一个美国参议员要求立法将约赛密地作为加利福尼亚州的公园。立法说峡谷应该被保存和保护。在国会通过后林肯总统签署了法案。
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.这是美国历史上很重要的事件。这是第一次政府因美丽的景色而立法保护一个地方。这块土地被保存下来供公众欣赏。约赛密地成为第一个州公园。这是世界第一个真正的公园。1890年，约赛密地成为国家公园。公园管理局对公园负责。它被保存和保护以供人们共享。
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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. 没有通向约赛密地的大路。游客必须离开公路开车通过小路去。约赛密地在旧金山以东约320公里处。
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.它在内华达山脉深处。通向公园的路经过山脉的低处。然后越来越低进入约赛密地峡谷。
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.游客可以在约赛密地公园的不同的地方停留。那里建有一些古老的旅馆。一些很昂贵。一些便宜些。很多人带着临时的布做的家，帐篷。在允许的地方扎营每天只需几美元。
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.游客可以魅力的峡谷和山脉中四处走走。这些散步道称作游径。公园管理局已经开发了1100米的游径。探索这些游径很有趣。一些只需走几分钟，一些需要走几天。
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. 来自全世界的人来约赛密地爬一座巨石最有名的是酋长岩，攀登他的人称之为EL CAP，只有专家可以攀登这座岩石。这种运动称作硬石攀登。很难也很危险。
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. 攀登者必须要有专业技能和很强的力量。从岩石墙的表面直接爬上去。专家说要用三天才能爬到酋长岩顶部，攀爬很慢。
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 one thousand one hundred meters.攀爬者必须寻找石头上的裂隙。他们把手或脚放在裂隙然后向上爬。他们也用绳子和特殊装备。从峡谷底部到酋长岩顶部约1100米。(MUSIC)
VOICE ONE:
In the summer months, Yosemite Park is filled with visitors. Large buses bring people from San Francisco to spend the day. 在夏天，约赛密地充满游客。大公共汽车带着人们来这里消遣。
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. 他们很早离开旧金山，晚上很晚才回去。他们去一个又一个地方欣赏约赛密地，其他人则开车去。
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.一些人甚至骑自行车去。一些人只待几小时。还有人停留数天数星期来欣赏公园。很多游客一次又一次的来到约赛密地，每年有约四百万人来公园。
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. 冬天，大雪飘落在内华达山脉和约赛密地。通常在十一月下雪。在冬天大雪使约赛密地的一些道路被迫关闭。公园管理局努力工作来使道路通行。
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. 因为路上有雪驾驶者必须使用特殊装备。他们享受到夏天的游客看不到的美景。很多冬天的游客来约赛密地的 Badger Pass滑雪。 Badger Pass滑雪场是加利福尼亚最老的滑雪场。那里有为想学习这项刺激的运动的人们开办的滑雪学校。
Many visitors come to enjoy the park with its heavy coat of winter 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.很多游客来欣赏披着冰雪外衣的公园。一些地方积雪深达数米。一些高山的积雪到夏天最热的时候才化。
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. 无论何时游客来到约赛密地，他们都感受到自然之美。一次公园的旅行会让人长久回忆。多数来约赛密的人会带相机。他们拍很多巨石，美丽的约赛密地峡谷，瀑布和巨树的照片。
But you do not really need a photograph to remember its great natural beauty. Yosemite will leave its image in your memory forever.但你不需要照相机来保存美景的记忆。约赛密地会在你的记忆里留下永久的图像。
[此贴被系统于2009-1-17 16:58:09编辑过]
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