您現在的位置: Language Tips> Audio & Video> Special Speed News  
       
     





     
    Camping in America's national and state parks
    [ 2008-10-22 09:19 ]

     

    Download

    VOICE ONE:

    I'm Faith Lapidus.

    VOICE TWO:

    And I'm Steve Ember with EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Millions of people in the United States like to spend their holidays enjoying nature. They carry everything they will need with them. Today we tell about this popular activity called backpacking.

    (MUSIC)

    VOICE ONE:

    BackpackingWe are high in the Blue Ridge Mountains in the state of North Carolina. It is very early in the morning. We have been walking in the mountains for almost one week. Each night we sleep in a small cloth shelter called a tent. We carry the tent, sleeping bags, clothes, food and water with us in our backpacks.

    Camping in America's national and state parks

    The air this morning is fresh and clear. It smells like green trees and wild flowers. Our surroundings are dark green. We have been deep in the forest for many kilometers. Little light reaches here. It is so thick with trees we cannot see the sky.

    VOICE TWO:

    At last we come to a clear area. We can see the sky and the land around us. When we look across to other mountains it is easy to see why they were named the Blue Ridge Mountains. The early morning air in the distance looks like thick smoke. It makes the color of the mountains a deep ocean blue. This color is caused by the amount of water in the air. It is almost like fog. When the sun rises higher, some of the water in the air will be burned away. Then the mountains will slowly turn dark green.

    VOICE ONE:

    It is beautiful here. We can see many kilometers down and across the valley floor. Two deer are nearby. They are eating grass. No hunting is permitted here. The deer are used to seeing people walk through this area, so they have little fear of humans. They watch us with their huge dark eyes. For several minutes we look at the deer and the deer look at us. Then, the large animals lose interest and slowly move away.

    VOICE TWO:

    We have stopped to eat a late morning meal. A friend has begun to cook our food over a small fire. The smell of fresh coffee soon mixes with the smell of burning wood. The clear mountain air and our long walk this morning have made us extremely hungry.

    We eat a meal of eggs, fruit and bread and drink some very good coffee. After eating, we wash the equipment in hot water and put it inside the large bags we carry on our backs. We put the fire out with water. We fill the small hole we dug for the fire with dirt. We carefully clean the area when we are done. When we leave, there is nothing to show that we have been there. We try very hard to leave the area as we found it -- the way nature made it.

    VOICE ONE:

    Today we will try to walk at least thirty kilometers. It should not be difficult. The path here is not steep. We will spend two more days and nights high in the Blue Ridge Mountains. By then we will have eaten all the food we brought.

    Then it will be time to leave the mountains. It will be difficult to re-enter the world of cars, roads, buildings, stores, computers, television and crowds of people.

    We will take many things from the mountains when we leave. Memories of the great beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains. The joy of watching the beautiful deer early in the morning. And an increased respect for our natural world.

    (MUSIC)

    VOICE TWO:

    We have tried to describe what it is like to travel a path up high in the Blue Ridge Mountains. The area we visited is called the Blue Ridge Parkway. The United States government's National Park Service protects this beautiful area so that the public can always enjoy it. About eighteen million people visit the Blue Ridge Parkway each year. Most drive there in their cars. However, about two hundred thousand people sleep in the park for at least one night.

    VOICE ONE:

    The National Park Service keeps records to show how many people visit all of the national parks. Each year about fourteen million people sleep in America's national parks for at least one night. About one million seven hundred thousand people visit what is called the "backcountry." The backcountry is far away from human activity. In some parks, vehicles are not permitted in the backcountry.

    You often must walk for several days to get to the backcountry of some national parks. People who enjoy backpacking visit backcountry. They carry everything they will need for a day or two or perhaps a week or more.

    VOICE TWO:

    Backpacking is a popular activity in the United States. Many different companies produce goods and equipment for people who enjoy living for a while in nature. Several companies sell special foods. Some of these foods have been produced using a method that removes the water. This method is called freeze-drying. These meals include different foods such as meat, vegetables and rice or perhaps a mixture of several foods.

    Hot water is added to the dried material to replace the missing water. This produces a meal that is ready to eat. Backpackers use this method to carry food for two reasons. The food is easy to carry because it weighs a lot less without the water. And food that has been freeze-dried remains safe to eat for a long time.

    VOICE ONE:

    Many companies produce special clothing for people who enjoy backpacking. Some companies make strong shoes made for walking and hiking. Others make small stoves for cooking food. Other companies make small lightweight cloth tents that campers can carry anywhere. A few companies sell equipment that makes water safe to drink. And a number of companies make the backpacks that campers use to carry all this equipment.

    Each of these companies tries to make the best possible product that is very lightweight. A backpack filled with food, water and equipment needed for a week weighs about twenty kilograms. Many experienced backpackers carry far less and travel faster. Others take more equipment because they want more of the comforts of home.

    (MUSIC)

    VOICE TWO:

    Many state and national parks permit backpacking. In some parks you must pay a small amount of money for each day. Others cost nothing. Some national parks provide hundreds of kilometers of paths or trails to follow.

    Mount Rainier National Park in the northwestern state of Washington is a good example of a park that provides many different trails. Some take only a day to follow. Others can take a week or more.

    The oldest and perhaps the most famous backpacking trail in the United States is called the Appalachian Trail. It begins in the northeastern state of Maine and ends in the southern state of Georgia.

    Those who follow the trail from beginning to end will walk or hike about three thousand five hundred kilometers. Some of the Appalachian Trail is easy. Some parts of it are extremely difficult. Myron Avery helped create the famous trail. He also was the first man to walk the whole trail. He did it in nineteen thirty-six.

    Since then, more than eight thousand people have hiked all of the Appalachian Trail. Some did it all at one time. Others did parts of the trail each year for several years until they finished it. About three million people walk part of the trail each year.

    VOICE ONE:

    People have come from all over the world to hike the Appalachian Trail. Perhaps one of the most unusual was a woman named Emma Gatewood from the state of Ohio. She walked all of the trail -- three times. She was almost seventy years old the last time she completed the trail.

    The Appalachian Trail is easy to follow. Hundreds of people in many different states help keep it clear and in good repair. Backpackers can find shelters along the trail to sleep in at night. These too are kept and repaired by people who love the Appalachian Trail.

    VOICE TWO:

    We have told you about only three of the many areas where people can backpack in the United States. Another famous one is the Pacific Crest Trail. You can walk this trail from the American border with Canada to the American border with Mexico. It goes through the western states of Washington, Oregon and California.

    Hundreds of national and state parks offer the backpacker a chance to see, hear and feel the natural world. It is an experience that provides a lifetime of memories.

    (MUSIC)

    VOICE ONE:

    This program was written by Paul Thompson. It was produced by Mario Ritter. I'm Faith Lapidus.

    VOICE TWO:

    And I'm Steve Ember. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

    backcountry:窮鄉僻壤

    (Source: VOA 英語點津姍姍編輯)

     
    英語點津版權說明:凡注明來源為“英語點津:XXX(署名)”的原創作品,除與中國日報網簽署英語點津內容授權協議的網站外,其他任何網站或單位未經允許不得非法盜鏈、轉載和使用,違者必究。如需使用,請與010-84883631聯系;凡本網注明“來源:XXX(非英語點津)”的作品,均轉載自其它媒體,目的在于傳播更多信息,其他媒體如需轉載,請與稿件來源方聯系,如產生任何問題與本網無關;本網所發布的歌曲、電影片段,版權歸原作者所有,僅供學習與研究,如果侵權,請提供版權證明,以便盡快刪除。
    相關文章 Related Story
     
     
     
    本頻道最新推薦
     
    Walking in the US first lady's shoes
    “準確無誤”如何表達
    英國新晉超女蘇珊大媽改頭換面
    豬流感 swine flu
    你有lottery mentality嗎
    翻吧推薦
     
    論壇熱貼
     
    別亂扔垃圾。怎么譯這個亂字呀?
    橘子,橙子用英文怎么區分?
    看Gossip Girl學英語
    端午節怎么翻譯?
    母親,您在天堂還好嗎?

     

    gogo少妇无码肉肉视频| 亚洲国产成人片在线观看无码| 野花在线无码视频在线播放| 精品无人区无码乱码大片国产| 亚洲成A人片在线观看中文| 日韩av片无码一区二区三区不卡| 7777久久亚洲中文字幕| 久久久久亚洲AV无码网站| 欧美日韩中文字幕在线观看| 免费VA在线观看无码| 十八禁无码免费网站| 日韩精品无码人妻一区二区三区| 中文字幕有码无码AV| 国产精品毛片无码| 少妇无码一区二区三区免费| 国产成人无码AV一区二区| √天堂中文www官网在线| 亚洲一区二区无码偷拍| 惠民福利中文字幕人妻无码乱精品 | 国产亚洲3p无码一区二区| 亚洲中文字幕无码一区| 亚洲日韩AV一区二区三区中文| 色综合久久综合中文综合网| 亚洲综合中文字幕无线码| 精品无码人妻一区二区三区品| 亚洲AV无码专区国产乱码4SE| 少妇无码AV无码一区| 中文字幕不卡高清视频在线| 免费精品久久久久久中文字幕| 日本aⅴ精品中文字幕| 日韩久久久久久中文人妻| 中文字幕精品无码久久久久久3D日动漫| 成人免费无码H在线观看不卡| 国产在线拍偷自揄拍无码| 色窝窝无码一区二区三区成人网站| 无码国内精品人妻少妇| 亚洲AV成人无码久久精品老人| 无码一区二区三区免费| 日韩精品无码一区二区三区免费| 无码国产乱人伦偷精品视频| 色综合久久久久无码专区|