VOA慢速英语--阿卡迪亚:一个东海岸的宝藏

Acadia: An East Coast Treasure 阿卡迪亚:一个东海岸的宝藏

This week on our national parks journey, we are exploring the oldest national park east of the Mississippi River.

Much of the park sits on a rocky island off the coast of Maine called Mount Desert Island. Here, you will find the tallest mountain on the East Coast. You will also find black bears, moose, and more than 300 kinds of birds. This national park also holds unique Native American and European history.

It is called Acadia.

The 14,000-hectare park is one of the smaller major national parks in the country. Yet, Acadia sees almost 3 million visitors every year. They come to experience stunning¹ views and take part in outdoor activities like hiking and biking, and swimming in the crisp blue Atlantic Ocean.

Acadia National Park has had many names throughout history. It was first declared a national monument in 1916. Its name, Sieur de Monts National Monument, was changed by Congress in 1919. It then became known as Lafayette National Park. In 1929, the park became Acadia National Park, from a past name for the area.

The name "Acadia" probably comes from "Arcadia," an area of Greece. It is said that an Italian explorer working for the King of France sailed by the area in 1524. The explorer thought that the landscape looked like the Greek area of Arcadia.

Mount Desert Island also got its name from early European explorers. Frenchman Samuel Champlain arrived on the island in 1604. He described the island’s tall peaks as “bare and rocky.” He named the island, in French, “Isle des Monts Déserts,” or “island of desert mountains.”

Today, locals still say the word “desert” similar to its French pronunciation, duh-ZER.

Champlain and his team were not, of course, the first humans on the island. Native Americans were the first to inhabit the area. Shells and other archaeological evidence on the island date back more than 5,000 years.

The native Wabanaki people arrived there in boats made from the wood of birch trees. They hunted, fished, collected berries, and harvested clams² from the sea. Wabanaki people called the island “Pemetic” or “sloping land.”

This “sloping land” is home to Cadillac Mountain. It is the highest point along America’s eastern coast, at 466 meters. The island owes its landscape to ancient glaciers³ that once covered the area.

Cadillac Mountain is known as the first point in the U.S. that is touched by the rising sun each morning. The name of its early inhabitants, the Wabanaki, translates to “People of the Dawn.”

Today, the summit of Cadillac Mountain is often packed with visitors, many of whom arrive in cars and buses. It is one of the major tourist attractions within the park.

Many tourists also visit what may be the most photographed rock in the state. Bubble Rock is a giant boulder⁴. It sits right on the edge of the summit of South Bubble Mountain. It was moved here by powerful ancient glaciers. Bubble Rock looks as though the slightest wind may push it over the mountain’s edge. Visitors often take photos of themselves trying to push the huge rock off the mountain. Of course, Bubble Rock does not move.

The Bubble Rock Trail winds up South Bubble Mountain. It is one of the most popular hiking trails in the park.

But, Acadia does offer solitude⁵ for visitors hoping to enjoy the quiet of nature. Within the park are more than 200 kilometers of trails. Many lead to stunning views of the rocky Maine coast. Some take you to pebbled⁷ beaches or quiet lakes surrounded by forest.

Many visitors to Acadia spend most of their time exploring Mount Desert Island.

But the Schoodic Peninsula is equally beautiful. The National Park Service now protects more than 1,300 hectares of land there. Last year, it gained about 500 additional hectares of land on the peninsula.

Schoodic offers secluded⁸ beaches and peaceful hiking trails. It also has a new campground maintained by the park.

In summer months, visitors can take a boat from the town of Bar Harbor on Mount Desert Island to the town of Winter Harbor on Schoodic Peninsula. The tiny fishing town is a great place to enjoy Maine lobster⁹ -- in many forms. A few small family-owned restaurants serve classic Maine dishes like lobster soup, lobster rolls, or simple steamed lobster.

But, wherever visitors explore in Acadia, they will leave wishing they could see more.

Words in This Story

unique - adj. very special or unusual

crisp - adj. pleasantly cool?

bare - adj. not having a covering?

inhabit - v. to live in (a place)

sloping - adj. leaning or slanting¹⁰ downward

pebble⁶ - n. a small, round stone

maintain - v. to keep (something) in good condition by making repairs and correcting problems

1 stunning   

adj.极好的；使人晕倒的

参考例句：

• His plays are distinguished only by their stunning mediocrity.他的戏剧与众不同之处就是平凡得出奇。
• The finished effect was absolutely stunning.完工后的效果非常美。

2 clams   

n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The restaurant's specialities are fried clams. 这个餐厅的特色菜是炸蚌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We dug clams in the flats et low tide. 退潮时我们在浅滩挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句

3 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）

4 boulder   

n.巨砾；卵石，圆石

参考例句：

• We all heaved together and removed the boulder.大家一齐用劲，把大石头搬开了。
• He stepped clear of the boulder.他从大石头后面走了出来。

5 solitude   

n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方

参考例句：

• People need a chance to reflect on spiritual matters in solitude. 人们需要独处的机会来反思精神上的事情。
• They searched for a place where they could live in solitude. 他们寻找一个可以过隐居生活的地方。

6 pebble   

n.卵石，小圆石

参考例句：

• The bird mistook the pebble for egg and tried to hatch it.这只鸟错把卵石当蛋，想去孵它。
• The pebble made a ripple on the surface of the lake.石子在湖面上激起一个涟漪。

7 pebbled   

用卵石铺（pebble的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• And quick to the white-pebbled bottom it fell! 接着它飞快地回落到白色卵石的井底潺潺！
• Outside, the rain had stopped but the glass was still pebbled with bright drops. 窗外的雨已经停了，但玻璃上还是布满明亮的水珠。

8 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 lobster   

n.龙虾，龙虾肉

参考例句：

• The lobster is a shellfish.龙虾是水生贝壳动物。
• I like lobster but it does not like me.我喜欢吃龙虾，但它不适宜于我的健康。

10 slanting   

倾斜的，歪斜的

参考例句：

• The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。
• The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。