阿肯色州温泉国家公园:放松的水域

The Relaxing Waters of Hot Springs National Park 阿肯色州温泉国家公园:放松的水域

Sometimes a visit to a national park means hiking rugged¹ trails and climbing high mountains. Other times it means crawling through caves or rafting down a wild river.

But this week we want to take it easier. So we head south to the state of Arkansas. It is home to a national park that is perfect for resting and renewing a tired body. Visitors treat themselves to one of its natural thermal² baths. Humans have been enjoying the warm waters for thousands of years.

Welcome to Hot Springs National Park!

Most national parks are far from cities and industry. But Hot Springs is different. It covers more than 2,200 hectares in and around the city of Hot Springs, Arkansas. Congress approved special protection of the area in 1832. Known unofficially as “America’s Spa,” it became a national park in 1921.

The park’s geothermal springs and other resources have long been used for therapeutic³ bathing. The average temperature of the hot springs is 61 degrees Celsius⁴. The thermal mineral waters reportedly help ease many health problems, including arthritis⁵ and rheumatism⁶.

The springs emerge along the western edge of Hot Springs Mountain. Scientists say the hot springs are made of rainwater that fell in the Hot Springs area thousands of years ago. The rainwater slowly dripped down to the earth’s crust. When water rises back up to the surface quickly, and does not have a chance to cool, hot springs form.

Hot Springs National Park's earliest bathhouses were simple structures. They were made of canvas and lumber⁷. They were built right over some of the natural springs. Later, businessmen built more complex wooden structures. But, those structures were frequently damaged by fires and from exposure to water and steam.

Beginning in the early 1900s, stone, stucco and brick structures replaced the wooden bathhouse buildings. These large -- and much more elaborate -- structures still stand today along what is known as Bathhouse Row.

These bathhouses were built along the eastern bank of Hot Springs Creek⁸. The hot water from the hillside springs flows down a system of wooden troughs and into the buildings.

Each spring was said to help cure different kinds of conditions. Some of the early names referred to their chemical properties. Others were named after the part of the body that its waters could best help. There once was a spring called Kidney, and another named Liver.

Eight bathhouse buildings line Bathhouse Row today. They are very large. Many of them are three levels. But most of them no longer offer therapeutic water treatments. Instead, they house park shops and the visitor’s center.

But one has remained open for more than 100 years. The Buckstaff Bathhouse has operated continuously since 1912. It is one of the best preserved bathhouses within Hot Springs National Park. Visitors today can enjoy traditional thermal mineral baths. The baths are different temperatures and have different properties.

Another bathhouse offers a more modern spa experience. Quapaw Baths and Spa also sits along Bathhouse Row. It was renovated⁹ and reopened in 2007, on Hot Springs’ 175th anniversary.

When you are done with your relaxing bath, there is still more to enjoy at Hot Springs National Park. Visitors can hike along the more than 43 kilometers of trails in the park. You will find unusual rock formations and views of the surrounding rolling hills.

The landscape also provides evidence of the area’s hot spring history. On the Tufa Terrace Trail, you will see the huge deposits of tufa, created by the flowing springs over thousands of years. Tufa is a kind of rock shaped by water.

But you do not have to hike to see the sights. There are beautiful mountain roads to drive, as well. However you explore Hot Springs National Park, you can't help but relax.

Words in This Story

rheumatism - n. a disease that causes stiffness and pain in the muscles and swelling¹⁰ and pain in the joints¹¹

emerge - v. to rise or appear from a hidden or unknown place or condition

lumber - n. ?wooden boards or logs that have been sawed and cut for use?

exposure - n. ?the fact or condition of being affected¹² by something or experiencing something?

elaborate - adj. made or done with great care or with much detail

creek - n. ?a small stream

trough - n. ?a long, shallow container?

1 rugged   

adj.高低不平的，粗糙的，粗壮的，强健的

参考例句：

• Football players must be rugged.足球运动员必须健壮。
• The Rocky Mountains have rugged mountains and roads.落基山脉有崇山峻岭和崎岖不平的道路。

2 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• 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。

3 therapeutic   

adj.治疗的，起治疗作用的；对身心健康有益的

参考例句：

• Therapeutic measures were selected to fit the patient.选择治疗措施以适应病人的需要。
• When I was sad,music had a therapeutic effect.我悲伤的时候，音乐有治疗效力。

4 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

5 arthritis   

n.关节炎

参考例句：

• Rheumatoid arthritis has also been linked with the virus.风湿性关节炎也与这种病毒有关。
• He spent three months in the hospital with acute rheumatic arthritis.他患急性风湿性关节炎，在医院住了三个月。

6 rheumatism   

n.风湿病

参考例句：

• The damp weather plays the very devil with my rheumatism.潮湿的天气加重了我的风湿病。
• The hot weather gave the old man a truce from rheumatism.热天使这位老人暂时免受风湿病之苦。

7 lumber   

n.木材，木料；v.以破旧东西堆满；伐木；笨重移动

参考例句：

• The truck was sent to carry lumber.卡车被派出去运木材。
• They slapped together a cabin out of old lumber.他们利用旧木料草草地盖起了一间小屋。

8 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

9 renovated   

翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He renovated his house. 他翻修了房子。
• The house has been renovated three years earlier. 这所房子三年前就已翻新。

10 swelling   

n.肿胀

参考例句：

• Use ice to reduce the swelling. 用冰敷消肿。
• There is a marked swelling of the lymph nodes. 淋巴结处有明显的肿块。

11 joints   

接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语）

参考例句：

• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on gas mains. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在煤气的总管道上了。
• Expansion joints of various kinds are fitted on steam pipes. 各种各样的伸缩接头被安装在蒸气管道上了。

12 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。