2007年VOA标准英语-Keep What You Find at the Crater of Diamonds Pa

By Yi Suli
Murfreesboro, Arkansas
13 February 2007
 
watch Crater¹ of Diamond report

Each year thousands of visitors go to a small town in rural Arkansas in search of diamonds.   The Crater Diamonds Park claims that it is the world's only diamond site where you can search and keep what you find.  For producer Yi Suli, Elaine Lu has the story.

 
Thomas Stolartz
Murfreesboro is known for its diamonds.  Visitors, such as the Hermansons, come all the way from West Virginia, to the one-of-a-kind diamond park in town.  Thomas Stolartz, a superintendent² at the park knows why.

"That's the neat thing here. They [the diamonds] are actually here. There is actually treasure here. And actually you can look for it. If you find it, it is yours to keep."

Stolartz says for just $6, visitor can spend a whole day at the park to search and dig diamonds.  "The search area is about 37.5 acres (15 hectares) in size so there is plenty of room for everyone."

Diamonds are formed deep within the earth where heat and pressure create the necessary condition for carbon atoms to bond tightly.  According to scientists, a volcanic³ eruption⁴ at Crater of Diamonds location 100 million years ago brought the diamonds to the earth's surface.

Since the first diamond was found at the Crater of Diamonds in 1906, the park had several different owners until the midwestern state of Kansas made it a state park in 1972.

 
The Crater of Diamonds State Park, site of largest diamond found in North America
Thomas Stolartz says the largest diamond ever found in North America was unearthed⁵ here. "Over my right shoulder is the approximate location of where the ‘Uncle Sam’ diamond was found back in 1924."

Other famous finds include the 15.33-carat "Star of Arkansas," and the 16.37-carat "Amarillo Starlight," the largest diamond ever found by a park visitor. 

Thomas Stolartz says there are good years and so-so years for diamond diggers.  "Yes, it does fluctuate. I have seen as low as 400 diamonds in a year's time and as high as 1500 diamonds in a year. On average there is probably somewhere between 500 and 600 of diamonds (found)."

Stolartz says the park receives about 50,000 visitors from all over the country each year -- all come with the same goal. Visitors say they come to look or hunt for diamonds.

 
Rachel Engebrecht show visitors how to screen diamonds
Park staffer Rachel Engebrecht briefs visitors on the proper way to screen diamonds. “I'm going to demonstrate the sleuthing.  I recommend using a double screen set.  And we do rent out double screen sets back at the Diamond Discovery Center.  Looking for dirt that looks like it has a lot of rocks and gravels⁶ in it. It doesn't guarantee you will find a diamond in that dirt. But it improves your odds⁷ a little bit.”

The park's staff helps visitor to identify and certify⁸ diamonds.  Most of the time, however, diamonds found are too small to cut.  But the enthusiasm of most visitors is not dampened by the low possibility of finding a gem⁹-quality diamond.

One woman said she would be happy if she found something, while a man visiting the park said it’s not his goal.

Anne Townsend, a visitor, says it can be a fun way to get dirty. "It is legitimate¹⁰ excuse to get muddy. Nobody cares if you are dirty here."

 
Shirley Strawn
Having been prospecting¹¹ at the park for 20 years, and garnered¹² 500 diamonds, Shirley Strawn is a serious diamond searcher.  She discovered the widely publicized 1.09-carat D-flawless "Strawn-Wagner Diamond" in 1990, a white gem that weighed 3.03 carats in the rough before it was cut. "It is perfect in the cut, color and clarity,” she says. “It's on permanent display out here in Crater of Diamonds. This is exactly where I want it to be. I'm proud for many things but this sign was just the crowning moment."

Strawn is expecting to find even more valuable diamonds. "And I feel like there is one bigger than ‘Uncle Sam.’ I will be proud to be the one that finds it."

1 crater   

n.火山口，弹坑

参考例句：

• With a telescope you can see the huge crater of Ve-suvius.用望远镜你能看到巨大的维苏威火山口。
• They came to the lip of a dead crater.他们来到了一个死火山口。

2 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

3 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• 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。

4 eruption   

n.火山爆发；（战争等）爆发；（疾病等）发作

参考例句：

• The temple was destroyed in the violent eruption of 1470 BC.庙宇在公元前1470年猛烈的火山爆发中摧毁了。
• The eruption of a volcano is spontaneous.火山的爆发是自发的。

5 unearthed   

出土的（考古）

参考例句：

• Many unearthed cultural relics are set forth in the exhibition hall. 展览馆里陈列着许多出土文物。
• Some utensils were in a state of decay when they were unearthed. 有些器皿在出土时已经残破。

6 gravels   

沙砾( gravel的名词复数 )； 砾石； 石子； 结石

参考例句：

• Suetion devices are inadequate in gravels or very porous soils. 吸水装置对砂砾或非常疏松的土壤是不适用的。
• They may form concentrated pockets in gravels. 它们可能在砾石堆积物中形成富集的矿囊。

7 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

8 certify   

vt.证明，证实；发证书(或执照)给

参考例句：

• I can certify to his good character.我可以证明他品德好。
• This swimming certificate is to certify that I can swim one hundred meters.这张游泳证是用以证明我可以游100米远。

9 gem   

n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel

参考例句：

• The gem is beyond my pocket.这颗宝石我可买不起。
• The little gem is worth two thousand dollars.这块小宝石价值两千美元。

10 legitimate   

adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法

参考例句：

• Sickness is a legitimate reason for asking for leave.生病是请假的一个正当的理由。
• That's a perfectly legitimate fear.怀有这种恐惧完全在情理之中。

11 prospecting   

n.探矿

参考例句：

• The prospecting team ploughed their way through the snow. 探险队排雪前进。
• The prospecting team has traversed the length and breadth of the land. 勘探队踏遍了祖国的山山水水。

12 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句