VOA常速英语2013--弗吉尼亚秋天色彩斑斓的树叶令游客炫目

 

Virginia’s Colorful Autumn Foliage¹ Dazzles Tourists 弗吉尼亚秋天色彩斑斓的树叶令游客炫目

SKYLINE DRIVE, VIRGINIA — Each autumn, a wooded stretch of highway high in the Blue Ridge² Mountains in Virginia attracts crowds of tourists who come to admire the colorful fall foliage on the Skyline Drive in Shenandoah National Park.

弗吉尼亚天际之路为您报道-秋天到了，在弗吉尼亚谢楠多尔国家公园中的蓝岭山脉中，色彩斑斓的树叶沿着高速公路枝叶繁茂的延伸，吸引了大量的游客在索道上观赏落叶。

This couple from Maryland is enjoying the array of colors from one of the nearly 75 overlooks on Skyline Drive.  The view reminds Sandra Andrade of a palette of watercolors.“Different colored trees, it’s just like everyone is having a party. So colorful!," said Andrade.

一对来自马里兰夫妻非常喜欢天际之路上75处远景之一的一系列色彩，安德雷得说道“不同颜色的树木，就像在一起开派对一样，太漂亮了”。

Apart from passing cars, Bob Bryant enjoys the serenity³.

“What you see and what you hear, which a lot of it is nothing, which is just a wonderful thing to hear when you live in the city," said Bryant.

除了路过的汽车之外，鲍勃·布莱恩特非常喜欢这里的宁静。他说“你什么也听不到，什么也看不到，当你居住在这座城市的时候，听是一件美好的事情”。

Park ranger⁴ Sally Hurlbert says visitors come from all over the United States and around the world.“They’re from China, from India, they’re from all over. South Africa. I’ve had people from the Ivory Coast,"  said Hurlbert.

公园的护林员莎莉·赫伯特说道，游客从全美甚至全世界来参观，“他们可能来自中国，印度还有南非。甚至有人从非洲象牙海岸来”。

Mihuie Lee is from South Korea.

“Here is very calm and very beautiful," said Lee.

李米慧，来自韩国，他说“这里非常宁静，非常漂亮”。

Skyline Drive stretches 169 kilometers through the national park. New Yorker Pardees Goshtasb is awestruck by the spectacular views.

天际之路在国家公园中延伸了169公里。纽约市民帕蒂被这壮丽的景象震撼了

“It really makes you realize how little we are compared to the greater scheme of things. But at the same time, you know, we’re so connected with all of this," said Goshtasb.

“他会让你认识到，和大自然的体系相比，我们是多么的渺小。但同时，我们也如此的接近它”。

She’s hoping to spot some wildlife. Hurlbert says she might catch a glimpse of deer or other animals as they prepare for winter.

“The deer are really fun to see at this time of year. Their colors are blending in with the background and they’re losing their summer coats and getting their winter coats.”

The highest peak in the park is 1,200 meters. Rick Steinberg lives by the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, which are much higher.  

公园内最高的山有1200米，里克·斯坦伯格住在科罗拉多州比这里更高的落基山脉下。

“Such a different vista⁵ than the Colorado mountains. All the different colors and the greenery, the shadows, just the overlooks are very different," said Steinberg.

他说“这里的景象和科罗拉多州的山脉完全不同，所有颜色都不同，草木，阴影，甚至远景都不同”。

He was surprised to learn that the Blue Ridge Mountains are older than mountain ranges with higher elevations⁶. Hurlbert explains that’s because the Blue Ridge range has eroded⁷ over time.

他很奇怪蓝岭山脉比一些海拔更高的山更加古老，赫伯特解释到，那是因为蓝岭山脉被长时间侵蚀。

"These mountains are about 250 million-years-old, and when they were first formed they were much higher than they are today. Some people compare their original size to the Alps or the Himalayas. Since then they have been eroding⁸ away," she said.

他说“这些山大概有2.5亿年了，它们第一次出现时，要比现在更加的高。一些人把它和阿尔卑斯山和喜马拉雅山作比较。直到它被侵蚀掉”。

While the leaves on the higher elevations are mostly gone, those in the middle are at peak. On the lower level, Hurlbert says, the leaves haven’t changed but will soon.

赫伯特说，高海拔的树叶死亡的时候，中间的正在变黄，而低海拔的还没有变化。

“Fall lasts a lot longer because you can see it in different places at different times," said Hurlbert.

By mid-November, she says, the color will be gone and so will many of the tourists. 

他说“落叶会持续很长时间，因为你在不同的时间，不同的地点都会看到它们”。 到了十一月中旬，多彩的颜色会消失，同样游客也不会来了。

 

1 foliage   

n.叶子，树叶，簇叶

参考例句：

• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage.小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。
• Dark foliage clothes the hills.浓密的树叶覆盖着群山。

2 ridge   

n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭

参考例句：

• We clambered up the hillside to the ridge above.我们沿着山坡费力地爬上了山脊。
• The infantry were advancing to attack the ridge.步兵部队正在向前挺进攻打山脊。

3 serenity   

n.宁静，沉着，晴朗

参考例句：

• Her face,though sad,still evoked a feeling of serenity.她的脸色虽然悲伤，但仍使人感觉安详。
• She escaped to the comparative serenity of the kitchen.她逃到相对安静的厨房里。

4 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

5 vista   

n.远景，深景，展望，回想

参考例句：

• From my bedroom window I looked out on a crowded vista of hills and rooftops.我从卧室窗口望去，远处尽是连绵的山峦和屋顶。
• These uprisings come from desperation and a vista of a future without hope.发生这些暴动是因为人们被逼上了绝路，未来看不到一点儿希望。

6 elevations   

（水平或数量）提高( elevation的名词复数 )； 高地； 海拔； 提升

参考例句：

• Weight of the crust changes as elevations are eroded and materials are deposited elsewhere. 当高地受到侵蚀，物质沉积到别的地方时，地壳的重量就改变。
• All deck elevations are on the top of structural beams. 所有甲板标高线均指结构梁顶线。

7 eroded   

adj. 被侵蚀的，有蚀痕的 动词erode的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The cliff face has been steadily eroded by the sea. 峭壁表面逐渐被海水侵蚀。
• The stream eroded a channel in the solid rock. 小溪在硬石中侵蚀成一条水道。

8 eroding   

侵蚀，腐蚀( erode的现在分词 )； 逐渐毁坏，削弱，损害

参考例句：

• The coast is slowly eroding. 海岸正慢慢地被侵蚀。
• Another new development is eroding the age-old stereotype of the male warrior. 另一个新现象是，久已形成的男人皆武士的形象正逐渐消失。