夏威夷火山国家公园：一个火热的世界

Hawaii Volcanoes National Park: A Fiery¹ World 夏威夷火山国家公园：一个火热的世界

EDITOR'S NOTE: This year, the U.S. National Park Service turns 100. American’s 28th President, Woodrow Wilson, formed the National Park Service in 1916 to “protect the wild and wonderful landscapes” in the United States. Today, the National Park Service protects over 400 parks and historical sites from coast to coast. Every week, VOA Learning English will profile one of the sites within the National Park Service.  

Our national parks journey this week takes us to the middle of the Pacific Ocean and America’s 50th state. We are exploring the unique and fiery world that is Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

Most people would say that the tallest mountain on Earth is Mount² Everest, near the border between Nepal and Tibet.

But there exists a mountain that is 300 meters taller than Mount Everest. Most of it is underwater, however. It begins at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, and rises more than 17 kilometers from the ocean floor. Its name is Mauna Loa.

In the Hawaiian language, Mauna Loa means “Long Mountain.” Mauna Loa makes up more than half of the island of Hawaii, one of the eight major Hawaiian Islands.

?Mauna Loa is the largest volcano on Earth. It last burst in 1984. Today, Mauna Loa is quiet. But volcano experts say it is only a matter of time before it bursts again.

Mauna Loa is one of two volcanoes within Hawaii Volcanoes National Park. The other is Kilauea. It is the most active volcano in the world. Red-hot liquid rock, or lava³, has continuously flowed from Kilauea since 1983.    

Most of the time, the lava appears to move peacefully toward the ocean. But it is not as peaceful as it seems from a distance. In 2014, the lava flowed through one small town on the island.  It slowly covered the town, blocking and destroying roads.

Nothing can stop the lava of Kilauea.

When the lava reaches the ocean, its fierce heat produces steam. The lava is so hot that it continues to burn underwater. It cools and hardens over time, creating new land.

This volcanic⁴ action is what formed, and continues to form, the Hawaiian Islands.  

Shaping the land

That volcanic action is one of many unusual features at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

The park’s volcanic landscape is almost otherworldly. In fact, NASA uses the top of Mauna Loa to simulate⁵ life on Mars⁶ for researchers.

The national park has seven ecological⁷ areas, including woodlands, rainforests, and even snowy climates.

It is home to many native plants and animals. Many endangered species⁸ live within the park, such as the hawksbill turtle, the Hawaiian hawk⁹ and Hawaiian goose, or nene.

Evidence of Hawaii’s native culture is preserved at the park. The park includes remains¹⁰ of the homes and other structures used by the ancient people of the islands.

There are also thousands of petroglyphs created thousands of years ago. Petroglyphs are images carved into rock. The images help explain the living conditions and traditions of the ancient Hawaiians.

Hawaiian legend places Mauna Loa at the center of the spiritual world. Pele is the goddess of the volcano. In one traditional story, Pele tries to win the love and attention of the husband of her sister, the sea goddess. Her sister becomes very angry, making powerful ocean waves and floods. Pele seeks a safe place to avoid the punishment. She finally arrives at Mauna Loa. It is so tall that the water cannot threaten her. The volcano goddess makes Mauna Loa her home.?

The U.S. National Parks Service works to protect these natural landscapes important to today’s Hawaiians and to their ancestors.

Visiting the volcanoes

More than 1.5 million people visit Hawaii Volcanoes National Park each year.

Visitors can experience the park’s volcanoes in several ways. Some people fly over the volcanoes in airplanes or helicopters. This is a safe and popular way to watch Kilauea’s lava moving slowly toward the ocean.

Visitors can also explore Kilauea’s Crater¹¹ Rim¹² Drive. The crater is the round area that leads down to a volcano. The Crater Rim Drive is 18-kilometers around.  

Adventure-seeking travelers may wish to climb to the top of the park’s other volcano, Mauna Loa. It is considered the world’s largest single mountain. The Mauna Loa Trail climbs almost 35 kilometers to the volcano’s summit¹³. There is no shade or protection from the strong Hawaiian sun. 

Most hikers can climb the trail in two days. Mauna Loa’s summit is almost always cold, and often snowy. Hikers can stay in a simple house at the top of the mountain before they begin the trip back down.

The park has shorter hikes, as well, including the 2-kilomoeter Pu’u Petroglyphs Trail. Visitors walk through lava fields filled with petroglyphs. The images document the life and culture of native Hawaiians.

The Devastation¹⁴ Trail winds through a part of the park that was destroyed by the 1959 eruption¹⁵ of the Kilauea Iki crater. During the burst, hot ash and huge pieces of volcanic rock, called pumice, fell on the area. The forested area, thick with trees, was burned. Today, plant life is returning.

The Devastation Trail is near another interesting site within the park: the Thurston Lava Tube. A 20-minute walk through a forest leads to a cave-like tube. The lava tube was discovered in 1913.

Today, visitors can walk through it. A path of lights marks the way.

But hundreds of years earlier, a fierce river of red lava rushed through the tube, another reminder¹⁶ of the ever-changing and violent nature of Hawaii’s volcanoes.

Words in This Story

journey - n. an act of traveling from one place to another?

unique - adj.  very special or unusual

lava - n. melted rock from a volcano?

simulate - v. to look, feel, or behave like (something)?

summit - n. the highest point of a mountain?

hike - n. a usually long walk especially for pleasure or exercise?

wind - v. to follow a series of curves and turns?

crater - n. the area on top of a volcano that is shaped like a bowl?

pumice - n. a gray stone that comes from volcanoes, is full of small holes, has a very light weight, and is used especially for smoothing and polishing things or for softening¹⁷ the skin?

tube - n. a long, hollow object

rush - v.  to flow or move very quickly in a particular direction?

reminder - n. something that causes you to remember or to think about something

1 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

2 mount   

n.山峰，乘用马，框，衬纸；vi.增长，骑上（马）；vt.提升，爬上，装备

参考例句：

• Their debts continued to mount up.他们的债务不断增加。
• She is the first woman who steps on the top of Mount Jolmo Lungma.她是第一个登上珠穆朗玛峰的女人。

3 lava   

n.熔岩，火山岩

参考例句：

• The lava flowed down the sides of the volcano.熔岩沿火山坡面涌流而下。
• His anger spilled out like lava.他的愤怒像火山爆发似的迸发出来。

4 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。

5 simulate   

vt.模仿，模拟，假装，冒充

参考例句：

• The wood had been painted to simulate stone.木头上刷了漆以看起来像块石头。
• A sheet of metal was shaken to simulate the noise of thunder.猛力抖动金属片以模仿雷声。

6 Mars   

n.火星，战争

参考例句：

• As of now we don't know much about Mars.目前我们对火星还知之甚少。
• He contended that there must be life on Mars.他坚信火星上面一定有生物。

7 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

8 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

9 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

10 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

11 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。

12 rim   

n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界

参考例句：

• The water was even with the rim of the basin.盆里的水与盆边平齐了。
• She looked at him over the rim of her glass.她的目光越过玻璃杯的边沿看着他。

13 summit   

n.最高点，峰顶；最高级会议；极点

参考例句：

• They climbed up the mountain and reached the summit.他们爬山，最终达到了山顶。
• The summit of the mountain is lost in the cloud and mist.山顶隐没在云雾之中。

14 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 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。

16 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

17 softening   

变软，软化

参考例句：

• Her eyes, softening, caressed his face. 她的眼光变得很温柔了。它们不住地爱抚他的脸。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）
• He might think my brain was softening or something of the kind. 他也许会觉得我婆婆妈妈的，已经成了个软心肠的人了。