UNIT 15 Scenic spots

West I. The Grand Canyon National Park(大峡谷国家公园)

Located in north-west of Arizona （亚利桑那州<美国西南部的州>), it attracts over 4 million visitors each year.

It is America’s most famous scenic wonder It is America’s most famous scenic wonder. It is a huge gorge(峡谷) slowly carved away(雕琢) for nearly 6 million years by the waters of the Colorado River（科罗拉多河）.

The canyon is so deep that there are 4 distinctive zones of climate（不同的气候带） from top to bottom. The Park was established in 1908 by President Theodore Roosevelt.

The Southwest To the east of the Grand Canyon National, the Painted Desert National Park ( 彩色沙漠国家公园)

The Southwest To the east of the Grand Canyon National Park, there is the Painted Desert National Park ( 彩色沙漠国家公园)

It is located in the mid-north of Arizona, which is famous for multicolored hills (多彩的沙丘).

Within the Painted Desert National Park , there is the Petrified Forest (石化森林国家公园), a field of fallen trees that have turned to stone by a process of mineralization(矿化) known as petrifaction （石化）

To the south of the Grand Canyon National, there is the Sunset Crater Volcano National Park(落日火山口国家公园)

In the park, there are remains of a very early volcano explosion.

To the west of the Grand Canyon National, there is Hoover Dam (胡佛水坝)and the lake behind it, Lake Mead (米德湖). Hoover Dam is a major hydroelectric power supplier and is named after President Herbert Hoover.

The Northwest Yellowstone National park Grand Teton National Park Dinosaur National Monument Bryce Canyon National Park

To the far north of the Grand Canyon National, near the Canadian border is Yellowstone National park (黄石国家公园,大部分位于怀俄明州西北部) which was established in 1872.

It is the oldest and one of the largest national parks in the US It is the oldest and one of the largest national parks in the US. It is named after the river that flows through the area.

It is known for its geysers(间歇泉) and hot springs It is known for its geysers(间歇泉) and hot springs. One of the most famous of the geysers is the Old Faithful(老忠实泉), which every hour or so sends an enormous plume of water and steam shooting high into the sky for 4 minutes.

To the south of the Yellowstone National park is Grand Teton National Park(大蒂顿国家公园, 位于怀俄明州西北部Wyoming), which is famous for glaciers. (['glæsjə]冰河，冰川 )

Not too far away is Dinosaur National Monument (国家恐龙化石保护区，位于科罗拉多州西北和犹他州东北Utah), the site of many fossils of prehistoric animal life.

And nearby also is Bryce Canyon National Park,(布赖斯峡谷国家公园 ) a small park with enormous sandstone spires, whose slopes are colored in red, white, pink and orange layers.

The Rocky Mountains the main mountain range in the west of US stretching from the Canadian border to New Mexico(美国新墨西哥州). All of the places mentioned so far to the west of the Rocky mountains, which are themselves worth touring.

The streams in the Rockies are a trout fisherman’s paradise The streams in the Rockies are a trout fisherman’s paradise. In the winter, skiing down mountain slopes is the major attraction.

The Pacific Coast To the west of the Rocky Mountains, towards the Pacific coast, there is in the south a stretch of desert area that suddenly becomes verdant in the Imperial Valley of California (加州皇家河谷).

In the very north part, the Olympic Peninsula (奥林匹克半岛，位于华盛顿州)，with the Olympia National Park (奥林匹克国家公园) and Cascade Range (喀斯喀特山脉，最高峰为雷尼尔山Mt Rainier) and the St. Helens Eruption(圣海伦斯火山遗址).

Farther south is Yosemite National Park(约瑟米蒂国家公园) with a spectacular scenery of valleys carved out by glaciers

Besides the natural beauty in Southern California, there are some human creations such as Hollywood and Disneyland

The Middle West National Monument (国家纪念碑) --It is an unusual artistic project — four enormous portraits of American Presidents: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln, are sculpted on Mt Rushmore (拉什莫尔山)in the southeast of  State of South Dakota. (南达科他州西南)

East southeastern tip of U.S — Florida

The Everglades National Park（大沼泽地) The Everglades is a huge subtropical (亚热带的)wetlands(沼泽地) located at he south of Florida. It contains a motley(混杂的) collection of wildlife including reptiles (爬虫) such as alligators（产于美洲的鳄鱼 )and snakes and varieties of plant life and over 400 species（物种，种类）of birds. ---The southern part is the Everglades National Park (大沼泽地国家公园)

Stretching south of Miami towards Cuba is a chain of islands called the Florida Keys (佛罗里达群岛). The farthest island is Key West (基为斯特)，a favorite summer resort for US President Harry Truman, and the site of home of novelist Ernest Hemingway

The Southeast The southern states: Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia These states have the unusual property of having a coastline filled with beaches, hills and mountains. Savannah GA Fort Sumter National Park

Savannah GA

Fort Sumter National Monument

The Northeast The Blue Ridge Mountains extend up through North Carolina to Virginia, but most visitors will stay along the Eastern seaboard to enjoy the Outer Banks (外滩群岛) , where deep sea fishing is a major attraction.

Blue Ridge Mountains

Cape Cod (科德角) ---Cape Cod (科德角) in Massachusetts，the enormous peninsula shaped like a flexed arm that juts out (突出，伸出) into the Atlantic Ocean

New York State

Niagara Falls(尼亚加拉大瀑布) The western part of New York State contains a natural wonder comparable to the Grand Canyon. The Falls are a group of awesome(引起敬畏的) waterfalls on the US-Canada border. The torrent (急流) falls over a precipice（悬崖）for a distance of 55 meters and makes roaring(咆哮, 怒吼)sound. There are two sections of falls: the larger section located in Canada is called the Horseshoe Falls; the smaller section in the US is called the American falls.           

The boat “the Maid of Mist” (水雾少女)takes visitors to the very base of the Niagara Falls   

Urban Scenes Different and distinctive urban centers from San Diego to Boston, from Seattle to Miami. Each city has a unique atmosphere: the architecture, the pace of pedestrian traffic, etc.

The End