20090506 -- Yosemite National Park (1)

Yosemite National Park

Explore the wild beauty of one of America's famous national parks.

A visitor to Yosemite National Park once asked a park ranger what he would do if he only had one day to explore the area. The ranger replied, "I'd weep." His answer comes as no surprise considering Yosemite encompasses nearly 1,200 square miles of spectacular granite cliffs, magnificent waterfalls and giant sequoias. Established in 1890 in east-central California, Yosemite protects a beautiful natural area that has become a world-renowned playground for outdoor enthusiasts. Thirteen campgrounds and over 800 miles of hiking trails attract more than 4 million visitors a year to the park.


Yosemite Valley

The park's centerpiece is Yosemite Valley, a seven-mile-long canyon full of meadows,
streams and unusual rock formation. Half Dome, the most distinctive mountain feature in Yosemite, dominates most views in the valley. Nearby Millor Lake offers beautiful reflections of the surrounding cliffs. Visitors find hiking trails that loop around the valley as well as trailheads that lead to higher elevations. Some routes, like those leading up to the massive 3,500-foot-high El Capitan, challenge even the best climbers. The amazing views from the valley rim, however, reward those who endure the hiking hardships.

spectacular adj. 壯觀的
spect-看
-> magnificent
eg: The audience was thrilled with the cast's spectacular performance.
eg: The spectacular circus performance amazed the whole audience.
eg: The spectacular view of the canyon(峽谷) capture our eyse.

enthusiast n. 熱中於某項事物的人
-> a person who is interested in something
eg: Bobby is a real sports enthusiast. If there's a game on TV, he's watching it!.
eg: Bob is one of the many football enthusiasts in our company.
eg: Nathan is a model-train enthusiast (火車模型愛好者). He owns a huge collection.

park ranger

sequoia (產於美國加州的)紅杉
-> a kind of tree

renowned adj. 有名的

dome n. 圓屋頂
-> shape is half circle
eg: The dome of St. Paul's Cathedral is one of the most famous structure in London.

elevation n. 高度/海拔
-> the height above the sea level
-lev 提高
eg: As the mountain climbers reached higher elevations, it became harder and harder for them to breathe normally.
eg: Mountaineers sometimes have to use oxygen at this elevation.
eg: The city is at an elevation of 2,500 meters.

trailhead
-> the beginning of the trail

//== Grammer on the go ==//

His answer comes as no surprise considering Yosemite encompasses nearly 1,200 square miles of spectacular granite cliffs, magnificent waterfalls and giant sequoias.

->His answer is obvious considering Yosemite encompasses nearly 1,200 square miles of spectacular granite cliffs, magnificent waterfalls and giant sequoias.


come as no surprise
-> obvious/ not surprising

eg: Gina's promotion comes as no surprise considering that she's such a hard worker.
eg: The producer's decision to cancel the show comes as no surprise considering there was never enough money to pay all the actors.



//== Chat room ==//

playground 公園裡的遊戲區/任何的遊憩場所

seesaws 翹翹板
slides 滑梯
swings 鞦韆

playground 遊樂聖地
-> any place where people go for fun

eg: Southern France is a playground for the rich and famous.
eg: The famous museum is a playground for art lovers.

playground
eg: Music is Steve's personal playground.

stomping ground 你常常出沒的地方/你曾經住過很熟析的地方
eg: Shopping mall is a stomping ground for teenage girl.