英语听力：自然百科 犹他州国家公园

 Nothing whets¹ the appetite for a road trip quite like America's Wild West. Plan your trip along the Colorado River Scenic² Byways and you'll be treated to a natural spectacle like no other. Just take U-9 Zion Park Scenic Byway, ride into Zion National Park where you'll find immense plateaus reaching into a vast blue sky. These plateaus were formed from land that was flat hundreds of millions of years ago, but overtime³, erosion permanently⁴ etched these mammoth⁵ formations into the landscape.

 

 

 

But rocks aren't the only thing you'll find here. Because of the varying altitudes in Zion, there are many different climates, creating habitats for diverse plant and animal populations. On the desert floor, don't be surprised to see a chuckwalla sunning itself on the rocks. Higher up, you could have a chance encounter with a cliff chipmunk⁶. With over 400 animal species, 160 miles of rivers and streams and 57 miles of road, you'll never run out of things to see and do in this portion of the Red Rock Desert. And just off to the east is Highway 12, which will take you through Bryce Canyon⁷ National Park.

 

 

 

Bryce Canyon is at the top of a formation known as the Grand Staircase, which also includes Zion National Park and the Grand Canyon. Like Zion, Bryce Canyon's limestone⁸ rock has been shaped by eons of erosion. A process known as frost-wedging which refers to the repeated freeze-thaw cycle that can occur in certain climates has created some fascinating shapes in the Utah Desert, like these famous spires⁹ known as "hoodoos".

 

 

 

There is no shortage of wildlife in Bryce either. Keep an eye out overhead for the California condor¹⁰ and the peregrine falcon¹¹. Or a flora¹² is what you are after, there is plenty of that too. From Zion Park to Bryce Canyon, from the Grand Staircase to Cedar¹³ Breaks National Monument, there is something for everyone along the Colorado River Scenic Byway.

1 whets   

v.（在石头上）磨（刀、斧等）( whet的第三人称单数 )；引起，刺激（食欲、欲望、兴趣等）

参考例句：

• Reading travel brochures whets one's appetite for a holiday. 看了旅游手册就巴不得去度假。 来自互联网
• The decade whets sword, frost blade has never tried. 十年磨一剑，霜刃未曾试。 来自互联网

2 scenic   

adj.自然景色的，景色优美的

参考例句：

• The scenic beauty of the place entranced the visitors.这里的美丽风光把游客们迷住了。
• The scenic spot is on northwestern outskirts of Beijing.这个风景区位于北京的西北远郊。

3 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

4 permanently   

adv.永恒地，永久地，固定不变地

参考例句：

• The accident left him permanently scarred.那次事故给他留下了永久的伤疤。
• The ship is now permanently moored on the Thames in London.该船现在永久地停泊在伦敦泰晤士河边。

5 mammoth   

n.长毛象；adj.长毛象似的，巨大的

参考例句：

• You can only undertake mammoth changes if the finances are there.资金到位的情况下方可进行重大变革。
• Building the new railroad will be a mammoth job.修建那条新铁路将是一项巨大工程。

6 chipmunk   

n.花栗鼠

参考例句：

• This little chipmunk is hungry.这只小花栗鼠肚子饿了。
• Once I brought her a chipmunk with a wound on its stomach.一次，我带了只腹部受伤的花栗鼠去找她。

7 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

8 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

9 spires   

n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Her masts leveled with the spires of churches. 船的桅杆和教堂的塔尖一样高。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• White church spires lift above green valleys. 教堂的白色尖顶耸立在绿色山谷中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 condor   

n.秃鹰；秃鹰金币

参考例句：

• The condor soars above the mountain heights.禿鹰翱翔于高山之上。
• A condor prepares to fly in Colombia.一只兀鹰在哥伦比亚准备振翅高飞。

11 falcon   

n.隼，猎鹰

参考例句：

• The falcon was twice his size with pouted feathers.鹰张开羽毛比两只鹰还大。
• The boys went hunting with their falcon.男孩子们带着猎鹰出去打猎了。

12 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

13 cedar   

n.雪松，香柏(木)

参考例句：

• The cedar was about five feet high and very shapely.那棵雪松约有五尺高,风姿优美。
• She struck the snow from the branches of an old cedar with gray lichen.她把长有灰色地衣的老雪松树枝上的雪打了下来。