大烟山国家公园：

大烟山国家公园声称有近1300公里的登山小道，直通阿伯拉契山脉的各个顶峰，其中有16个山峰是在海拔1800米以上。该公园跨越在多山的北卡罗来纳州和田纳西州的边界上，穿过河流和溪水，途经无数瀑布。该公园另外一个吸引人的地方是具有各种不同的游乐区，有野餐的地方、也有使人看了就想要登 越的优美风景山区，而且还有可以观赏野生动物的活动区域。

该国家公园是在1940年有一些著名的保护主义的慈善家而建立，比如小约翰·戴维森·洛克菲勒为了建造这个国家公园捐了五百万美金。该国家公园是在富兰克林·罗斯福总统任职的时候开幕的。

你可以在任何时候到该国家公园来旅游，都能让你游览得心满意足。春天和夏初，满山遍地的野花让该国家公园有了一个“野花国家公园”的雅号；而从秋天树叶的缝隙中看那连绵起伏的山林又是别有洞天， 然而与之并存的云海更是宏伟壮丽。

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Great Smoky Mountains National Park boasts 800 miles of hiking trails, up rugged Appalachian Mountain peaks -- 16 of them greater than 6,000 feet. Straddling the mountainous border between North Carolina and Tennessee, the park is traversed by rivers and streams that reveal countless waterfalls. Part of the park's appeal is the diversity of recreation available there, from picnics and scenic drives to hiking and wildlife watching.

Founded in 1940, the park owes its creation, in part, to some of the biggest names in American conservation: John D. Rockefeller Jr., who donated $5 million to the effort, and President Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was in the White House when the park was dedicated.

There's no bad time to visit, but the spring and early summer profusion of wildflowers earned this park the nickname of Wildflower National Park, and fall leaf peeping through the park's undulating ridges and its namesake mist can be magnificent.

大峡谷国家公园

亚利桑那州的大峡谷国家公园是第二受欢迎的国家公园。在世界上几乎所有国家的“世界七大奇观”中，都包括美国大峡谷国家公园。这也是美国所仅有可能被列入世界著名奇观的地方。

流传在 世界各地的大峡谷的照片应该是以百万来计。虽然你看过那么多的大峡谷照片，但是当你身历其境的时候，必能叫你倒抽一口冷气，惊讶不已。科罗拉多河千百万年的洗刷，把地质的历史一层一层地裸露在光天化日之下。由于太阳照射的角度不同，地层的颜色也随之变化万千。不论是徒步爬山还是乘坐皮筏随着急流沿科罗拉多河漂流而下，这都是世界之最的享受。

在1908年，西奥多·罗斯福总统在大峡谷建立一个纪念碑，经过11年，大峡谷国家公园才 正式建立起来。

如果你想看北端更旷野的峭壁，请你最好在五月末到十月初的时间登上大峡谷的那个部分，否则有可能被大雪封山，无法通行。绝大部分游客只是在比较容易开车可到的南端观赏大峡谷，那也毫无损色。

Grand Canyon National Park

Arizona's Grand Canyon National Park is the nation's second-most visited park. It's also included in every list of 7 Natural Wonders of the World, often as the only U.S. site.

You could have seen a million photos of the canyon, and it will still take your breath away to see it in person. Millions of years of geologic history are laid bare by the Colorado River, the colors are breathtaking and shift with the angle of the sun, and the hiking or white-water rafting experience is second-to-none.

President Theodore Roosevelt preserved the Grand Canyon as a national monument in 1908, and it was designated a national park 11 years later.

If you want to see the more remote North Rim, visit between late May and early October, before heavy snows close the roads. Most people stick to the more easily accessible South Rim, and they don't regret it.

优胜美地国家公园

它那巨大无比的花岗岩峭壁，使优胜美地国家公园在攀岩者的心目中成为举世闻名最高境界；而该国家公园里冲天挺立、气势庄严的美洲杉林吸引了众多的步行者、骑自行车和骑摩托车者，还有全家开车出来旅游 的老老少少。有的是来照相，有的是来看野生动物的生活状态......等等等等。说实在的，在这辽阔无比的西艾拉·内华达山林里，每一个人都一定会找到自己所喜爱的目标。

在加利福尼亚中央的国家公园虽然是美国在1890年所成立的第三个国家公园，但是把这个地区保护起来却要追回到1864年阿伯拉罕·林肯总统的时代。那时，林肯总统为之签署了一份非常关键的保护土地法律。由此奠定了几十年以后建立美国国家公园的基础。伟大的自然主义者约翰·沐理大力推荐了优胜美地国家公园。

优胜美地国家公园以让人看得惊叹不已的瀑布而最为著名。虽然在五月底的时候，由于山上融化的雪使瀑布的水源充足，所以特别壮观，但是其他时候来看优胜美地的瀑布也 绝不会感到遗憾。

黄石国家公园

它的天然热喷泉、到处迈步的野牛和灰熊，和它的名称，使黄石国家公园成为美国第四受欢迎的国家公园。黄石国家公园的地点是在怀俄明州、爱达荷州、和蒙大拿州的交界处。该国家公园由美国总统尤里塞斯·S·格兰特建于1872年，是美国最早建立的国家公园。

驰名世界的“老忠泉”间歇热喷泉是最受受欢迎的旅游景点，以至于开车到那里的路是常常会被堵塞。就是远在1915年，还没有什么汽车的时候，就有1000辆汽车前往参观。该公园的大部分 道路在秋天和冬天都关闭了，所以游览整个黄石国家公园的季节是春季和夏季，除非你是一位热爱雪景的人。“老忠实”年复一年忠实地整年按时喷热泉，但是你要在四月中才能由一条路从一侧到达那里，在五月中才可以从另一侧到达。

Yosemite National Park

Its fierce granite cliffs make it a world-renowned destination for rock climbers, but Yosemite's giant sequoia groves and scenery make it popular with hikers, bikers, families who stay in the car, photographers, wildlife watchers.... Virtually everyone can find something to love in this vast expanse of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The central California park was the third designated in the U.S., in 1890, but its preservation traces its origins back to Abraham Lincoln, who signed a law guaranteeing the land's protection in 1864 -- a foundational swipe of the pen that led to the establishment, decades later, of a national parks system. The great naturalist John Muir popularized Yosemite.

Yosemite is best known for its stunning waterfalls, and to appreciate them the best time to visit is late May, when mountain snowmelt keeps them flowing. Visitors at other times of the year won't be disappointed.

Yellowstone National Park

Its geysers, its free-roaming bison and grizzly bears and its name made Yellowstone National Park the nation's fourth-most popular national park. Established in 1872 in Wyoming, Idaho and Montana, Yellowstone was America's first national park, dedicated by President Ulysses S. Grant.

The famed geyser, Old Faithful, is so popular, the roads leading to it can get jammed up with cars. Even in 1915, more than 1,000 cars visited the park. Many of the parks roads close in the fall and winter, so spring and summer are the best times to visit for all but snow enthusiasts. Old Faithful spouts -- reliably -- all year long, but you can't reach it by road until mid-April from one side, or mid-May from another.

奥林匹克国家公园

“在这里你将看到太平洋的海滨、雨淋谷、冰河覆盖的山峰和使你眼花缭乱的各种美丽的植物和惹人喜爱的动物。道路仅仅修建的公园的外围，而奥林匹克国家公园的中心就是一片旷野；是人类和野生动物的原始圣所。”

在华盛顿州西雅图市的西边，这是有一个由罗斯福家族所出力建造的奥林匹克国家公园：西奥多·罗斯福总统在1909年建立了奥林匹克纪念塔，而富兰克林·罗斯福总统则在1938年把这个公园命名为“奥林匹克国家公园”。

如果你有兴趣到美国国家公园来游览，请到这个网站提取更多更详细的资料：http://www.nps.gov/index.htm

讨论问题:

1. 1. 在你的国家里是否也有国家公园？

   2. 举例说一个在你附近的一个国家公园的名称。那里有什么吸引人的地方？

   3. 你是否到你自己国家的国家公园或者国外的国家公园去玩过？你有什么体会？

Olympic National Park

"Here you will find Pacific Ocean beaches, rain forest valleys, glacier-capped peaks and a stunning variety of plants and animals. Roads provide access to the outer edges of the park, but the heart of Olympic is wilderness; a primeval sanctuary for humans and wild creatures alike."

Located west of Seattle, Washington, this is another park that owes its existence to the Rooselvelts: Theodore Roosevelt dedicated the Olympic National Monument in 1909 and Franklin D. Roosevelt named it a national park in 1938.

If you are interested in visiting a US National Park, check out the following web site for more information: http://www.nps.gov/index.htm

Discussion Questions:

1. 1. Does your country have national parks?

   2. Name some popular or famous national parks in your area. What are it's attractions?

   3. Have you ever visited a national park in your country or in another country? Describe the experience.