The Yellowstone National Park

項祝燕

With its snow-covered mountains and a variety of wildlife， Yellowstone National Park is one of the scenic treasures of the United States. Located primarily in Wyoming， the park hosts millions of visitors every year. If you plan to travel within the park， keep in mind advice from the National Park Service.

Seasonal Travel

Travel varies vastly from season to season. Roads are generally open in the summer except for cases of rock or mud slides， wild fires， accidents or road construction. Early snows in the fall can cause some roads to close temporarily. In the winter almost all roads are closed to motor vehicles， but snowmobiles and other snow vehicles with tracks are allowed. Roads begin to open for the spring by the latter part of April but can close if snowfall continues.

Driving Time

Grand Loop is the main road through Yellowstone National Park; it passes by most of the major attractions. These include Old Faithful， Yellowstone Lake and the Grand Canyon of Yellowstone. The maximum① speed limit on the Grand Loop is 45 miles per hour， but the speed limit drops during some of the winding and twisting sections of this narrow road. Allow yourself at least two days to fully travel the loop due to the size of the park and being sometimes stuck in heavy traffic.

Safety Awareness

Buffalo② often block the roads in the park as they move through the fields. If a group is traveling across the road you are on， you can either wait for them to pass or find an alternative③ route. If you get out of your vehicle， the National Park Service says to stay at least 25 yards from any buffalo （and 100 yards or more away from bears and wolves）. Buffalo are particularly unpredictable and charge④ people at speeds up to 30 mph.

You can take your bicycle on any public roads and routes designed for bikes， but bicycles are not allowed on the park roads which are narrow with few shoulders⑤. Altitudes range from? 5，300 to 8，860 feet. The National Park Service recommends cyclists should wear helmets⑥ and noticeable clothing.

Notes： ① maximum adj. 最大的 ② buffalo n. 水牛 ③ alternative adj.可替代的 ④ charge v. 向……猛沖 ⑤ shoulder n. 路肩 ⑥ helmet n. 頭盔

【難句解析】

1. With its snow-covered mountains and a variety of wildlife， Yellowstone National Park is one of the scenic treasures of the United States.

釋義：有雪山和各種各樣的野生動物，黃石國家公園是美國風景寶藏之一。

點撥：snow-covered是名詞和動詞的過去分詞構成的復合詞作定語，修飾mountains。類似的結構還有：hand-made （手工制作的），heart-broken （令人心碎的），man-made （人造的）。

2. Roads are generally open in the summer except for cases of rock or mud slides， wild fires， accidents or road construction.

釋義：除了泥石流、野火、事故或道路建設等情況，在夏天道路通常是開放的。

點撥：except for 表示“除外”，可用于非同類事物，并且從語氣上通常表示遺憾;如果后面的東西與前面的東西屬于同類語，則用except;besides的意思是“除……之外還有”，該介詞后面所表示的人或物等也包括在總數(shù)內;except 的意思是“不包括在內，除去”，該介詞后面所表示的人或物等不包括在總數(shù)內;but 作“除外”的意思時有一些限制，它只能用在no one， none， all， nobody， everyone， everything， who， what， where 等之后，而except的限制很少;apart from 既可表示 besides 的意思，又可表示except for 的意思。

Smith is a good man， except for his bad temper. 史密斯除了脾氣不好外，是個好人。

3. You can take your bicycle on any public roads and routes designed for bikes...

釋義：你可以在為騎自行車設計的公共公路和路線上騎行……

點撥：designed for bikes是過去分詞作定語，修飾public roads and routes，因為designed for bikes與public roads and routes是動賓關系。

What did you think of the play put on by Class Two？ 二班演的戲劇你覺得怎么樣？

4. The National Park Service recommends cyclists should wear helmets and noticeable clothing.

釋義：國家公園管理局建議騎自行車的人佩戴頭盔，穿醒目的衣物。

點撥：recommend， order， demand， require， propose， suggest， insist， advise， request， command等動詞表示“建議、提議、命令、要求”，其賓語從句中常使用虛擬語氣，即從句的謂語動詞用“（should）+動詞原形”。

He suggested that you （should） go there immediately. 他建議你立刻去那兒。

【閱讀鏈接】

I. Choose the right answer.

1. What do we know about travelling in the Yellowstone Park？

A. Roads will stay open in case of emergency.

B. Traffic jam happens from time to time.

C. The driving speed on the road can be 50 mph.

D. Motor vehicles are allowed in the winter.

2. What does the National Park Service suggest people do about safety？

A. Stay inside the car throughout the travel.

B. Get out of their vehicles when coming across the Buffalo.

C. Wear the easy-to-see clothes while bicycling.

D. Avoid bicycling on the public roads.

3. If you meet with buffalo on the roads， you had better ____.

A. pass them immediately??????? ??????????????? B. change your route

C. walk past them quietly????? ????????????????? D. ignore them

4. From which is the text probably taken？

A. A guidebook.??????????????? ??????????? B. A commercial advertisement.

C. A research paper.???????????? ??????????????? D. A geography textbook.

II. Fill in the blanks.

1. The coast road is closed ____ ____ （由于） bad weather.

2. Youll ____ ____ ____ （遭遇塞車） a traffic jam in a city or on a highway.

3. Your composition is good ____ ____ （除了） a few spelling mistakes.

4. A robot is a ____ （電腦控制的） machine that is programmed to move and handle objects.

5. They recommended that the patient ____ ____ ____ （被送到） to the hospital at once.

6. People change their mind for ____ ____ ____ （各種各樣的） reasons.