Get out your party hats and saddle up4 your mules. It’s celebration time at the Grand Canyon! This year marks the 100th anniversary of when the canyon became a national monument.
National monuments are landmarks that are protected by the government. U.S. president Theodore Roosevelt declared the canyon a national monument on Jan. 11, 1908.
A century later, the Grand Canyon is still rocking. Nearly 5 million tourists travel each year to see the Grand Canyon. At more than a million acres, it’s one of the world’s largest canyons.
A Long History
The Grand Canyon’s national monument status is 100 years old, but the landmark itself is much older. Geologists estimate that the canyon has been around for up to 6 million years. The canyon’s oldest rocks are nearly 2 billion years old.
Those rocks, called Vishnu5 schist6, might have been large mountains millions of years ago. Over time, oceans washed over the mountains, eroding7 them into a plain. The oceans left behind sand and tiny rocks that gradually formed layers of rock. The Colorado River carved through those layers, creating the Grand Canyon.
Work in Progress
The river is still wearing away8 the canyon’s steep walls, making the landmark even bigger. Some scientists estimate that a layer of rock the thickness of a credit card erodes every five year. “Erosion9 is happening every day, but on a scale that’s hard for people to comprehend,” says Chris, of the Grand Canyon Monitoring and Research Center.
Chris and his coworkers are studying those changes carefully. They want to make sure the canyon is still looking good in another 100 years. “We’re trying to provide the science to best preserve and protect the Grand Canyon,” Chris said.
拿出你的礼帽，给驴子套上马鞍。大峡谷的庆典时间到了！今年可是大峡谷成为历史文物一百周年哦。
国家历史文物是由政府保护的标志性地貌。1908年1月11日，美国总统西奥多·罗斯福宣布大峡谷成为国家历史文物。
一个世纪过去了，大峡谷风采依旧。每年将近有500万游客到大峡谷观光。大峡谷占地逾100万英亩，是世界上最大的峡谷之一。
历史悠久
大峡谷作为国家历史文物，已经100岁了；但是作为地标本身，它的历史更为悠久。地质学家估计大峡谷已存在约600万年，峡谷里最古老的岩石有将近20亿年的历史。
那些叫做“毗瑟奴片岩”的岩石也许几百万年前是巨型山脉。经年累月，大海冲刷这些山脉，将它们侵蚀成平原。海水留下的沙粒和小石块逐渐形成岩层。科罗拉多河深切这些岩层，形成了今天的大峡谷。
峡谷现状
科罗拉多河仍在磨蚀着峡谷陡峭的岩壁，使大峡谷变得更宽阔。一些科学家预测，这样下去每5年就能磨损掉相当于一张信用卡厚度的岩层。“侵蚀每天都在发生，但是侵蚀的程度难以为人察觉。”大峡谷监测与研究中心的克里斯说。
克里斯和他的同事们正在仔细研究那些变化。他们想确保大峡谷100年后仍能保持完好。克里斯说：“我们正在努力用科技手段最大限度地保护大峡谷。”
Grand Canyon At a Glance
大峡谷一瞥
Geography: The Grand Canyon is in Arizona near the borders of Nevada and Utah. The canyon is 277 miles long, up to 6,000 feet deep, and 10 to 18 miles wide.
Culture: Native Americans, including Navajos10, used to live in the Grand Canyon. Today, many Navajos live on a reservation that borders the canyon’s eastern side. A reservation is land set aside for Native Americans.
Geology: The canyon’s 1-mile-high walls are made up of nearly 40 different rock layers. The rock layers include limestone11, sandstone, and shale.
地理：大峡谷位于亚利桑那州，毗邻内华达和犹他州。峡谷长277英里，深6,000英尺，宽10—18英里。
文化：过去，包括纳瓦霍人在内的美国土著居住在大峡谷。现在，许多纳瓦霍人居住在峡谷东部边界的保留地。保留地即为美国土著所预留出的土地。
地质：峡谷一英里高的岩壁由近40种不同的岩层组成。这些岩层包括石灰石、沙岩和页岩。
Growing Up in The Canyon
峡谷中长大
Elyse Moreno
Fifth Grade
Hi! My name is Elyse. I live on the South Rim in the Grand Canyon. I have lived here my whole life. My family moved here because my mom got a job at the Grand Canyon School.
The Grand Canyon is beautiful. The sunsets are very pretty. I like the summer because I can hike. When I am hiking, I see the clouds and sun. I also see elk12, mountain goats, deer, and ravens13.
I am half Mexican, so I eat Mexican foods. I mostly eat burritos14 and tacos15 because they are my favorite.
Ksena Wadsworth
Fourth Grade
Hello! My name is Ksena. I live within the Grand Canyon National Park on the South Rim.
I have lived here for four months, but my father grew up here. He has told me stories about hiking to the bottom of the canyon.
My favorite time of year in the Grand Canyon is spring because flowers are blooming and lots of animals are around. I have seen foxes and prairie dogs16. I also like to go sledding17 when it snows.
(Special permission granted by WRC Media, Inc. All rights reserved by WRC Media, Inc. www.wrcmedia.com)
1. Grand Canyon 美国大峡谷
2. anniversary n. 周年纪念
3. national monument 国家纪念地；国家历史文物
4. saddle up 备马鞍
5. Vishnu n. 毗瑟奴(印度教中的守护之神)
6. schist n. [地]片岩
7. erode v. 侵蚀
8. wear away 磨损
9. erosion n. 侵蚀
10. Navajo n. 纳瓦霍人(美国最大的印第安部落)
11. limestone n. 石灰石
12. elk [elk] n. 麋鹿
13. raven n. 大乌鸦
14. burrito n. 墨西哥玉米饼
15. taco n. 墨西哥玉米面豆卷
16. prairie dog 草原土拨鼠
17. go sledding 滑雪橇