美國黃石國家公園探秘

李小華

黃石國家公園坐落于美國懷俄明州、蒙大拿州和愛達荷州的交界處，是世界上第一個國家公園，也是世界上最壯觀的國家公園之一。

It s been called America s “Wonder land” for good reason. Generations of travelers have embraced Yellowstone—the first national park in the United States—and explored its wonders， spread across some 3，471 square miles， mostly in Wy oming， but with portions （部分） in Monta na and Idaho.

This unmatched wilderness， now marking 150 years as a national park， is vast and varied， consisting of forests， lakes， mountains， valleys， and canyons （峽谷）. Some 90 percent of the park and its surrounding region remains in a wild state， constituting one of the last large unda maged ecosystems in the northern tem perate （溫帶的） zone.

Yellowstone was established as a national park in 1872 “for the benefit and enjoyment of the people”. Its founding marked the birth of the US National Park System and represents the public wild lands known as the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem， nearly 10 times larger than the park.

The region s geological history reac hes back at least 66 million years， when volcanism （火山活動） produced specta cular features. The park includes three calderas （破火山口）， formed from volcanic eruptions 2.1 million， 1.3 million， and 640，000 years ago， respectively.

Indigenous Americans have lived in the region for more than 11，000 years. The ancestors used the resources of this land for food， shelter， medicine and religious purposes for millennia.

1. What does Yellowstone consist of as a national park？

2. When was Yellowstone established as a national park？