A famous American John Muir said in 1898, "The Grand Canyon... as unearthly in the color and grandeur and and quantity of its architecture as if you had found it after death on some other star." Like Muir, those of us who stand along the rim are prompted to wonder about the unearthliness and the forces that created and are still changing this place.

After more than 100 years of studies, many things are still obscure. Today visitors come by the thousands -- the great and simple of the earth -- all in a spirit of marvel. Travelers come from every state of the Union, from every country in Europe and Asia, pilgrims to a shrine that is the same as the creed.

From the depths of the canyon comes welling silence. Seldom can you hear the roar of the river. You cannot catch the patter, like applause, from the leaves of the cottonwoods on the shelf-like plateau below you. For all sounds are swallowed in this gulf of space. "It makes one want to murmur." A woman once whispered to her companion. This silence is not the silence of death; rather, it is a presence. It is like a great piece of music. But music made of works up to climax and ceases. The Grand Canyon is all climax, a chord echoing into eternity.

Perhaps the most spectacular feature of the Grand Canyon, its Redwall limestone cliff, stands about half way up the chasm and is practically vertical. Its average height is 550 feet -- almost exactly that of the Washington Monument. Though it is actually gray-blue limestone, the surface of the cliff has been stained to a sunset hue by iron salts washing out of the rocks. Above the Redwall come alternating layers of red sandstone and shale 1,000 feet thick, then comes the next pale-blue layer. The topmost layers are a yellowish limestone.

一位著名的美国人约翰.缪尔曾在1898年说过，“（科罗拉多）大峡谷……它色彩的神奇和构造的宏伟多样是世间少有的，就像是人死后在别的星球上看到的东西一样。”和缪尔一样，站在大峡谷边缘的人们顿时对这里的超凡脱俗，对那种创造并仍在改变这个地方的神奇力量感到惊奇。

经过100多年的研究，许多事情仍然是个谜。今天，数以千计的游客——不管是普通人还是大人物——都怀着一种好奇的心情来到这里。他们来自于美国的每一个州，来自于欧洲和亚洲的每一个国家，都像朝圣者一样虔诚地来到这座神殿。

峡谷深处寂静无声。人们很少听见河水的咆哮或下面壁架式高原上三角叶杨树鼓掌般的噼啪声。一切声音都被这深渊吞没了。一位女游客对同伴说，“它让人不禁低声细语。”这种寂静不是死一般的沉寂；相反，是万物存在的宁静，就像一曲伟大的乐章。人类的乐曲渐入高潮，止于无声，而大峡谷则高潮迭起，是永远回荡不止的和音。

也许，大峡谷最引人注目的风貌是“红墙”石灰石崖。它耸立在裂口半中央，几乎是垂直的。平均高度为550英尺——几乎和华盛顿纪念碑一样高。实际上它是灰蓝色的石灰石，但其表面却被从岩石里渗出的铁盐染上了晚霞般的色彩。在“红墙”的上方，是红色的沙岩和1000英尺厚的页岩交替叠层，然后是浅蓝色的沙岩层，最上层是淡黄色的石灰石。

canyon n. 峡谷

obscure adj. 难解的

whisper vi. 耳语

prompt vt. 激起

marvel n. 惊奇

spectacular adj. 惊人的

Daniel 打算在这个星期步行去科罗拉多大峡谷。在网上查找了有关大峡谷的简介后，他想邀请好朋友Tom 一起去。

Ｄ = Daniel 丹＝丹尼尔 T = Tom 汤＝汤姆

D: The weekend is coming. Have you got any plans?

T: Not yet... So much work and so less relax make me dull. Maybe I should go somewhere and take some refreshment. Do you have any good ideas?

D: Well, it is now the best season for hiking. I decide to walk to the Grand Canyon this weekend.

T: Just being curious, why the Grand Canyon?

D: The Grand Canyon is an unearthly sight, and an American writer and journalist said, " I came here an atheist, and departed a devout believer." I learn from the Internet that there are more than five million visitors each year and there is much more to the Grand Canyon than simply the breathtaking views. It is crowned by two rims, the South Rim and the North Rim. In between the Rims is the Inner Canyon. It is accessed only by hiking, by mule or by rafting the Colorado River. You walk along, get to the brim; it's just incredible. You might as well have died and gone to heaven!

T: Definitely, it is a grand canyon! Shall I go with you?

D: Sure.

丹：又到周末了，你有什么好计划吗？

汤：还没有呢。这么多作业，休息又少，我感到无精打采。也许是该去哪儿游玩放松一下了。有什么好点子吗？

丹：现在正是远足的好时节，我打算步行去科罗拉多大峡谷。

汤：我很好奇，为什么要去那儿呢？

丹：大峡谷风景超凡脱俗。一位美国作家兼记者说：“我来这里时还是个无神论者，离开时却已经是一个虔诚的信徒了。”网上说，每年超过500万人游览大峡谷。除了令人惊叹的风景，大峡谷还有更多魅力之处。它的南北两端夹着中间的峡谷，只能远足、骑驴或是从科罗拉多河乘筏子到达峡谷。穿越其中到达峡谷的边缘，峡谷的景色是如此美妙，你会发现自己宛如死后进入了天堂一般。

汤：大峡谷确实不同凡响。我可以同行吗？

丹：当然可以。

dull adj. 无趣的

journalist n. 记者

devout adj. 虔诚的

refreshment n. 放松

atheist n. 无神论者

breathtaking adj. 令人惊叹的

假设你刚去图书馆还了《美国国家地理》这本杂志，在回家的路上，碰到了一位外国朋友，于是你们兴致勃勃地聊起了科罗拉多大峡谷。试着完成下面的对话。

1. 外国朋友： Where is it located?

你：___________________________________________________

2. 外国朋友： How is the Grand Canyon?

你：___________________________________________________

3. 外国朋友： How many people visit the Grand Canyon every year?

你：___________________________________________________

1. In the South Rim of Arizona.

2. The Grand Canyon is an unearthly sight.

3. More than five million people visit it every year.

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