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Nevada is nicknamed the Silver State because of its silver mines. Thousands of people came to Nevada to mine silver in the late 1800s. Boom towns grew up around every major mine. Many of these towns were abandoned after the mines closed. Today, Nevada’s abandoned mining towns, now known as ghost towns, are popular tourist attractions.
内华达州因其银矿而被称为银州。19世纪后期,成千上万的人来到内华达州开采银矿。繁荣的城镇在每一个主要矿井周围成长。许多城镇在矿井关闭后被遗弃。今天,内华达州废弃的采矿城镇,现在被称为鬼城,是受欢迎的旅游景点。
THE COMSTOCK LODE AND VIRGINIA CITY
康斯托克洛德和弗吉尼亚市
The Comstock Lode was a rich deposit of silver and gold discovered in 1859 in central Nevada. Fortune seekers rushed in, and Virginia City grew up quickly near the mines. For a while, the town was fabulously wealthy, but most of the gold and silver had run out by the end of the 1800s.
康斯托克洛德是1859年在内华达州中部发现的丰富的银和金矿床。财富寻求者冲进来,维吉尼亚市在矿场附近迅速长大。有一段时间,这个小镇非常富有,但到19世纪末,大部分金银已经采完了。
Virginia City is now Nevada’s best-known ghost town. Stores, gambling houses, saloons, and dance halls from its pioneer days remain. Some of the buildings have been turned into museums with relics from the region’s past. Gold Hill and Silver City are other ghost towns nearby.
维吉尼亚市现在是内华达州最著名的鬼城。商店、 *** 、轿车和舞厅从其先驱时代就依然存在。一些建筑已经变成了博物馆,展出了该地区过去的遗迹。金山和银城是附近的其他鬼城。
The Comstock Lode helped Nevada quickly become a state. Even though there weren’t many people in Nevada during the 1860s, the federal government wanted a share of the riches of the Comstock Lode. Nevada became the 36th state on October 31, 1864. Carson City, another boom town, was made the state capital.
康斯托克洛德帮助内华达州迅速成为一个州。尽管在19世纪60年代内华达州没有多少人,联邦 *** 也希望从康斯托克洛德的财富中分得一杯羹。1864年10月31日,内华达州成为第36个州。卡森市,另一个繁荣的城镇,成为州府。
Mining is still important to Nevada’s economy. Nevada is a leading producer of gold, silver, and other minerals.
采矿业对内华达州的经济仍然很重要。内华达州是金、银和其他矿物的主要生产地。
LAS VEGAS
拉斯维加斯
Gambling is Nevada’s main source of income. Nevada made gambling legal in 1931, and tourists have flocked to the state ever since. Las Vegas, Nevada’s largest city, is famous for its luxurious gambling casinos, fancy hotels, and exciting nightlife and entertainment. Downtown Las Vegas is known as Glitter Gulch because of all its neon signs. The Strip is an area of newer hotels and casinos just south of downtown.
*** 是内华达州的主要收入来源。内华达州在1931年将 *** 合法化,此后游客蜂拥而至。拉斯维加斯是内华达州最大的城市,以其豪华的 *** *** 、豪华酒店以及令人兴奋的夜生活和娱乐而闻名。拉斯维加斯市中心因为它所有的霓虹灯标志被称为格利特·古尔奇(灯谷)。大道是市中心南部较新的酒店和 *** 区。
Las Vegas even has a pyramid. It’s a 30-story hotel in the shape of an Egyptian pyramid. A copy of a sphinx in front of the hotel adds to the Egyptian fantasy. Other hotels and casinos in Las Vegas also have themes that create a make-believe world. One hotel has a roller coaster built on its roof.
拉斯维加斯甚至有一个金字塔。这是一家30层高的酒店,形状为埃及金字塔。酒店门前有仿制的狮身人面像。拉斯维加斯的其他酒店和 *** 也有主题。一家酒店的屋顶上建有过山车。
Most of Nevada’s people live in the state’s two largest cities, Las Vegas and Reno. Las Vegas is one of the fastest-growing cities in the United States.
内华达州的大多数人居住在该州最大的两个城市,拉斯维加斯和里诺。拉斯维加斯是美国发展最快的城市之一。
THE SIERRA NEVADA
内华达山脉
Most of Nevada lies on a high plateau between two mountain ranges. The Wasatch Range of the Rocky Mountains rises to the east, and the Sierra Nevada rises to the west. Nevada takes its name from the rugged Sierra Nevada. The Sierra Nevada range, meaning “snow-capped mountains,” was named by Spanish explorers.
内华达州大部分地区位于两座山脉之间的高原上。落基山脉的瓦萨奇山脉向东上升,内华达山脉向西上升。内华达州的名字取自崎岖的内华达山脉。内华达山脉,意思是"雪山",被西班牙探险家命名。
Pioneers on their way through Nevada to California had to cross the Sierra Nevada. One group of 87 pioneers, known as the Donner party, met disaster in the mountains. They became trapped in snow during the winter of 1846 and 1847. Many of them died of cold and hunger, but 47 people survived. Some ate human flesh to stay alive. The Donner Pass and Donner Lake in the Sierra Nevada are named for these pioneers.
先驱们在通过内华达州到加利福尼亚的路上不得 *** 越内华达山脉。一群87名先驱者,被称为唐纳党,在山区遭遇灾难。他们在1846年和1847年的冬天被困在雪地里。他们中的许多人死于寒冷和饥饿,但有47人幸存下来。有些人吃人肉来维持生命。内华达山脉的唐纳山口和唐纳湖以这些先驱者命名。
LAKE TAHOE AND RENO
塔霍湖和里诺湖
Lake Tahoe is a mountain lake high in the Sierra Nevada. It lies on the border between Nevada and California, with the peaks of the Sierra Nevada around its rim. Lake Tahoe’s dramatic setting makes it one of the most beautiful lakes in the world.
塔霍湖是内华达山脉的一个高山湖。它位于内华达州和加利福尼亚州之间的边界,其边缘环绕着内华达山脉的山峰。塔霍湖的戏剧性环境使其成为世界上最美丽的湖泊之一。
Reno is near Lake Tahoe, at the foot of the Sierra Nevada. Reno is a popular tourist center, known for its resorts and gambling casinos.
雷诺位于内华达山脉脚下的塔霍湖附近。雷诺是一个受欢迎的旅游中心,以其度假村和 *** 而闻名。
Every September near Reno, hundreds of pilots race their airplanes at the National Championship Air Races and Air Show. You can watch races by several types of aircraft, including biplanes and jets. The pilots compete for prize money.
每年9月,在雷诺附近,数百名飞行员参加全国锦标赛航空赛和航空展。你可以观看几种类型的飞机的比赛,包括双翼飞机和喷气机。飞行员们争夺奖金。
HOOVER DAM AND LAKE MEAD
胡佛大坝和米德湖
Hoover Dam lies south of Las Vegas, on Nevada’s border with the state of Arizona. This massive dam on the Colorado River provides electricity for Nevada, Arizona, and southern California.
胡佛水坝位于拉斯维加斯南部,内华达州与亚利桑那州接壤。科罗拉多河上的这座大型水坝为内华达州、亚利桑那州和南加州供电。
An artificial lake, Lake Mead, has formed behind the dam. It is one of the largest artificial lakes in the world. Lake Mead is a popular place for boating, swimming, and fishing. The nearby scenery is stark but beautiful. Steep cliffs and desert border Lake Mead.
大坝后面形成了一个人工湖,米德湖。它是世界上最大的人工湖之一。米德湖是划船、游泳和钓鱼的热门场所。附近的风景荒凉而美丽。
LAND OF PLAYAS
普拉亚斯之地
Nevada landscape has strange, shallow basins called playas. These basins have no outlets. Rainwater and streams fill the basins at times, but the water never flows out. Yet the water eventually disappears. Where do you think the water goes? It evaporates—that is, it disappears into the air as moisture.
内华达州的地貌有奇怪的浅盆地称为普拉亚斯。这些盆地没有出口。雨水和溪流有时会填满盆地,但水永远不会流出。然而,水最终消失了。你认为水到哪里去了?蒸发,它消失在空气中。
Playa comes from the Spanish word for “beach.” In Nevada, playas are sometimes called sinks or dry lakes. A playa with water is called a playa lake or a salt lake. The water in a playa is very salty.
普拉亚来自西班牙语单词"海滩"。在内华达州,普拉亚有时被称为水槽或干涸的湖泊。一个有水的普拉亚称为普拉亚湖或盐湖。湖水很咸。
RANCHING AND RAINFALL
牧场和降雨
Northern Nevada gets more rain than the rest of the state. It is good land for cattle ranching. The cattle ranches are large because northern Nevada is still so dry that a cow needs to graze on a lot of land to find enough food. Raising cattle is the major agricultural activity in Nevada.
北内华达州的降雨量比该州其他地区多。它是养牛的好地方。养牛场很大,因为内华达州北部仍然很干燥,一头牛需要在很多土地上放牧才能找到足够的食物。养牛是内华达州的主要农业活动。
Many of Nevada’s ranches are found near Elko on the Humboldt River. In January, Elko *** s cowboys, cowgirls, and other guests to the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering. This event started in 1985. The cowboys and cowgirls recite poetry, sing, and dance.
内华达州的许多牧场都位于洪堡河畔的埃尔科附近。1月,埃尔科欢迎牛仔、女牛仔和其他客人参加全国牛仔诗歌聚会。这项活动始于1985年。牛仔和女牛仔们背诵诗歌、唱歌和跳舞。