Level 4-Day 22.The Niagara Park's Commission

詞匯提示

1.commission 委員會(huì)

2.canals 運(yùn)河

3.hypnotized 迷住

4.fort 堡壘

5.maid 少女

6.mist 霧

原文

The Niagara Park's Commission

Niagara Falls, Canada, became a major tourist attraction in the mid-1830s.

By this time, roads, canals and railways were able to bring people from urban centers, like New York and Boston.

However, the chance for big profits attracted dishonest businessmen.

One hotel in the 1860s was popularly known as the "Cave of the Forty Thieves.

There were many complaints from tourists about tricks that were used to get their money.

Some businessmen tried to put up fences around the Falls, so that all visitors would have to pay them to see the Falls.

In time, these complaints reached the ears of important people.

In 1873, Lord Dufferin, the Governor-General of Canada, proposed that the government buy all the land around the Falls.

On the American side, New York State bought 412acres around the American Rainbow Falls in 1885.

In the same year, land was bought near the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and named Queen Victoria Park.

A commission was formed to obtain control of all land along the Niagara River.

This was made easier because a narrow strip along the river was already government land.

However, the Commission wanted to preserve all the beautiful scenery along the river and near the Falls for the general public.

The first commissioner of the parks was Sir Casimir Gzowski, a distinguished engineer of Polish birth.

Before the Queen Victoria Park Commission began to buy up land besides the Falls, tourists had to pay for everything.

There were no public washrooms, no drinking fountains, and no safety barriers around the Falls.

As a result, it was not uncommon for tourists crowding close to the Falls, or hypnotized by the flow of the river, to step too close and fall in.

The commission took care of these problems and also set up parks and picnic areas.

In 1927, the Commission's name was changed to the Niagara Parks Commission.

It now supervises numerous attractions and parks from Niagara-on-the- Lake on Lake Ontario, down to Fort Erie on Lake Erie.

Each section of the 56-kilometer stretch of Niagara Parks has its own places of interest.

These are joined by the Niagara Parkway, a road that runs the whole length of the river.

Sir Winston Churchill called the parkway, "The prettiest Sunday afternoon drive in the world.

The Niagara Parks Commission operates restaurants, parks and gardens,rides, museums and historic houses, golf courses, native sites and gift shops.

Near the Falls are restaurants, parks, greenhouses, the "Journey Behind the Falls" and the "Maid of the Mist" boat ride.

North of the Falls, at Niagara Gorge, are the Spanish Aero Car Ride and the Great Gorge Adventure.

The Commission also operates a School of Horticulture, with large gardens.

Queenston Heights is a park commemorating one of Canada's heroes, General Isaac Brock.

In nearby Queenston are historic houses connected with two other important Canadians,Laura Secord and William Lyon MacKenzie.

The Commission also operates two historic forts, dating from the War of 1812 - Fort George and Old Fort Erie.

The Niagara Parks Commission has played a major role in making Niagara Falls and the Niagara River one of the leading tourist areas in the world.

The Commission shows how governments can work to make visits to natural wonders like Niagara Falls a good experience for the general public.

翻譯

尼亞加拉公園委員會(huì)

加拿大尼亞加拉瀑布在19世紀(jì)30年代中期成為主要旅游景點(diǎn)。
到那時(shí)，公路、運(yùn)河和鐵路已經(jīng)能夠?qū)⑷藗儚募~約和波士頓等城市中心地帶來。
然而，巨額利潤的機(jī)會(huì)吸引了不誠實(shí)的商人。
19世紀(jì)60年代的一家酒店被稱為“四十大盜洞”。
游客們抱怨了許多騙錢的把戲。
一些商人試圖在瀑布周圍豎起圍欄，這樣所有游客都必須付錢才能看到瀑布。
這些抱怨及時(shí)傳到了重要人物的耳朵里。
1873年，加拿大總督達(dá)夫林勛爵提議政府購買瀑布周圍的所有土地。
在美國方面，紐約州于1885年在美國彩虹瀑布周圍購買了412英畝土地。
同年，加拿大馬蹄瀑布附近的土地被購買，并命名為維多利亞女王公園。
成立了一個(gè)委員會(huì)，以獲得尼亞加拉河沿岸所有土地的控制權(quán)。
由于沿河的一條狹長地帶已經(jīng)是政府的土地，這就更容易了。
然而，委員會(huì)希望為公眾保留沿河和瀑布附近的所有美景。
公園的第一位專員是卡西米爾·格佐夫斯基爵士，一位出生于波蘭的杰出工程師。
在維多利亞女王公園委員會(huì)開始購買瀑布以外的土地之前，游客必須支付一切費(fèi)用。
瀑布周圍沒有公共廁所，沒有飲水機(jī)，也沒有安全屏障。
因此，擁擠在瀑布附近的游客，或被河流的水流催眠的游客，踩得太近而摔倒在瀑布中并不罕見。
委員會(huì)處理了這些問題，并設(shè)立了公園和野餐區(qū)。
1927年，該委員會(huì)更名為尼亞加拉公園委員會(huì)。
它現(xiàn)在監(jiān)管著許多景點(diǎn)和公園，從安大略湖上的尼亞加拉湖，一直到伊利湖上的伊利堡。
尼亞加拉公園長達(dá)56公里，每一段都有自己的景點(diǎn)。
尼亞加拉公園大道連接了這兩條道路，這條道路貫穿整條河流。
溫斯頓·丘吉爾爵士稱公園道為“世界上最美麗的周日下午駕車”。
尼亞加拉公園委員會(huì)經(jīng)營餐廳、公園和花園、游樂設(shè)施、博物館和歷史建筑、高爾夫球場、本土景點(diǎn)和禮品店。
瀑布附近有餐廳、公園、溫室、“瀑布后之旅”和“霧中少女”游船。
瀑布以北，尼亞加拉峽谷，是西班牙航空車之旅和大峽谷探險(xiǎn)。
該委員會(huì)還經(jīng)營一所園藝學(xué)校，擁有大型花園。
昆斯頓高地是一個(gè)紀(jì)念加拿大英雄艾薩克·布洛克將軍的公園。
在附近的昆斯頓，歷史悠久的房屋與另外兩位重要的加拿大人勞拉·塞科德和威廉·里昂·麥肯齊相連。
該委員會(huì)還經(jīng)營著兩座歷史悠久的堡壘，可追溯到1812年戰(zhàn)爭-喬治堡和伊利老堡。
尼亞加拉公園委員會(huì)在使尼亞加拉瀑布和尼亞加拉河成為世界主要旅游區(qū)方面發(fā)揮了重要作用。
該委員會(huì)向公眾展示了政府如何努力使參觀尼亞加拉瀑布等自然奇觀成為一種良好的體驗(yàn)。