SC-L25 Protector of the Wilderness

Protector of the Wilderness by Mia Lewis 《荒野的守護者》作者：Mia Lewis

Even as a small boy, John Muir loved being out in nature.即使還是個小男孩，John Muir 就很喜歡到大自然裡活動。  
He worked hard on his father’s farm.他在爸爸的農場努力工作。  
He had very little free time, but he spent as much of it as he could exploring the natural world.他幾乎沒有什麼空閒時間，但只要有時間，他就盡可能用來探索自然世界。

John Muir didn’t have much formal education.John Muir 沒有受過太多正式教育。  
Most of what he knew he taught himself.他懂的大部分知識都是自學來的。  
He woke up very early every day to read on his own before work began.他每天都很早起，在工作開始前自己讀書。  
Muir was also an inventor.Muir 也是一位發明家。  
One of his inventions was an alarm clock that tipped him out of bed!他的其中一個發明，是一種會把他「掀」下床的鬧鐘！

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Later, Muir went to a university for a few years.後來，Muir 上了幾年大學。  
Soon he left it, saying he preferred the “University of the Wilderness.”不久他就離開了，他說他比較喜歡「荒野大學」。  
He hiked to Canada, where he worked in a broom factory.他徒步走到加拿大，在一間製作掃把的工廠工作。  
He returned to the United States after the factory burned down.工廠燒毀後，他回到了美國。

Muir was working in Indiana when he injured his eye.Muir 在印第安納州工作時，眼睛受了傷。  
For one scary month, he could not see, but his injury changed his life.有一個可怕的月分，他看不見，但這次受傷改變了他的人生。  
He decided to travel and spend as much time outside as possible.他決定去旅行，並盡可能多待在戶外。  
He set out on a 1,000-mile trek to the Gulf of Mexico.他出發走上一段 1,000 英里的長途跋涉，前往墨西哥灣。

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Muir spent much of the next forty years hiking around.接下來的四十年裡，Muir 大部分時間都在四處健行。  
In one expedition after another, he explored wild places.他一次又一次地探險，探索荒野之地。  
He found some mountains that he loved out West.他在美國西部找到了幾座他很喜歡的山。  
In this mountain range was Muir's favorite place of all, Yosemite Valley.在那片山脈中，有 Muir 最喜歡的地方——Yosemite Valley。

Muir spent a lot of time at Yosemite.Muir 在 Yosemite 待了很長一段時間。  
He got to know all about the valley's geology and ecology.他深入了解這個山谷的地質與生態。  
He soon became a guide there.他很快就成了那裡的導遊。  
People came from all across the country for tours.人們從全國各地來參加導覽。

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Muir was more than just a tour guide for Yosemite.Muir 不只是 Yosemite 的導遊而已。  
He also worked to protect the area.他也努力保護那個地區。  
He wanted it to stay wild.他希望那裡能一直保持原始、自然。  
He was happy when Congress created Yosemite National Park.當國會成立 Yosemite National Park 時，他非常開心。  
No one would be allowed to develop the land.沒有人可以開發那片土地。

Yosemite wasn't Muir's only concern.Yosemite 不是 Muir 唯一關心的地方。  
He founded the Sierra Club to save all wild places.他成立了 Sierra Club，想要拯救所有的荒野地區。  
The club worked to protect natural areas.這個社團致力於保護自然區域。  
It is still going strong!直到今天它仍然很有影響力、持續運作！

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After he married, Muir moved to a farm and had two children.結婚之後，Muir 搬到農場，並有了兩個孩子。  
He was not happy staying in one place.他不喜歡一直待在同一個地方。  
He soon **resumed** his travels and his writing.他很快就**恢復**旅行與寫作。

In all, Muir wrote ten books and three hundred magazine articles.總共來說，Muir 寫了十本書和三百篇雜誌文章。  
The articles came out in all the major magazines of the day.這些文章刊登在當時所有主要的雜誌上。  
This meant that his words reached a large group of people.這表示他的話傳達給了很多人。  
They paid attention to what he had to say.大家都很注意他說的話。

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Some people value land for the ways they can make money from it.有些人看重土地，是因為可以用它來賺錢。  
Muir said that untouched land was valuable.Muir 說，未被人為破壞的土地也很有價值。  
He thought that unspoiled wilderness is the greatest treasure of all.他認為，未受破壞的荒野是最珍貴的寶藏。

Muir’s ideas changed the way people thought.Muir 的想法改變了人們的思考方式。  
They even changed how the President of the United States thought.甚至也改變了美國總統的想法。  
President Theodore Roosevelt spent three days camping with Muir.總統 Theodore Roosevelt 和 Muir 一起露營了三天。  
He listened to Muir’s ideas, and later he set aside land for national parks, forests, and monuments.他聽了 Muir 的理念，之後把一些土地保留起來，設立為國家公園、森林和紀念地。

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John Muir changed our country.John Muir 改變了我們的國家。  
He worked to save Yosemite and many other wild areas.他努力拯救 Yosemite，還有許多其他的荒野地區。  
The goals he fought for were **fulfilled** when Congress created the National Park Service.當國會成立 National Park Service 時，他一直努力爭取的目標就**實現**了。  
That was just two years after Muir died.那是在 Muir 過世後的兩年。  
Today, everyone can visit the National Parks.今天，每個人都可以去參觀國家公園。

Muir fought his whole life to protect the environment. What if John Muir were alive today? He would be a very busy man!Muir 用他的一生來保護環境。如果 John Muir 今天還活著，會怎樣呢？他一定會非常忙！

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Early American Explorers《早期的美國探險家》

In the early 1800s, explorers traveled long distances on foot. Back then, a **trek** could go on for hundreds of miles. The explorers walked and walked.在 1800 年代初期，探險家靠走路來長距離旅行。那時候，一趟 **trek（長途跋涉）** 可能會走上好幾百英里。探險家不停地走啊走。

An **expedition** could last for months or even years. The goal might be to explore a new area or to find better routes between places.一場 **expedition（探險行動）** 可能會持續好幾個月，甚至好幾年。目標可能是探索一個新地區，或是找到各地之間更好的路線。

Crossing a mountain **range** was a challenge. The explorers could not walk around a group of mountains. Often they relied on local people to show them the best ways across the mountains.穿越一整個山脈 **range（山脈）** 是一個挑戰。探險家沒辦法繞過一大片山。通常他們會依靠當地人，帶他們走過山脈的最佳路線。

Many trips stopped during the winter. It was difficult to travel in the snow. The trips **resumed** in spring, when the weather improved.很多旅程會在冬天時停止。因為在雪地裡旅行很困難。等到春天、天氣變好時，旅程才會 **resumed（恢復、重新開始）**。

Often the explorers **fulfilled** their goals and found what they expected. Even if they didn’t, their efforts weren’t wasted. Every new piece of information about the land was useful.探險家常常會 **fulfilled（達成）** 他們的目標，也找到他們原本預期會找到的東西。就算沒有，他們的努力也不會白費。每一項關於這片土地的新資訊都很有用。

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