20、（双语科普）学英语，看世界：“拉什莫尔山”
Mount Rushmore
拉什莫尔山
Located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, Mount Rushmore is a monumental（纪念性的） sculpture carved into the side of a mountain, depicting（描述） four of the most famous and influential presidents in the history of the United States of America:
拉什莫尔山，坐落在南达科他州的黑山，是雕刻在大山一面的纪念雕塑，描述了美国历史上四位最出名和最有影响力的总统：
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.
乔治·华盛顿、托马斯·杰斐逊、亚伯拉罕·林肯和西奥多·罗斯福。
The idea for the sculpture was suggested in 1923 as a way to bring visitors to South Dakota, and sculptor Gutzon Borglum was selected to create it.
修建雕塑的想法产生于1923年，是为了给南达科他州吸引游客。雕塑家格曾·鲍格勒姆就是被选中创作此雕塑的人。
Congress approved the project in 1925, but work didn't begin until October 4, 1927.
1925年国会就通过了此项目，但直到1927年10月4日，该项目才正式开始动工。
Over the next 14 years, 400 workers blasted（爆破） more than 400,000 tons of rock off the mountainside using dynamite（炸药）, finishing the details with jackhammers（风钻） and chisels（凿子）.
接下来的14年中，400名工人用炸药从山坡上炸下了40多万吨的岩石，用风钻和凿子完成了细节部分。
Despite the dangerous conditions, no one died during the construction of Mount Rushmore!
条件虽然很危险，但没有一人在拉什莫尔山的建造过程中丧生。
The face of George Washington was finished first in 1934, followed by Thomas Jefferson in 1936.
乔治·华盛顿的面部于1934年首先完工，接着于1936年完成了托马斯·杰斐逊的雕刻。
Thomas Jefferson had been planned to stand on Washington's right, but when the rock on that side was found to be bad for carving, all the carving that had been done was blown off with dynamite and he was moved to the other side.
原本计划托马斯·杰斐逊站在华盛顿的右侧，但发现右侧的岩石不适于雕刻后，所有已经完成的雕刻都被炸药炸毁了，把它移到了另外一侧。
Abraham Lincoln's face was finished in 1937, and Theodore Roosevelt was the last one done in 1939.
亚伯拉罕·林肯的头像于1937年完工，最后一个完工的是西奥多·罗斯福，完工时间为1939年。
Mount Rushmore cost less than one million dollars to complete.
拉什莫尔山的修建造价不超过一百万美元。
Originally, the sculptures were supposed to show the presidents down to their waists, but the builders ran out of money and so they just made the heads.
雕像最初打算雕刻到总统的腰部，但用完了经费后，建筑者就只做了头部。
The heads of the presidents are 60 feet or 18 meters tall — that's the height of a six-story building!
总统的头部有60英尺（18米）高——相当于六层楼建筑的高度。
Their eyes are each 11 feet or 3.3 meters across and their noses are 20 feet or 6 meters long.
每个人的眼睛都有11英尺 (3.3米) 宽，鼻子有20英尺（6米）长。
Today Mount Rushmore is carefully maintained to prevent cracking.
如今，拉什莫尔山被精心维护着，以防断裂。
Each year trained mountain climbers scale the monument and seal tiny cracks before they can grow and cause parts to break off!
每年都有训练有素的登山者攀登上纪念碑，封住小裂口，避免裂口越来越大，最终造成断裂。
Between two and three million people visit Mount Rushmore each year, to see the colossal（巨大的） presidents, making it the most popular tourist attraction in South Dakota.
每年都有二至三百万人来参观拉什莫尔山，看看巨大的总统头像，使这儿成为了南达科他州最具吸引力的景点。
