VOA慢速英语2016 年轻小伙欲欲走遍每一个国家公园

Young Traveler Hopes to Visit Every National Park 年轻小伙欲欲走遍每一个国家公园

Many Americans dream of the day they can retire and take a long-awaited road trip across the country. But Mikah Meyer believes that life is too short to wait.

许多美国人梦想有一天他们可以退休，并在美国各地展开一场期待已久的公路旅行。但是麦卡·梅耶（Mikah Meyer）认为人生苦短，经不起等待。

At 30 years old, he is about to start an all-American road trip, one that he hopes will take him to every U.S. national park.

他在30岁时即将展开一场全美国的公路之旅。他希望这场旅行可以带他走遍美国的每个国家公园。

If he reaches his goal, he will become the youngest person to visit all 411 sites within the National Park Service. He will also be the only person to ever do so in one continuous 1 trip.

如果他实现目标，他将成为玩遍美国国家公园管理处下辖所有411个景点的游客中最年轻的一位。他还将成为首位用一次连续旅行实现该目标的游客。

Meyer's trip is driven by tragedy. He was 19 years old when his father died.

梅耶的旅行由一场悲剧触发。他19岁时父亲就去世了。

"My dad passed away at age 58 before he got to retire, when I was 19 years old, and it really made me realize that life is short and we don't always get the retirement 2 or the time that we think we'll have to fulfill 3 our dreams. So I wanted to do my dreams now at age 30 while I'm still alive to make sure I can reach them."

他说，“我爸58岁去世，尚未退休，当时我19岁。这确实让我意识到生命短暂，我们并非总能等到退休，或者我们认为的我们将会拥有的时间来实现梦想。所以我希望现在就去追梦，在30岁这个我还活着的年龄，以确保我可以实现我的梦想。”

Every year since his father's death, Meyer has taken a road trip. But nothing quite as extensive 4 the one he is about to begin.

梅耶自父亲去世后每年都会进行一次公路旅行，但是都不像他即将开始的这场旅行这样广泛。

To honor 5 his father, Meyer will start his trip on June 19, Father's Day in the United States.

为了他的纪念父亲，梅耶将在6月19日父亲节这天开启行程。

He has already spent the last few months visiting the many National Park Service sites near his home in Washington, DC.

最近几个月他已经参观了华盛顿特区的家附近的很多美国国家公园管理处下辖的景点。

"I lived in DC for four years and didn't realize that there were about 40 national parks within 30 miles of my house," he said. "We always hear people say, 'Oh, I've never gone to that place. It's just down the road. I think it's easy to forget about all the amazing places that are close to us."

他说，“我在华盛顿特区住了4年，从未意识到在我家附近30英里范围内大约有40家国家公园。人们总说，‘哦，我从没去过那个地方。它就在路的那头。’我认为人们很容易忽视我们附近的神奇地方。”

Meyer's first plan was to visit all 59 of the major national parks in America, like the Grand Canyon 6, Yellowstone and Yosemite.

梅耶最初的计划是参观美国所有59家主要的国家公园，像大峡谷、黄石公园和优胜美地。

"But then I learned 7 that this National Park system is way more than these capital "P" parks. It's everything from national seashores to national monuments to national historical sites to national battlefields. It's this entire system that's so much more than just vistas 8."

他说，“但是后来我才知道，美国国家公园体系不只是这些公园，它还包括国家海滨、国家纪念地、国家历史古迹和国家战场遗址等。这整个体系可不只是光有景色。”

Meyer's trip will take him to all 50 states. He will be on the road for about three years, driving and living in a special van.

梅耶的行程将带他走遍美国50个州。他将在路上花三年左右，驾驶着一辆特制面包车并住在车里。

Meyer receives an ink stamp in his National Parks Passport book for each site he visits. The passport book is issued by the National Park Travelers Club, an organization that helps visitors follow their national park visits.

梅耶每参观一个景点，他的国家公园护照就能获得一个油墨印章。该护照是由国家公园旅行者俱乐部发行的，这是一家帮助游客跟进自己国家公园行程的组织。

His first stamp of the trip came from his visit to the Washington Monument. He said he wanted his first stamp to be "something iconic, something all Americans and people around the world recognize, but maybe not know is a national park.

他这次行程的首枚印张来自于华盛顿纪念碑一游。他说，他希望自己的首枚印章“具有标志性，世人皆知，可能却不知它是国家公园。”

He saved for his trip for four years and worked two jobs. But, he says, he is only fully 9 funded for the first year. After that, he says, he hopes to raise money online and through sponsorships.

他为这趟行程攒了四年钱，并从事两份工作。但是他表示，他只有第一年有足够资金。在此之后，他希望通过网络和赞助筹集资金。

Meyer plans to share his journey on social media. He also started a website for his trip.

梅耶计划在社交媒体上分享他的旅程，并为此次旅行开设了一个网站。

He says, hopes to encourage more young people to visit the country's national parks. The average age of visitors to Yellowstone National Park, for example, is 54.

他说，他希望鼓励更多年轻人参观美国的国家公园。举例来说，黄石公园游客的平均年龄为54岁。

"It's important to me to show everyone around the world that the United States has this amazing national park system that has so much to offer beyond just the Grand Canyon..."

他说，“让世纪各地的人们看到美国有这么神奇的国家公园体系，而且这一体系可不仅仅是大峡谷之类的对我来说非常重要。”

He plans to end his long journey at Washington's Lincoln Memorial, just a short distance from where his adventure began.

他计划以华盛顿林肯纪念堂结束他的长期行程，这里距离他这次冒险开始的地方（华盛顿纪念碑）不远。

Words in This Story

van - n. a vehicle that is larger than a car, that is shaped like a box, that has doors and windows at the back and sides, and that is used for transporting people or things

iconic - adj. widely known; symbolic 12

fund 10 - v. to provide money for (something)

sponsorship 11 - n. an arrangement in which a sponsor -- or supporter -- agrees to give money to someone or something