词汇提示

1.commission 委员会

2.canals 运河

3.hypnotized 迷住

4.fort 堡垒

5.maid 少女

6.mist 雾

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.

翻译

尼亚加拉公园委员会

加拿大尼亚加拉瀑布在19世纪30年代中期成为主要旅游景点。
到那时，公路、运河和铁路已经能够将人们从纽约和波士顿等城市中心地带来。
然而，巨额利润的机会吸引了不诚实的商人。
19世纪60年代的一家酒店被称为“四十大盗洞”。
游客们抱怨了许多骗钱的把戏。
一些商人试图在瀑布周围竖起围栏，这样所有游客都必须付钱才能看到瀑布。
这些抱怨及时传到了重要人物的耳朵里。
1873年，加拿大总督达夫林勋爵提议政府购买瀑布周围的所有土地。
在美国方面，纽约州于1885年在美国彩虹瀑布周围购买了412英亩土地。
同年，加拿大马蹄瀑布附近的土地被购买，并命名为维多利亚女王公园。
成立了一个委员会，以获得尼亚加拉河沿岸所有土地的控制权。
由于沿河的一条狭长地带已经是政府的土地，这就更容易了。
然而，委员会希望为公众保留沿河和瀑布附近的所有美景。
公园的第一位专员是卡西米尔·格佐夫斯基爵士，一位出生于波兰的杰出工程师。
在维多利亚女王公园委员会开始购买瀑布以外的土地之前，游客必须支付一切费用。
瀑布周围没有公共厕所，没有饮水机，也没有安全屏障。
因此，拥挤在瀑布附近的游客，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见。
委员会处理了这些问题，并设立了公园和野餐区。
1927年，该委员会更名为尼亚加拉公园委员会。
它现在监管着许多景点和公园，从安大略湖上的尼亚加拉湖，一直到伊利湖上的伊利堡。
尼亚加拉公园长达56公里，每一段都有自己的景点。
尼亚加拉公园大道连接了这两条道路，这条道路贯穿整条河流。
温斯顿·丘吉尔爵士称公园道为“世界上最美丽的周日下午驾车”。
尼亚加拉公园委员会经营餐厅、公园和花园、游乐设施、博物馆和历史建筑、高尔夫球场、本土景点和礼品店。
瀑布附近有餐厅、公园、温室、“瀑布后之旅”和“雾中少女”游船。
瀑布以北，尼亚加拉峡谷，是西班牙航空车之旅和大峡谷探险。
该委员会还经营一所园艺学校，拥有大型花园。
昆斯顿高地是一个纪念加拿大英雄艾萨克·布洛克将军的公园。
在附近的昆斯顿，历史悠久的房屋与另外两位重要的加拿大人劳拉·塞科德和威廉·里昂·麦肯齐相连。
该委员会还经营着两座历史悠久的堡垒，可追溯到1812年战争-乔治堡和伊利老堡。
尼亚加拉公园委员会在使尼亚加拉瀑布和尼亚加拉河成为世界主要旅游区方面发挥了重要作用。
该委员会向公众展示了政府如何努力使参观尼亚加拉瀑布等自然奇观成为一种良好的体验。