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Spotlight_podcasts_2, Niagara Falls

Niagara Falls

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid. Voice 2

And I'm Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 3

“It was a terrible day, cold and wet. Within a few minutes, I saw two great white clouds rising up slowly from deep in the earth. For the first time, I heard the mighty rush of water. I felt the ground shake under my feet.”

Voice 1

These are the words of the great English writer Charles Dickens. He wrote them in 1842. He was visiting Niagara Falls. This waterfall is on the border of the United States and Canada. It is one of the largest in the world. Each year, more than 12 million people visit it. Today's Spotlight is on Niagara Falls. Dickens wrote,

Voice 3

“I could see a huge flow of water, coming down fast from very high. I had no idea of shape, or situation, or anything. It was just so big.”

Voice 2

This is what many people experience at Niagara Falls. People describe the waterfall as “great”, “mighty”, and “huge”! The sound is incredible. The Falls are on the Niagara River. The river divides just before the waterfall, and then each part drops over a rocky edge. Because of this split, there are actually two waterfalls, separated by a small island. On the American side is ‘American Falls'. It is over 300 metres across. On the Canadian side is ‘Horseshoe Falls'. The name comes from its shape - like a horseshoe, in a half circle. Horseshoe Falls is nearly 700 metres across!

Voice 1

Niagara Falls is not the tallest waterfall in the world. However, the Falls are one of the widest in the world. Over two million litres of water fall over Niagara every second!

Voice 2

People have been visiting Niagara Falls for thousands of years. Native people knew the waterfall well. More than three hundred years ago, European explorers told the rest of the world about them. One of these explorers was Louis Hennepin. Hennepin was from Belgium. He was both amazed and afraid of what he saw there. He wrote a book about his adventures. In the book, he described his first time seeing the great waterfall. He wrote that it was one of the most wonderful things he had seen. He described the water hurrying over the edge, like a group of wild animals. He said that the noise was louder, and more terrible, than thunder in a storm.

Voice 1

For many years, Hennepin was the only person to write about the waterfall. Many people in Europe read what he wrote. The waterfall was one of the many amazing things about America. But it was a long time before many other people could see the waterfall. It was a long, difficult trip to visit it.

Voice 2

As more people moved to the Americas, some people did make the trip. But it was not until the 1840s that Niagara Falls became a popular place. Trains made travel much easier. It also cost less money. At the same time, people in North America were also starting to take holiday trips. Many people lived in cities. So natural places, like Niagara Falls, were very popular. The area became a tourist attraction - a place that many people visited.

Voice 1

As a result, businesses around the waterfall grew. There were hotels, and restaurants. Most people just wanted to see the natural beauty of the waterfalls. But some people also used the waterfalls to perform stunts - dangerous acts. Over the next hundred years, people did many insane things at the falls. One of the first was a woman named Annie Edison Taylor.

Voice 2

Annie Edison Taylor was a poor woman. But at the age of 63, she had an idea to make money. She hoped to survive a fall over Niagara Falls. If she did, she believed that she would become famous - and that would make her rich!

Voice 1

Taylor got a very strong container - a round, wood barrel. Barrels usually hold liquid, so they do not let anything in or out. Taylor added a soft mattress inside it, to make the trip easier. On October 24 1901, friends closed her inside the barrel, and she began her trip down the river. The trip only took twenty minutes. The water shook the barrel very hard, but Taylor survived!

Voice 2

Taylor succeeded in her trip, but she did not get rich. Instead, her act inspired many other people. A man named Sam Patch jumped off the waterfalls into the river below. A man named Jean Francois Gravelet walked over the falls on a high tight-rope. Some people also tried to copy Taylor - but they did not all survive. Now, it is not legal to perform these kinds of acts at Niagara Falls. It is too dangerous.

Voice 1

People mainly know about Niagara Falls because of its natural beauty. However, the Niagara River is also an important source of electricity. The Niagara River flows very fast, with a large amount of water.

Voice 2

In the 1890s, the Westinghouse Electric company built the world's first large power system on the river. Many other companies also hoped to use the land for factories and power systems. However, around the same time, many people began to work to protect the natural area. Soon, the governments of the United States and Canada got involved. They protected the land around Niagara Falls. They made parks – green, natural areas. No one could buy this land for factories or other industrial development.

Voice 1

The governments also made agreements to protect the water going over Niagara Falls. Power systems move water out of the river to create electricity. So these agreements limit the amount of water power companies can take. This means that there is always enough water to flow over Niagara Falls.

Voice 2

For hundreds of years, Niagara Falls has inspired people through its size and beauty. In the years to come, it will continue to inspire. To see it for yourself, visit our website. We have links there to images and video.

Voice 1

The writers of this program were Sara DeKoster and Christy Van Arragon. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet athttp://www.radioenglish.netThis .program is called, ‘Niagara Falls'. Voice 2

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.

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Niagara Falls Niagarafälle Cataratas del Niágara Cascate del Niagara Niagaros krioklys Cataratas do Niágara Ниагарский водопад Niagara Şelalesi Ніагарський водоспад 尼亚加拉瀑布

Voice 1

Welcome to Spotlight. I'm Liz Waid. Voice 2

And I'm Adam Navis. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.

Voice 3

“It was a terrible day, cold and wet. Within a few minutes, I saw two great white clouds rising up slowly from deep in the earth. Během několika minut jsem uviděl dva velké bílé mraky stoupající pomalu z hlubin země. For the first time, I heard the mighty rush of water. |||||||puissant||| Poprvé jsem uslyšel mohutný příval vody. 激しい水の流れを初めて聞いた。 I felt the ground shake under my feet.” Cítil jsem, jak se mi země chvěje pod nohama."

Voice 1

These are the words of the great English writer Charles Dickens. He wrote them in 1842. He was visiting Niagara Falls. This waterfall is on the border of the United States and Canada. It is one of the largest in the world. Each year, more than 12 million people visit it. Today's Spotlight is on Niagara Falls. Dickens wrote,

Voice 3

“I could see a huge flow of water, coming down fast from very high. I had no idea of shape, or situation, or anything. Neměl jsem ponětí o tvaru, situaci ani o ničem jiném. 形も状況も何もわかりませんでした。 It was just so big.” Bylo to tak velké."

Voice 2

This is what many people experience at Niagara Falls. To zažívá mnoho lidí u Niagarských vodopádů. これはナイアガラの滝で多くの人が経験することです。 People describe the waterfall as “great”, “mighty”, and “huge”! Lidé popisují vodopád jako „velký“, „mocný“ a „obrovský“! The sound is incredible. Zvuk je neuvěřitelný. 音は信じられないほどです。 The Falls are on the Niagara River. The river divides just before the waterfall, and then each part drops over a rocky edge. Těsně před vodopádem se řeka rozděluje a pak každá část klesá přes skalnatý okraj. 川は滝の手前で分かれ、それぞれが岩場に落ちます。 Because of this split, there are actually two waterfalls, separated by a small island. ||||||||chutes d'eau||||| Kvůli tomuto rozdělení jsou zde vlastně dva vodopády, oddělené malým ostrůvkem. この分割により、実際には小さな島で区切られた 2 つの滝があります。 On the American side is ‘American Falls'. It is over 300 metres across. Má průměr přes 300 metrů. 幅は300メートル以上あります。 On the Canadian side is ‘Horseshoe Falls'. Na kanadské straně je 'Horseshoe Falls'. カナダ側は「ホースシュー滝」。 The name comes from its shape - like a horseshoe, in a half circle. ||||||||fer à cheval|||| Název pochází z jeho tvaru - jako podkova, v půlkruhu. Horseshoe Falls is nearly 700 metres across! Horseshoe Falls má téměř 700 metrů v průměru!

Voice 1

Niagara Falls is not the tallest waterfall in the world. Niagarské vodopády nejsou nejvyšším vodopádem na světě. ナイアガラの滝は世界で最も高い滝ではありません。 However, the Falls are one of the widest in the world. |||||||les plus larges||| Vodopády jsou však jedny z nejširších na světě. しかし、滝は世界で最も広いものの 1 つです。 Over two million litres of water fall over Niagara every second! 毎秒 200 万リットル以上の水がナイアガラに降っています。

Voice 2

People have been visiting Niagara Falls for thousands of years. Lidé navštěvují Niagarské vodopády již tisíce let. 何千年もの間、人々はナイアガラの滝を訪れてきました。 Native people knew the waterfall well. Domorodí lidé vodopád dobře znali. 原住民は滝をよく知っていました。 More than three hundred years ago, European explorers told the rest of the world about them. Před více než třemi sty lety o nich evropští průzkumníci vyprávěli zbytku světa. 300 年以上前に、ヨーロッパの探検家が世界にそのことを伝えました。 One of these explorers was Louis Hennepin. Jedním z těchto průzkumníků byl Louis Hennepin. Hennepin was from Belgium. He was both amazed and afraid of what he saw there. Byl ohromen i strach z toho, co tam viděl. He wrote a book about his adventures. O svých dobrodružstvích napsal knihu. In the book, he described his first time seeing the great waterfall. He wrote that it was one of the most wonderful things he had seen. Napsal, že to byla jedna z nejúžasnějších věcí, které viděl. He described the water hurrying over the edge, like a group of wild animals. Popsal vodu spěchající přes okraj jako skupina divokých zvířat. 彼は、野生動物の群れのように、水が端を急いでいると説明しました。 He said that the noise was louder, and more terrible, than thunder in a storm. Řekl, že hluk byl hlasitější a hroznější než hrom v bouři.

Voice 1

For many years, Hennepin was the only person to write about the waterfall. Many people in Europe read what he wrote. The waterfall was one of the many amazing things about America. But it was a long time before many other people could see the waterfall. Trvalo ale dlouho, než vodopád spatřilo mnoho dalších lidí. しかし、他の多くの人が滝を見ることができるようになるまでには長い時間がかかりました。 It was a long, difficult trip to visit it.

Voice 2

As more people moved to the Americas, some people did make the trip. Jak se více lidí stěhovalo do Ameriky, někteří lidé se vydali na cestu. より多くの人々がアメリカ大陸に移動するにつれて、何人かの人々は旅行をしました. But it was not until the 1840s that Niagara Falls became a popular place. Ale až ve 40. letech 19. století se Niagarské vodopády staly oblíbeným místem. しかし、ナイアガラの滝が人気の場所になったのは 1840 年代になってからのことです。 Trains made travel much easier. Vlaky výrazně usnadnily cestování. 列車は旅行をはるかに容易にしました。 It also cost less money. Také to stálo méně peněz. At the same time, people in North America were also starting to take holiday trips. Ve stejné době také lidé v Severní Americe začali podnikat prázdninové výlety. 同時に、北米の人々も休暇旅行に出かけ始めました。 Many people lived in cities. So natural places, like Niagara Falls, were very popular. そのため、ナイアガラの滝のような自然の場所は非常に人気がありました。 The area became a tourist attraction - a place that many people visited. この地域は観光名所となり、多くの人が訪れる場所となりました。

Voice 1

As a result, businesses around the waterfall grew. V důsledku toho podniky kolem vodopádu rostly. There were hotels, and restaurants. Most people just wanted to see the natural beauty of the waterfalls. But some people also used the waterfalls to perform stunts - dangerous acts. Někteří lidé ale také využívali vodopády k kaskadérským kouskům – nebezpečným činům. Over the next hundred years, people did many insane things at the falls. Během příštích sta let lidé na vodopádech udělali mnoho šílených věcí. One of the first was a woman named Annie Edison Taylor.

Voice 2

Annie Edison Taylor was a poor woman. But at the age of 63, she had an idea to make money. She hoped to survive a fall over Niagara Falls. Doufala, že přežije pád nad Niagarskými vodopády. If she did, she believed that she would become famous - and that would make her rich! Pokud ano, věřila, že se stane slavnou – a to z ní udělá bohatou!

Voice 1

Taylor got a very strong container - a round, wood barrel. Taylor dostal velmi silnou nádobu - kulatý, dřevěný sud. Barrels usually hold liquid, so they do not let anything in or out. les fûts|||||||||||| Sudy většinou drží tekutinu, takže nic nepustí dovnitř ani ven. Taylor added a soft mattress inside it, to make the trip easier. Taylor do něj přidal měkkou matraci, aby byl výlet jednodušší. On October 24 1901, friends closed her inside the barrel, and she began her trip down the river. The trip only took twenty minutes. Cesta trvala pouhých dvacet minut. The water shook the barrel very hard, but Taylor survived! Voda sudem velmi silně otřásla, ale Taylor přežil!

Voice 2

Taylor succeeded in her trip, but she did not get rich. Taylorovi se výlet vydařil, ale nezbohatla. Instead, her act inspired many other people. Místo toho její čin inspiroval mnoho dalších lidí. A man named Sam Patch jumped off the waterfalls into the river below. Muž jménem Sam Patch skočil z vodopádů do řeky pod nimi. A man named Jean Francois Gravelet walked over the falls on a high tight-rope. Muž jménem Jean Francois Gravelet šel přes vodopády na vysokém napnutém laně. Some people also tried to copy Taylor - but they did not all survive. Někteří lidé se také pokusili zkopírovat Taylora - ale ne všichni přežili. Now, it is not legal to perform these kinds of acts at Niagara Falls. Nyní není legální provádět tyto druhy činů u Niagarských vodopádů. It is too dangerous.

Voice 1

People mainly know about Niagara Falls because of its natural beauty. Lidé znají Niagarské vodopády hlavně kvůli jejich přírodní kráse. However, the Niagara River is also an important source of electricity. Řeka Niagara je však také významným zdrojem elektřiny. The Niagara River flows very fast, with a large amount of water. Řeka Niagara teče velmi rychle, s velkým množstvím vody.

Voice 2

In the 1890s, the Westinghouse Electric company built the world's first large power system on the river. V 90. letech 19. století vybudovala společnost Westinghouse Electric na řece první velký energetický systém na světě. Many other companies also hoped to use the land for factories and power systems. Mnoho dalších společností také doufalo, že půdu využijí pro továrny a energetické systémy. However, around the same time, many people began to work to protect the natural area. Zhruba ve stejné době však mnoho lidí začalo pracovat na ochraně přírodní oblasti. Soon, the governments of the United States and Canada got involved. Brzy se zapojily vlády Spojených států a Kanady. They protected the land around Niagara Falls. They made parks – green, natural areas. Vytvořili parky – zelené, přírodní plochy. No one could buy this land for factories or other industrial development. Nikdo nemohl koupit tuto půdu pro továrny nebo jiný průmyslový rozvoj.

Voice 1

The governments also made agreements to protect the water going over Niagara Falls. Power systems move water out of the river to create electricity. Energetické systémy odvádějí vodu z řeky a vytvářejí elektřinu. So these agreements limit the amount of water power companies can take. Takže tyto dohody omezují množství vodních elektráren, které mohou odebírat. This means that there is always enough water to flow over Niagara Falls. To znamená, že přes Niagarské vodopády je vždy dostatek vody.

Voice 2

For hundreds of years, Niagara Falls has inspired people through its size and beauty. Po stovky let Niagarské vodopády inspirovaly lidi svou velikostí a krásou. In the years to come, it will continue to inspire. V dalších letech bude inspirovat. To see it for yourself, visit our website. Chcete-li se o tom přesvědčit, navštivte naše webové stránky. We have links there to images and video. Máme tam odkazy na obrázky a videa.

Voice 1

The writers of this program were Sara DeKoster and Christy Van Arragon. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet athttp://www.radioenglish.netThis .program is called, ‘Niagara Falls'. Voice 2

We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. Goodbye.