Dawson City
Cities usually have a good reason for being where they are, like a nearby port or river.
城市之所以存在於它們所在的地方通常有一個很好的理由，比如附近就是港口或河流。
People settle in these places because they are easy to get to and naturally suited to communications and trade.
人們在這些地方定居是因為交通便利，而且天然適合交流和貿易。
New York City, for example, is near a large harbour at the mouth of the Hudson River.
比如紐約市就靠近哈德遜河河口的一個大港口。
Over 300 years its population grew gradually from 800 people to 8 million.
300多年來，那里的人口從800人逐漸增長到了800萬人。
But not all cities develop slowly over a long period of time. Boom towns grow from nothing almost overnight.
但是不是所有的城市都是長時間緩慢發展而來的。新興城市可以一夜之間突然冒出來。
In 1896, Dawson, Canada, was unmapped wilderness.
1896年，加拿大的道森是在地圖上找不到的一篇荒野。
But gold was discovered there in 1897, and two years later, it was one of the largest cities
in the West, with a population of 30,000.
然而1897年那里發現了金子，兩年之后，道森成了西部最大的城市，擁有三萬人口。
Dawson did not have any of the natural conveniences of cities like London of Paris.
道森沒有像倫敦或巴黎那樣便利的自然條件。
People went there for gold. They travelled over snow-covered mountains and sailed
hundreds of miles up icy rivers.
人們去那里是為了金子。他們穿越積雪覆蓋的山脈，沿着結冰的河流航行數百英里。
The path to Dawson was covered with thirty feet of wet snow that could fall without warming.
去道森的路上覆蓋着三十英尺厚的濕雪，即使不暖和，濕雪也會陷下去。
An avalanche once closed the path, killing 63 people.
曾經有一次雪崩阻斷了道路，造成了63人死亡。
For many who made it to Dawson, howere, the rewards were worth the difficult trip.
然而對於最終到達道森的很多人來說，這次艱難的旅行是值得的。
Of the first 20,000 people who dug for gold, 4,000 got rich. About 100 of these stayed
rich men for the rest of their lives.
在最初的2萬淘金者中，有4000人致富。這些人中大約有100人在他們的余生里都是有錢人。
But no matter how rich they were, Dawson was never comfortable. Necessities like food
and wood were very expensive.
但是無論他們多有錢，道森從來不是一個舒適的地方。像食物和木材這樣的必需品非常昂貴。
But soon, the gold that Dawson depended on had all been found.
但是很快，道森所依賴的所有金子都被淘光了。
The city was crowded with disappointed people with no interest in settling down, and when
they heard there were new gold discoveries in Alaska, they left Dawson City as quickly as they had come.
整個城市擠滿了沒有興趣定居在此的失望的人，當他們聽說阿拉斯加發現了新的金礦時，他們
迅速離開了道森，就像來時一樣匆匆。
Today, people still come and go-to see where the Canadian gold rush happened.
現在人們仍然來了又走--想看看加拿大淘金熱發生的地方。
Tourism is now the chief industry of Dawson City-its present population is 762.
旅游業是道森市的主要產業--他目前的人口為762人。
2018年全國III卷B
| 單詞 | 釋義 | 單詞 | 釋義 |
| disappointed | adj.失望的 | crowded | adj.擁擠的；塞滿的 |
| gold rush | 淘金熱 | tourism | n.旅游；旅游業 |
| industry | n.工業，產業，勤勞 | avalanche | n.雪崩；大量擁擠；v.崩塌 |
| wilderness | n.荒野；荒地 | unmapped | adj.未繪制地圖的 |
| harbour | n.港灣；港口;v.包庇 | necessities | n.必需品 |
| conveniences | n.方便 | chief | adj.主要的；首席的；n.老板 |