Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam, written by Curtis Thomas. Focus question. Why is Hoover Dam an important place in the United States?

《胡佛水坝》，柯蒂斯·托马斯 著 焦点问题 为什么胡佛水坝是美国的一处重要地点？

A Mighty Dam When Hoover Dam was built in the 1930s, it was the tallest dam in the world. The dam is as tall as a 60 -story building. Hoover Dam is on the Colorado River. The dam controls the flow of the river's water. The dam's power plant uses the water to make electricity.

一座雄伟的水坝 胡佛水坝建于20世纪30年代， 它当时是世界上最高的水坝， 高度相当于60层楼。 胡佛水坝建在科罗拉多河上， 管控着河水的流量。 水坝的发电厂利用水流来发电。

Dry Desert Hoover Dam is on the border between Arizona and Nevada It is about 30 miles 48 kilometers from the city of Las Vegas Hoover Dam is in a very dry desert The dam is in a deep narrow valley between mountains

干旱的沙漠 胡佛水坝位于亚利桑那州和内华达州的交界处。 它距离拉斯维加斯市大约30英里，也就是48公里。 胡佛水坝坐落在一片十分干旱的沙漠中。 水坝建在群山之间一道又深又窄的山谷里。

Strong Dam, Huge Lake. The Colorado River flows downhill to Hoover Dam. The dam stops the water from flowing quickly. Water collects above the dam to form Lake Mead. It is the biggest lake in the United States made by people.

坚固的水坝，巨大的湖泊。 科罗拉多河顺流而下，流向胡佛水坝。 水坝拦住湍急的水流，让水流变慢。 水在水坝上游汇聚，形成了米德湖。 它是美国最大的人工湖。

Water has a lot of force when it flows downhill. Hoover Dam is very heavy, so it can stay strong when the water hits it. The dam is curved to move the water to the two sides of the canyon. A power plant near the dam changes the force of the moving water into electricity.

水向下流的时候会产生很大的力量。 胡佛水坝非常坚固厚重，水流冲击时也能稳如泰山。 水坝呈弧形，可以把水流导向峡谷的两侧。 水坝附近的发电厂把流动的水流的能量转化为电能。

Solving a Problem People have been growing crops along the Colorado River for many years. The river used to flood in spring and wash away the crops. People built dams on the river to stop the flooding. Hoover Dam was the first of those dams.

解决难题 多年来人们一直在科罗拉多河沿岸种植庄稼。 过去这条河春天常常泛滥，冲毁庄稼。 人们在河上修建水坝来抵御洪水。 胡佛水坝是这些水坝中的第一座。