[by:www.51voa.com] [00:00.00]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM [00:05.52]Hello and welcome to the VOA Learning English program, [00:10.00]Words and Their Stories. [00:12.02]Every word has its own story. [00:16.20]Where did it come from? [00:18.44]How did it get into the language? [00:21.20]Today's word in "Shenandoah." [00:24.36]Hundreds of years ago a Native American chief [00:27.92]named Shenandoah lived with his tribes in what is now the state of Virginia. [00:34.84]Little is known about Shenandoah, [00:38.20]but in some way, the soft sound of his name was given to a river. [00:44.08]The Shenandoah River still flows in a deep valley between the Allegheny and Blue Ridge Mountains, [00:51.56]just as it did when Chief Shenandoah lived. [00:55.64]It is a slow moving river, soft and as beautiful as its name. [01:02.04]There are some word experts who believe the word "Shenandoah" [01:06.32]means "spruce river" because the waters of the river run through great forests of spruce trees. [01:14.48]And this explanation could be correct. [01:18.16]However, there is an old Native American story [01:21.92]which is far more beautiful than that of the experts. [01:27.12]Long ago, centuries before Europeans came to the New World, [01:32.48]there was a great lake of sparkling blue water hidden in the mountains of Virginia. [01:39.80]This lake was 250 kilometers long and 50 kilometers wide. [01:46.56]For hundreds of years, Native American tribes lived near this lake, [01:52.84]feeding on the fish from its clean waters. [01:56.80]The Native Americans often climbed up the mountains [02:00.20]and camped there during their long hunts for food. [02:04.48]In the evenings they sat near their camp and looked down at the beautiful lake. [02:11.28]On a clear, starry night you could see thousands of stars shining and dancing on the water below. [02:20.16]The Native Americans loved this lake, and because they could see the stars in it [02:26.32]they called the lake, "Clear Daughter of the Stars." [02:31.44]In their language, the word for this was "Shenandoah." [02:36.52]One day there was a loud crashing sound at one end of the lake. [02:41.40]The lake started to disappear. [02:44.60]Its water ran out of the valley, through a break in the mountain side. [02:50.76]The waters ran on and on until they joined another river which today is known as the Potomac. [02:59.52]At last, the lake was gone. [03:02.44]In its place was only a river. It is this way today. [03:07.80]The lake is gone, but the beautiful Shenandoah River runs on. [03:13.56]And on a clear night, anyone in the mountains can still see the stars dancing on the water. [03:20.84]Shenandoah National Park has just over 80,000 hectares of protected lands. [03:28.76]The park has cascading waterfalls, beautiful mountain vistas and serene woods. [03:37.52]Located outside of Washington, DC, [03:40.60]the Shenandoah National Park is a popular get-away [03:44.28]for people wanting to hike, picnic or nature-watch. [03:49.20]Millions of Americans have seen the Shenandoah and have talked about it. [03:55.00]And some years ago, someone wrote a song about it. [03:59.48]"Shenandoah" is perhaps one of America's most recognizable folk songs. [04:06.36]Some say the song refers to the river. [04:09.80]Others say it is about the daughter of Chief Shenandoah. [04:14.60]Regardless of what the song is about, [04:17.88]"Shenandoah" remains an American classic. [04:21.44]"O Shenandoah, I love your daughter, [04:29.84]Away you rolling river; [04:37.92]O Shenandoah, I love your daughter, Away I'm bound to go, 'Cross the wide Missouri ..." [04:44.56]And that brings us to the end of this episode of Words and Their Stories. [04:49.48]I'm Anna Matteo. [05:04.20]更多听力请访问51VOA.COM