Unit Three Peacefulness and Beauty of Wu Gorge

1. Unit ThreePeacefulness and Beauty of Wu Gorge

2. Peacefulness and Beauty of Wu Gorge Minor Three Gorges of the Daning River (I) Minor Three Gorges of the Daning River(II) Tales About the Goddess Peak Dachang Town

3. The Wu Gorge is about 45 kilometers long , extending from the entrance of the Daning River in Wushan County of Chongqing in the west, to Guandukou of Badong County, Hubei Province in the east . It is the second gorge of the Yangtze Three Gorges. It is also called the Great Gorge for being long and neat . The Wu Gorge is divided into two sections . The west section consists of the Golden Helmet and Silver Armor Gorge and the Arrow-passing Gorge . The east section consists of the Iron Coffin Gorge and the Door Gorge .

4. “When the Qutang rolls on to an end, the Wu gorge rises with its delicated peaks”. Rushing out of the Qutang Gorge, the Yangtze River passes through the Daning River Broad Valley, takes in the Daning River in Wushan County of Chongqing , then goes into the gallery-like Wu Gorge. The Wu Gorge is noted for its long and deep , full of fantastic scenery with countless twists and turns .

5. There are weird peaks with mists rising. Traveling through the Wu Gorge in a boat , one sometimes may find the way blocked by huge mountains. But a sharp turn of the boat brings one to an area of entirely different scenery .

6. This gallery consists of three terraces , eight landscapes and twelve peaks. Three terraces are Chuyang Terrace, Book Presenting Terrace and Dragon Slaying Terrace. Eight landscapes are Spring Dawn of Nanling, Sunset Glow , Evening Ferry of the Ninghe River, Fishing in Qing Stream , Autumn Moon Reflected in a Clear Pool, Temples Among Beautiful Peaks, Taoist Temple and the Stones, Morning Clouds and Evening Rains. The three terraces and eight landscapes have different style , but the twelve peaks are even more unique.

7. After the water lever rose to 139 meters, except the Twelve Peaks of the Wu Gorge, a few famous scenic spots and cultural relics (遗物, 遗迹) were completely submerged, such as the engraved inscription

8. “The Chasm between Hubei and Sichuan ” at the border of the original Sichuan and Hubei , the ancient Kuiwu plank roads on cliffs, deep traces marked by towing on the rocks beside the river. Out of the east mouth of the Wu Gorge is Guandukou Town of Badong County, Hubei Province, where the Yangtze River flows into the Xiangxi River Broad Valley .

9. Translation 幽深秀丽的巫峡 巫峡是长江三峡中最为幽深秀丽的峡，西起重庆市巫山县的大宁河口，东到湖北省巴东县的官渡口， 全长45公里，是长江三峡的第二峡。因为巫峡既长又整齐， 所以又叫大峡。巫峡分东西两段，西段由金盔银甲峡和箭穿峡组成；东段由铁棺峡和门扇峡组成。 “瞿塘迤俪尽，巫峡峥嵘起”。长江冲出瞿塘之后，过大宁河宽谷，在重庆巫山县接纳了大宁河谷， 便进入了画廊般的巫峡。巫峡以幽深秀丽擅奇天下，它峡长谷深，奇峰绵延，云升雾腾，景色迷人。船过巫峡，时而苍崖相逼，好象江流阻塞，时而峰回路转，别有江天。

10. 这条山水画长廊由三台、八景、十二峰组成。三台为楚阳台、授书台、斩龙台；八景为南陵春晓、夕阳返照、宁河晚渡、清溪鱼钓、澄潭秋月、秀峰禅刹、女观贞石、朝云暮雨，三台八景的景色各有情趣，而十二峰则是天下景观之一绝。 三峡工程蓄水139米以后， 除了巫峡十二峰以外，巫峡里一些著名的景点和人文景观， 如原川鄂边界的“楚蜀鸿沟”题刻，悬崖绝壁上的夔巫栈道，刻在江边岩石上的累累纤痕等，都全部沉入江中。出巫峡东口便是湖北省巴东县的官渡口镇，长江从这里便进入了香溪河宽谷。 back

11. 巫山人家

12. Passage 1 Minor Three Gorges of the Daning River (I)

13. The Daning River rises at the south foot of Daba Mountain and flows through Wuxi County and Wushan County and joins the Yangtze River at the west end of Wu Gorge. From Wu Mountain to Dachang there lies a 60-kilometer stretch where there are the famous Minor Three Gorges, i.e. Longmen Gorge, Bawu Gorge and Dicui Gorge. It is said that the Minor Three Gorges are not inferior to the real Three Gorges in scenery . They are even better than the Yangtze Three Gorges in some aspects . As a saying goes: Every mountain is verdant ; all the waters are green ; every peak is unique ; all the waterfalls create dreamy mists.

14. The jetty at the southern entrance to Longmen (Dragon Gate) Gorge is only a few kilometers from the county seat of Wushan. The old name for Longmen Gorge was Luomen Gate. A huge rock at the entrance of the gorge is shaped like a turnip.

15. The gorge is therefore also called Turnip Gate . Only three kilometers in length , it is the shortest of the Minor Three Gorges. As the surroundings look like Kuimen, it is also called the Minor Kuimen . As soon as one enters this gorge , one will see a clear spring flowing down from a cliff on the right hand-side . It splashes down all the year round without drying and is called Dragon Gate Spring . The mountain peaks along both banks are shaped like all kinds of animals and birds , including tiger , elephant and lion .

16. Looking up these weird peaks , one feels that one has come to a zoo. The strangest of these peaks is the Ganoderma Peak . It stands like a column supporting the sky and is surrounded by nine dragon-shaped stone blocks known as the Nine Dragon Columns . On the cliff face on the left bank are two parallel rows of square holes . Each square hole is about 20cm high and wide and 30cm deep .There is an interval of 1.6m between the holes . They are the remains of an ancient plank path built on the cliff face for people to walk on .

17. The holes were cut first in Qin and Han Dynasties for supporting bamboo pipes to take brine from Wuxi to Wushan , where it was evaporated and made into salt . The supports were rebuilt in Tang Dynasty and turned into a plank path . The plank path ran for 120km along cliffs that even animals cannot reach . It was one of the longest and most dangerous plank path ever built in China .

18. Notes: 1. 大宁河：大宁河发源于大巴山南麓的陕西省平利县，流经重庆的巫溪和巫山两县，全长300多公里，在巫峡的西口处注入长江，是长江的最大的一条支流。它从2000多米高的崇山峻岭中奔腾而下，切割地表，使得沿途形成了许多峡谷盛景，小三峡就是大宁河下游巫山县境内的一段。 2. to be inferior to : lower in rank , social position , quality , importance , etc. （位置）下面的；（身份）下级的，低下的；（质量等） 低劣的，普通的，差的 e.g. She always felt inferior to her older sisters . This clothes is inferior to that one .

19. New Words: minor a.较小的, 次要的 columns n. 圆柱, 柱壮物 stretch v.伸展, 伸长 weird a. 怪异的 inferior a.下等的, 下级的 ganoderma n （中药）灵芝 aspect n. 样子, 外表, 方面 verdant a. 翠绿的, 青翠的 block n. 木块, 石块, 块 dreamy a. 空幻的, 梦想的 parallel a. 平行的, 相同的 mist n. 薄雾 interval n. 间隔, 距离, 幕间休息 etty n. 防波堤, 码头 dynasty n. 朝代, 王朝 turnip n. [植] 芜箐甘蓝，萝卜 brine n. 盐水 splash v. 溅, 泼, 溅湿 plank n. 厚木板, 支架

20. Exercises I. Answer the questions: 1. Have you ever heard of the Minor Three Gorges and how do you think about it ? 2. What was the old name for the Longmen Gorge ? 3. When was the plank path first made ? 4. What were the square holes originally used for ? Key

21. II. Decide the statements true or fault: 1. The Daning River joins the Yangtze River at the east end of Wu Gorge . ( ) 2. The Dragon Gate Gorge is three meters long and it is the longest Gorge of the Minor Three Gorges . ( ) 3. The Dragon Gate Spring never stops splashing all the year round . ( ) 4. The reason for cutting the holes in Qing and Han Dynasties was to make a path for people to climb the mountain . ( ) Key

22. III. Multiple choices 1. The Longmen Gorge is also called . A. the Minor Kuimen B. Dragon Gate Spring C. the Ganoderma Peak D. Dachang 2. The ancient plank path ran for 120 kilometers along cliffs . The cliffs was too dangerous even for to reach . A. soldiers B. local people C. wild animals D. birds Key

23. 3. Every mountain in the Wu gorge is A. brown in color B. fresh and green C. bald D. wet and green 4. The mountain peaks along both banks in Longmen Gorge are shaped like A. tiger B. elephant C. lion D. birds and animals Key

24. Translation: 大宁河小三峡 （Ⅰ） 大宁河，发源于大巴山南麓，流经巫溪、巫山两县，在巫峡的西口注入长江。从巫山到大昌，有一段长达60 公里的山溪性河谷，这就是遐迩闻名的大宁河小三峡。小三峡由龙门峡 、巴雾峡、滴翠峡组成。这里，不是三峡，胜似三峡，有山皆翠，有水皆绿，有峰皆奇，有瀑皆飞。 从巫山县城出发，步行数里即至龙门峡南口的码头。龙门峡古称雒门，峡口有一巨石兀立，形似萝卜，故俗称萝门，长仅三公里，是小三峡中最短的一个峡，其形胜若夔门，又有小夔门之称。一进峡，便可看到右岸岩壁上有一股清泉，水花四射，常年不涸，曰“龙门泉”。仰视林列于两岸的奇峰异峦，真好象来到万牲园里，一座座山峰，如狮象虎，似兽若禽，使人应接不暇。最为奇秀的莫如灵芝峰，它象一擎天石柱，撑立云端，周围有九个龙形石墩，名为九龙柱。左岸石壁上有两排平行的方孔，每孔长宽各20厘米，深约30厘米，这是古栈道的遗迹。据传开凿于秦汉时期，用以架设竹管，将巫溪盐卤送至巫山熬制；到唐代又加以改造，成为人行栈道，这条栈道全长约120公里，大部分开凿于禽兽难以攀缘的绝壁上，是我国最长而又最险的古栈道之一。 back

25. Passage 2 Minor Three Gorges of the Daning River(II)

26. Steering out of Longmen Gorge and past Silver NestShoal and the broad valley of Loquat Shoal , one enters Bawu Gorge which is 10km in length from Tortoise Shoal to Xiawan . The fantastic peaks content for power and the bizarrely shaped rocks vie for beauty and meaning . They look like different objects , humans , and animals and are of different sizes and shapes . The cliff on the right-hand side of the gorge is reddish brown in color . On the cliff face is a rectangular cave with a coffin painted black in it . It is a suspended coffin placed there by the Ba people of the Warring States Period .

27. The local people mistook it for an iron coffin and called the gorge Iron Coffin Gorge . The cliff is so steep that it is almost impossible for people to climb , even monkeys have great difficulty reaching there and flying birds seldom root there . When and how were such heavy objects placed there ? Why were they placed there ? These questions remain unanswered . The peaks and rocks along both ranks are all wonderfully shaped and each has a vivid name , such as Dragon In and Tiger Out , Horse Returning Mountain and Fairy Maid Throwing an Embroidered Ball . The local people and boatmen can talk endlessly about them .

28. Dicui Gorge extends for 20 kilometers from the Ox Nose Cave at Shuanglong to Tujiaba with various peaks and green bamboo forests on both banks . Sometimes the river flows rapidly like an arrow and sometimes becomes smooth like a mirror .

29. Mandarin ducks swim in pairs across the reflections of the high peaks . In the reflections on the water , we can see monkeys leap from beach to beach . In the gorge , we can see Water Curtain Cave with the water falling as if it were thousands of silver threads hanging down . We can also find lifelike rock statues of Buddha , rain from the Heavenly Spring drizzling in the ever-lasting mists ,

30. as well as layers of rocks called Chibi Motain ( Sky Scraping Red Wall ) that is hundreds of feet high and thousands of meters long . It is the most picturesque of the Minor Three Gorges . On the banks of the Daning River are holes of square shape . They form a chain of about 320 kilometers long . These holes are the remains of the ancient plank road . From this we can find the difficulty to reach the now Sichuan province in ancient times .

31. New Words: steer v. 驾驶, 掌舵 steep adj. 陡峭的, 险峻的 nest n. 巢, 窝, 隐匿处 root v. (使)生根,扎根 shoal n. 浅滩, 鱼群, 大量 vivid a. 生动的, 鲜明的 loquat n. 枇杷 embroider v. 刺绣, 镶边 tortoise n. 龟, 迟缓的人 endlessly a. 不断地 content v. 使满足 reflection n. 反射, 反省 bizarre a. 奇异的(容貌等) leap v. 跳, 跳越, 跳跃 vie v. 竞争 curtain n. 窗帘, 门帘

32. cliff n. 悬崖, 绝壁 reddish a. 微红的, 略带红色的 Buddha n. 佛 rectangular a. 矩形的, 成直角的 drizzle n. 细雨 statues n. 雕像 picturesque a. 独特的 coffin n. 棺材 suspended a.悬浮的 chain n. 链(条), 镣铐, 一系列

33. Notes: 1. 小三峡:小三峡是大宁河下游巫山县境内的一段，它兼得长江之胜，却又别有天地。三峡工程蓄水之后，水位上升许多，大型游船能够行使在波平如镜的水面上，过去那些险滩和激流早已成为往日的回忆。今天的小三峡没有了号子，没有了力的张扬，显得格外温柔。只有滴翠峡还保存着昔日那种险峻的山势和屹立的峭壁，让我们感觉到小三峡往日的风姿。 2. as if ;:as though conj.好像…似的; 仿佛…似的 e.g. It looks as if it is (were , was) going to rain . He opened his lips as if to speak .

34. Exercises • Answer the questions: • 1. Why did the local people give “Bawu Godge” another name “Iron Coffin Gorge”? • 2. Give some examples of vivid names of peaks and rocks which was mentioned in the passage in the Bawu Gorg. • 3. Which gorge is the most picturesque of the Minor Three Gorges? • 4. Where can we find lifelike rock statues of Buddha, in the Gragon Gate Gorge, Bawu Gorge or in Dicui Gorge? Key

35. II. Decide the statements true or false: 1. Dicui Gorge begins from Ox Nose Cave to Tu Family Dam (Tujiaba) and has a total length of twenty kilometers . ( ) 2. Dicui Gorge is noted for its many mountain peaks , caves , springs , waterfalls and karst formations. ( ) 3. “Dragon In and Tiger Out” , “Horse Returning Mountain” , “Water Curtain Cave ” and “Chibi Motian” are all in Dicui Gorge . ( ) 4. Chibi Motain is the most spectacular sight in the Lesser Three Gorges . ( ) Key

36. III. Multiple choices: 1. The fantastic peaks content for . A. beauty B. meaning C. strength D. ability 2. The cliff on the right-hand side of the gorge is brown in color . A. slightly red B. deep red C. rather yellow D. red color Key

37. 3. The local people it for an iron coffin and called the gorge Iron Coffin Gorge . A. understood B. realized C. know D. had a wrong idea about 4. The local people and boatmen about the gorges . A. talk constantly B. never finish talking C. go on talking D. not stop talking Key

38. Translation: 大宁河小三峡（Ⅱ） 出龙门峡，上银窝滩，再穿过枇杷洲宽谷，即进入巴雾峡。此峡从枇杷洲的乌龟滩起至巴雾峡的下湾止，长10公里。峡内奇峰争雄，怪石争形，似人、似物、似兽的钟乳石千姿百态。峡内右岸赤黄色绝壁上有一长形洞口，洞中有一黑漆棺木，据说是战国时巴人的悬棺。峡民以为是铁棺，所以多称此峡为铁棺峡。在这岩高千仞，猿猴难至，飞鸟不栖的绝处，如此重物，究竟是什么年代、怎样搁置上去的？为什么要如此搁置？一直是千古不解之迷。

39. 巴雾峡两岸的峰峦异石妣美竞奇，且都有一个非常形象的名字，如：“龙进虎出”、“马归山”、“仙女抛绣球”等，峡民船家讲起来津津乐道，如数家珍。巴雾峡两岸的峰峦异石妣美竞奇，且都有一个非常形象的名字，如：“龙进虎出”、“马归山”、“仙女抛绣球”等，峡民船家讲起来津津乐道，如数家珍。 滴翠峡从双龙的牛鼻洞至涂家坝，长20公里。两岸群峰竞秀，脆竹葱茏。河面上，时而激流似箭，时而波平如镜。岩影波光中，常能见到鸳鸯戏水，群猴攀枝。峡内，有宛如银丝千缕的水帘洞，有栩栩如生的摩崖佛像，有终年烟雨蒙蒙的天泉飞雨，有高逾百丈、横亘数里、金碧辉煌的“赤壁摩天”等名胜风光。这是小三峡中最长而又最美丽多姿的一个峡。 大宁河两岸石壁上，凿有排列有序的方形石孔，石孔盘山环绕，长达320多公里，这是古人架设栈道凿孔所留下的遗迹。“蜀道难，难于上青天”由此可见一斑。 back

40. Passage 3 Tales About the Goddess Peak 神女峰夜月

41. Wu Gorge , long and deep , has fantastic scenery with countless twists and turns . The Twelve Peaks are breathtaking and lie on both sides of Wu Gorge . Among the twelve peaks , the Goddess Peakis the most strange and attractive one . A folk tale says once upon a time , there lived in the heavenlypalace a goddess named Yao Ji , who was the twenty-third daughter of the Queen Mother of the west . She was intelligent , kindhearted and active in temperament . She could not endure the quiet life in the heavenly palace . So on August 15 , she left the the palace to speed across the sky .

42. She flew over thousands of mountains and saw many wonderful scenes of the human world . But when she came to the mist-enveloped Wushan Mountains , she saw twelve dragons causing trouble to the people and Yu who was harnessing the water was surrounded by the flood . Moved by Yu’s indomitable spirit , Yao Ji decided to eliminate the evilsfor Yu . From the top of the cloud , she pointed her finger towards the dragons . Thunders began to roar causing mountains and earth to tremor . When everything became quiet again , the bodies of the twelve dragons had turned into twelve huge mountains .

43. Yu climbed to the top of the Wushan Mountains to express his gratitude to Yao Ji , but all he saw there was a slender rock standing there . It is a single block thrusting into the sky and surrounded by green peaks and fog. When white clouds and mists surround the peak , it looks like a human figure of a slim and beautiful young goddess wearing a white silk scarf .

44. She gazes at the river from sunrise to sunset full of passion and love , so the peak has got another name ,Wangxia Peak. Year after year ，She stood on top of Wushan pointing the way for the passing ships , driving away wild animals , spreading drifting rain for the people . She began to forget about the heavenly palace and herself . Eventually she turned into the Goddess Peak for people to admire. The legend about the goddess Peak is popular in the area of the Wushan Mountains . There are several versions .

45. In memory of her , the local people in ancient times gave her the honorable title of “Wonderful True Taoist”, which was built at the foot of Flying Phoenix Peak . The flat terrace on the mountain is Book Presenting Terrace where the goddess gave Yu the book . When traveling in the Wu Gorge , people are most concerned about whether the charisma of the Twelve Peaks of the Wu Gorge still remain . “ The Goddess Peak if she is still there , will marvel at a world so changed .” Today the Twelve Peaks still compete their beauty and magnificence each other . The Goddess Peak is still slim and elegant. Romantic stories and legends attract countless tourists .

46. Notes: 1.巫 山：巫山山脉位于川鄂交界处，北与大巴山相连，呈东北---西南走向，主峰乌云顶海拔约2400米。长江由西向东横切巫山背斜，出现了百里巫峡。巫山是我国著名暴雨区之一，雨量特多，又是石灰岩地区，在长期风雨侵蚀和河川深切之下，形成了气势峥嵘，姿态万千的座座奇峰峻峦。十二峰就是巫山峰林中引人入胜的姣姣者。 2. 巫山十二峰: 巫山十二峰分别座落在巫山县东部的长江两岸，江南江北各有六峰。海拔高程均在800---1200米之间，神女峰高程为920米。蓄水后泛舟江中，游船离山顶仍有700米的高差。两岸山峰的万千景色叫人应接不暇。特别是那深谷，蒸郁不散的湿气，常常沿着山坡冉冉上升，有时形成浮云细雨，有时化作滚滚乌云，有时变为茫茫白雾，群峰间云漂雾绕，虚幻飘渺，宛若人间仙境。

47. New Words: heavenly a. 如天堂的 scarf n. 围巾, 头巾 temperament n. 气质, 易激动 passion n. 激情, 热情 endure v. 耐久, 忍耐 drifting a. 漂流的, 飘动的 indomitable a. 不屈不挠的 honorable a. 可敬的,光荣的 eliminate vt. 排除, 消除 harness vt. 治理 evils n. 邪恶, 罪恶 concerned a. 关心的, 有关的 tremor n. 震动, 颤动 charisma n. 超凡魅力, 感召力 gratitude n. 感谢的心情 marvel n. 奇迹 slender a. 苗条的, 微薄的 compete vi. 比赛, 竞争 thrust n. 插入, 挤进 elegant a. 文雅的, 端庄的 figure n. 外形, 轮廓 romantic a. 传奇式的, 浪漫的

48. Exercises I. Answer the questions: 1. Which spot are people most interested in when they travel in the Wu Gorge ? 2. Why did Yaoji leave Heavenly ? 3. What did Yu see when he came to the top of the Wushan Mountains ? 4. What does the Goddess Peak look like when white clouds and mists surround it ? 5. What are people most concerned about the Twelve Peaks after the water level reached 139 meters ? Key Key

49. II. Decide the statements true or false: 1. Among the Twelve Peaks, Wangxia Peak is the most strange and attractive one . ( ) 2. Yao Ji was a pretty goddess who had mental ability . ( ) 3. Yao Ji stood on top of Wushan pointing the way for the passing ships, driving away wild animals, spreading drifting rain for the people once in a while . ( ) Key

50. 4.When the ship enters the area of the Twelve Peaks , the scenes change so constantly that it is hard for the eye to follow . ( ) 5. After the water level rose to 139 meters except the Goddess Peak , the rest peaks were completely submerged . ( ) III. Multiple choices: 1. Yao Ji was deeply moved by Yu’s ____ soul . A. unyielding B. countless C. endless D. romantic Key Key