Incredible Discoveries

孫喜利

Sometimes people find really wonderful things when they are not looking for them. We say they “discover” natural wonders. One clear example was John Colter. Colter was a mountain man who lived alone in the Rocky Mountains of the United States. He loved to walk in the mountains， but one day in 1803 he saw a strange sight. Water was shooting high into the air and falling into a pool of green water. It was a geyser， a natural water fountain. He found other pools of blue water. Some of the pools were hot. The chemicals in the water made a beautiful color， but they also made it smell bad. Nearby there were also large clear lakes and spectacular waterfalls on cold， clear mountain rivers. Colter was excited， so he told others about the place. However， the other people did not believe him. They thought that he was a dreamer; they called him a fool. After they saw these wonders， they， too， were excited. Today we call Colter’s discovery Yellowstone Park.

Another example of a discoverer was Johnny Angel. In 1935， he was flying a small plane in Venezuela. His trip took him over the high mountains， where people like him were looking for gold. Angel did not find gold but suddenly he saw an amazing sight， a waterfall. The water fell a long way down the mountain. Later he told people about this discovery， the waterfall. They came to see the spectacular sight， and they named it after Johnny-Angel Falls. It is the highest waterfall on the Earth. The water falls nearly a kilometer—979 meters or 3， 212 feet.

Johnny Angel and John Colter are called discoverers of these natural wonders. But are they？ Other people lived near these places， and they knew about the pools， waterfalls， geysers， and lakes. Weren’t these people the real discoverers of these extraordinary places？ Perhaps these places were ordinary to them.

Colter and Angel talked about the natural wonders of the Rocky Mountains and the Venezuelan wilderness. And after that， the people from all over the Earth wanted to see them.

1. John Colter ___.

A. lived in Venezuela

B. saw Angel Falls

C. hunted for gold

D. was a mountain man

2. A geyser is ___.

A. a waterfall

B. a natural water fountain

C. a large clear lake

D. a pool of green water

3. After Colter talked about the geysers， people ___.

A. believed his story

B. hunted for gold

C. called him a fool

D. walked in the mountains

4. Yellowstone Park ___.

A. was in Venezuela

B. is in the Rocky Mountains

C. is nearly a kilometer

D. was discovered by Johnny Colter

5. Johnny Angel ___.

A. was a mountain man

B. lived in the Rocky Mountains

C. saw geysers

D. flew a plane in Venezuela

6. Angel Falls is ___.

A. a geyser

B. the world’s highest waterfall

C. a spectacular lake

D. a high mountain