After leaving Skyline Drive, we visited a well-known cave, Luray Caverns. Found in 1878, this cave is one of the most spectacular caves in the world. We were amazed by the limestone shapes inside. The most famous one is the world's largest musical instrument, the Great "Stalacpipe" Organ. Fortunately, we were able to hear a piece of music.
Other famous formations include Dream Lake, Totem Poles and Saracen's Tent. Dream Lake is a mirror-like surface which reflects the stalactites above the lake.
The Totem Poles are columns of various shapes and colors. Saracen's Tent is considered the best well-formed drapery in the world. Walking around this underground natural wonder is an unforgettable experience. On the way back home, we rolled down the windows and enjoyed the autumn breeze. Suddenly, the winding road looked like the road we had often taken on Yang-Ming Mountain in Taipei. As the song say, these country roads are taking me home - to the place I belong!
Info Cloud
Teaching Topic: How We Name Places Part II
Last week, we looked at how some places get named. Let's pick up this theme again today in this month's "Life in America" feature.
We first encounter Skyline Drive. Now, with a name like that, I'm excepting a road high up in the sky.
Right! Normally, the word "skyline" is used to describe the view of a city's buildings and structures against the sky.
In this case, however, it's the view of mountain scenery from a road.
OK. Luray Caverns is simply named after the nearest town - Luray, Virginia.
The next three things mentioned in the lesson are formations, not places, but it's easy to guess how they got their names.
Dream Lake is named for the feeling you get when you see it. When you look at it, you feel like you're dreaming.
Hmm huh... Formations might also be named for the things they resemble, like totem poles, and a tent. Saracen is an ancient word used to describe people who lived in and around the Arabian desert in tent.
And, finally, places are named in honor of other people, like Yan-Ming Shan, which was named in honor of the Chinese Ming dynasty philosopher, Wang Yan-Ming.
Language Lab
amaze v.
to surprise and sometimes confuse (someone) very much : to fill (someone) with wonder [+ obj]
- The little girl's singing talent amazed not only the audience but also the judges.
amazing adj.
causing great surprise or wonder : causing amazement
- The movie's amazing special effects were created by an award-winning team.
formation n.
the act of forming or creating something
- Timmy loves to study the formations of the clouds.
something that is formed or created
- The formation of a child's personality is strongly affected by his family and friends.
column n.
a long post made of steel, stone, etc., that is used as a support in a building
- The marble columns of the building were delicately carved.
a group of printed or written items (such as numbers or words) shown one under the other down a page
- Each page of the brochure has two columns.
an article in a newspaper or magazine that appears regularly and that is written by a particular writer or deals with a particular subject
- This fashion column is quite popular among female readers.
breeze n.
a gentle wind
- You can feel a cool summer breeze blowing in the valley.
to move quickly and confidently
- Alex breezed into our meeting as if he were the one who called the shots.
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