UNIT 9 - SEQUOIA AND KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS

California
Established 1890 and 1940
Spaniards, long ago, named the gallery of mountains that form the high
backbone of California. They called it, in a poetic way, Sierra Nevada, which
literally means “snow-covered mountain range”. This has proved a fitting title for
the range that extends from about Lake Tahoe southward for more than 250 miles,
and especially for those parts of it which lie in Sequoia and Kings Canyon national
parks, where these lofty mountains reach their climax in Mount Whitney, the
highest point in the United States outside Alaska.
The two national parks, which are joined end to end and stretch 65 miles
north to south, are virtually a single unit (and are so administered) of 846,989
acres, yet the features which define them as national parks are quite different.
Sequoia, the southernmost, is the oldest of California’s six national parks,
having been established in 1890, fully five days before Yosemite. Its primary
purpose then - as now - was to preserve the groves of giant sequoia trees, the
largest of living things, the remnants of once widespread forests that covered a
great portion of the Northern Hemisphere. The park came into existence just in
time to arrest the destructive effects of a wasteful logging era that seemed destined
to destroy the abundant forests in the western state.
Kings Canyon was designated a national park in 1940, principally because
of its high granite mountains and rugged canyons, around the core of the Grant
Grove, which had been a tiny national park. It has goodly stands of the great trees
and, in addition, the highest canyon wall in America - a sheer 8,350-foot rise from
the South Fork of Kings River to the top of Spanish Mountain. All the backcountry
is composed of peaks, gorges, rockbound glacial lakes, virgin forests, and
flowering alpine meadows.
In 1978 Congress added Mineral King Valley to Sequoia National Park. The
beautiful alpine valley, formerly national forestland, had been proposed for the
development as a huge mechanized ski resort. Now its high peaks, lakes, and clear
streams will be preserved; so will its rare wildlife species, including the California
condor, peregrine falcon, spotted owl, and pine marten.
The giant sequoia and its relative, the costal redwood, are the last surviving
species of a large genus of ancient times. Only two other species of trees closely
resemble them - the bald cypress of our southern states and the cryptomeria of
Japan. The differences between these two trees? The giant sequoia grows only in
scattered groves on the western slopes of Sierra Nevada in central California, at
elevations of 4,000 to 8,000 feet. The redwood grows near the Pacific Ocean along
the southern California coast in a more or less continuous belt 450 miles long. It is
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the world’s tallest tree and has a slender trunk, while the giant sequoia is the
world’s largest tree in volume, with an immense trunk and very slight taper. The
cones and seeds of the giant sequoia are about three times the size of those
produced by the redwood; it has a thicker, asbestos-like bark and heavier, more
angular limbs.
Beneath the giant sequoia, or Big Tree, the forest floor is often covered with
lupine, dogwood, hazelnut, chinquapin, and willow, creating the contrast of color
in dark groves. In addition, magnificent stands of sugar pine, sometimes attaining a
base diameter of 11 feet with finely tapered trunk rising more than 200 feet,
ponderosa pine and incense cedar also thrive in Sequoia and Kings Canyon. But
the sequoias, massive and vigorous, tower above all as patriarchs of the forest
community. They can be seen now as John Muir found them here: “Giants grouped
in pure temple groves, or ranged in colonnades along the sides of meadows.”

A. READING COMPREHENSION
1. Answer the following questions on the text:
1) What is the origin of the name Sierra Nevada and what does it mean?
2) What is the highest point in the US outside Alaska?
3) What are the names of the two national parks joined end to end?
4) What is Sequoia’s primary objective?
5) Why was Kings Canyon National Park established?
6) Where is the highest canyon wall in America and how high is it?
7) Which rare wildlife species are preserved within Sequoia National Park?
8) What was the purpose of the 1978 legislation?
9) Where in California do the two giant tree species grow?
10) Which is the tallest and which is the largest tree in the world?

2. Read the text carefully and then match the two halves of the sentences in
the table below:
A B
1) This has proved a fitting title for a) to preserve the groves of giant sequoia
the range that extends from about trees, the largest of living things, the
Lake Tahoe southward for more than remnants of once widespread forests that
250 miles, and especially for those covered a great portion of the Northern
parts of it which lie in Sequoia and Hemisphere.
Kings Canyon national parks,
2) The two national parks, which are b) to arrest the destructive effects of a
joined end to end and stretch 65 wasteful logging era that seemed destined
miles north to south, to destroy the abundant forests in the
western state.
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3) Sequoia’s primary purpose then - c) the forest floor is often covered with
as now - was lupine, dogwood, hazelnut, chinquapin, and
willow, creating the contrast of color in
dark groves.
4) The park came into existence just d) where these lofty mountains reach their
in time climax in Mount Whitney, the highest point
in the United States outside Alaska.
5) The giant sequoia grows only in e) ponderosa pine and incense cedar also
scattered groves thrive in Sequoia and Grand Canyon.
6) Beneath the giant sequoia, or Big f) are virtually a single unit (and are so
Tree, administered) of 846,989 acres, yet the
features which define them as national
parks are quite different.
7) Magnificent stands of sugar pine, g) on the western slopes of Sierra Nevada
sometimes attaining a base diameter in central California, at elevations of 4,000
of 11 feet with finely tapered trunk to 8,000 feet.
rising more than 200 feet,

B. VOCABULARY STUDY
1. Match the following words from the text to their definitions on the right
and fill in the grid at the end of the exercise:
1) backbone a. rough, uneven; rocky land;
2) lofty b. tough, difficult, harsh;
3) arrest c. the main mountain system in a region;
4) rugged d. (cause) sth. to become less in amount;
5) taper e. stop or slow process, development, etc.;
6) backbone 2 f. (not used of people) very high and imposing;
7) lofty 2 g. chief strength, support; strength, firmness;
8) arrest 2 h. engage and hold suddenly and briefly;
9) rugged 2 i. become or make sth. gradually narrower;
10) taper 2 j. strongly-built, robust;
11) rugged 3 k. of a high and noble stature.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

2. Fill in the gaps with one of the words above:

1) The road follows the beautiful, … coastline.
2) The treatment may … the progression of the disease.
3) The Carpathians are viewed as the … of Romania.
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4) The road … slightly as it approaches the top of the mountain.
5) The organization has a … goal of helping endangered species.
6) The government should help small businesses which are the … of the economy.
7) He has … ideals but no ambition to act.
8) During his holiday in Greece beauty spots ... his attention everywhere.
9) The storm … off in the evening.
10) This … off-road vehicle is also very comfortable.
11) Independent media is the … of democracy.
12) We need results, not … promises.
13) The stems are slender and … at the end.
14) The progress of research is … by the lack of funds.
15) He had the … to say that he should be treated with respect.
16) They are looking for a … adventure in the Sierra Nevada.
17) The external aid was gradually … off as the economy recovered.

3. Match the words on the left hand side with their definitions on the righthand
side:
1) peregrine a) a small weasel-like carnivore that lives in trees in the US and
falcon Canada forests and has soft, valuable brown fur;
2) lupine b) tall pine with yellow-brown bark and valuable timber;
3) dogwood c) shrubby chestnut tree growing in the US that produces small
nuts;
4) bald d) a very large New World vulture with a bare head and mainly
cypress black plumage; of the two species, the Californian vulture is
probably extinct in the wild;
5) grove e) deciduous conifer that grows at the edge of the water or in
swamps;
6) condor f) tall conifer of the cypress family with glossy leaves and scented
wood;
7) spotted owl g) grey mineral that doesn’t burn and is used for fireproof
materials;
8) pine marten h) large black and white bird of prey that can be trained to hunt
and catch small birds and animals;
9) asbestos i) garden plant with tall spikes of flowers, bearing seeds in pods;
10) incense j) wild and ornamental flowering shrub with small white flowers,
cedar red stems and edible red berries;
11) ponderosa k) group of trees; small wood;
pine l) a large owl of forests in western North America, which has dark
12) limb brown plumage with white spots;
13) chinquapin m) leg, arm or wing; main branch of a tree.

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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

4. Fill in the gaps with words given at the end of the text:

The high country constitutes a vast region of unbroken (1) ... , providing one
of the outstanding experiences of National Park system. A motorist catches
glimpses of the (2) ... country here and there by car and from overlooks, but by
foot you can put yourself into the (3) … of canyons, rivers, lakes, and meadows, as
well on the Sierra Crest, (4) ... in elevation from 11,000 feet to the 14,495-foot
summit of Mount Whitney. The hiker’s principal boulevard is the John Muir Trail,
which (5) ... 218 miles from Yosemite Valley down through two national parks and
three national forests, all of which (6) ... the feeling of the original California, the
country where Indians (7) ... and fished, and where Spaniards (8) ... on the
plunging waters of the Kings River and named it Rio de los Santos Reyes - River
of the Holy Kings. Surely it is impossible to look at this overpowering (9) ...
without being moved to (10) ... , if not to reverence.

midst, roamed, runs, wilderness, awe, ranging, gazed, wild, scenery, preserve

POLYSEMY
5. Translate into English the following sentences using one of the following
words: arrest, stretch, primary:
1) Dupa meci au fost arestati trei tineri pentru tulburarea linistii publice.
2) Puloverul s-a intins dupa ce l-am purtat de cateva ori.
3) Un tablou neobisnuit i-a atras atentia.
4) Drumul se intindea in departare prin desert.
5) Oceanul se intindea cat vedeai cu ochii in toate partile.
6) Nu mai putem prelua si alte sarcini; suntem suprasolicitati in momentul de fata.
7) Boala se afla deocamdata in stare incipienta.
8) Semnarea documentelor este de importanta primordiala.

6. Synonymy. Add the appropriate synonyms from the text:

1) immense, gigantic, enormous, ...
2) wood, forest, clump, ...
3) steep, abrupt, sharp, ...
4) fated, intended, designed, certain, ...
5) surrounded, confined, enclosed, …
7) large, considerable, ample, ...

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7. Give the opposites of the following words from the text:
inappropriate, moderate, big, weak, remotely, light

C. GRAMMAR OVERVIEW
RELATIVE CLAUSES
IDENTIFYING RELATIVE CLAUSES
1) Spaniards, long ago, named the gallery of Mountains that form the high
backbone of California.
2) This has proved a fitting title for the range that extends from about Lake Tahoe
southward for more than 250 miles.
3) The park came into existence just in time to arrest the destructive effects of a
wasteful logging era that seemed destined to destroy the abundant forests in the
western state.
NON-IDENTIFYING RELATIVE CLAUSES
1) and especially for those parts of it which lie in Sequoia and Kings Canyon
national parks, where these lofty mountains reach their climax in Mount
Whitney, the highest point in the United States outside Alaska.
2) The two national parks, which are joined end to end and stretch 65 miles north
to south, are virtually a single unit (and are so administered) of 846,989 acres, yet
the features which define them as national parks are quite different.
3) Kings Canyon was designated a national park in 1940, principally because of its
high granite mountains and rugged canyons, around the core of the Grant Grove,
which had been a tiny national park.

UNIT 9 – GRAMMAR OVERVIEW

RELATIVE CLAUSES

1. Complete each sentence with one suitable word.

1) There is one person … I owe more than I can say.
2) It was the kind of accident … nobody was really to blame.
3) At 6.00, … was an hour before the plane was due, thick fog descended.
4) Sam, … name was missed off the list, wasn’t very pleased.
5) Somewhere I’ve got a photo of the mountain … we climbed.
6) Those are the steps … Matthew fell down.
7) That’s the man … Dan played tennis with.
8) Your destination is the place … you are going to.
9) It was in Greece … the Olympic Games first took place.
10) The Grand Canyon, … is over 200 miles long, is one of the wonders of the world.
11) Queen Victoria, … came to the throne in 1837, ruled over the British Empire.

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12) She can’t remember the name of the shop … she bought the sofa from.
13) The whole summer was sunny and warm, … made a nice change.
14) This isn’t the train … I normally travel.
15) The reason … I didn’t know was that no one had told me.
16) The police blocked off the road, … caused a traffic jam.

2. Make one sentence from the sentences given, beginning as shown. Make any
other necessary changes. Omit any unnecessary relative pronouns.
1) We eventually caught a train. It was one that stops at every station.
The train … stops at every station.
2) At the end of the street there was a building he had not noticed before. The street
was crowded with shoppers.
At the end of the street … there was a building he had not noticed before.
3) Many people think that Saturn is the biggest planet. This is wrong.
Many people think that Saturn is the biggest planet, … .
4) A scientist has won the Nobel Prize. He discovered a new planet.
The scientist … has won the Nobel Prize.
5) The plane was twenty-five years old. It crashed.
The plane … was twenty-five years old.
6) That map is out of date. You were looking at it.
The map … is out of date.
7) We’re all looking forward to the concert. It’s next Saturday.
The concert … is next Saturday.
8) We passed shops. Their windows were decorated for Christmas.
We passed shops … .
9) One week they went camping. It was the wettest of the year.
The week … was the wettest of the year.
10) You’ll meet David tomorrow. He’s also a member of the board.
David, … , is also a member of the board.
11) The plane has just taken off. The plane is an hour late.
The plane … is an hour late.
12) The town of Keswick lies at the heart of the Lake District. It is the perfect place
for a holiday.
The town of Keswick, …, is the perfect place for a holiday.
13) He has applied for a job. The job really suits him.
The job … really suits him.

3. The following text contains many instances of which and that. Underline the
ten extra ones, which are grammatically wrong.
Having just spent three weeks of my life sitting on an uncomfortable saddle,
pounding the roads of France, I am in no fit state that to do anything except sit and

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write, which suits me fine. For I have cycled some 1,500 kilometres, a figure which
includes some extremely hilly routes, and frankly the thought of mounting a bicycle
again which is not one that I can face for a good few days yet. The journey, which I
undertook alone for most of the way, was all in the name of charity - Help the Aged, a
cause which I support whenever that I can. Having organised my sponsorship, which I
arrived in France armed only with a tiny map of the Tour de France route, which
hastily removed from last month’s ‘Cycling World’ magazine. My intention which
was to try and follow the route that the professionals take, but after three days in
which I pushed my body to extremes that it had never experienced before, that I
rapidly abandoned this plan and returned to flatter ground. On the flat which I was
able to keep to about 120 kilometres a day, which is respectable. I did have to rest my
weary limbs at the weekends, though, which enabled me to recharge my batteries, by
which I mean my bodily ones, not the ones that inside my bike lights. I am pleased to
say, that after three tortuous weeks, which I ended up in Marseilles, but what pleased
me all the more is that I managed to raise over £2,000 for Help the Aged.

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vocabulary lofty 1. very tall; being of great or imposing height; 2. of high or noble character
climax 1. the highest point or culmination (e.g. of a series of events or of an
experience); 2. the point of greatest excitement, tension, in a play, story,
etc.
southernmost situated furthest south
grove a small group of trees, often planted for shade or ornament
sequoia (tree) either of two species of massive evergreen trees, native to North
America, the California redwood and the giant sequoia
arrest 1. to stop or slow down the progress of (growth, development, etc); 2. to
stop or slow down the progress of (a disease, etc).
wasteful expending property, or something valuable without necessity or use;
profuse; causing destruction to something
destined (for something) to have something as one’s fate
rugged 1. (of landscape, hills, ground, etc:) with a rough, uneven surface, steep
and rocky; 2. (of weather, etc.) stormy, turbulent.
goodly 1. quite large; 2. physically attractive, pleasant
stand 1. a group of tall plants, e.g. trees growing in a particular area; 2. a group
of living creatures in a standing position
sheer (of a cliff, etc) very steep, vertical or nearly vertical
rise a piece of rising ground, a slope or hill; 2. the vertical height of something,
ascent
backcountry a remote rural area
gorge a deep narrow valley, usually containing a river
rockbound (of a landscape, coast, etc.) 1. surrounded by rock or rocks; 2. rocky
mechanized to equip with machinery that replaces human, manual labour with
mechanical processes
ski resort a resort that provides lodging and equipment for skiers
cryptomeria a tall conifer in the cypress family that grows in Japan and China
elevation 1. the height, e.g. of a place above sea-level; 2. a high place
belt an area or zone, usually a relatively long and narrow one
trunk the main stem of a tree without the branches and roots
taper to make or become gradually narrower towards one end
angular having sharp edges or corners
limb a main branch on a tree
lupine (also lupin) a garden plant with long spikes of brightly coloured flowers
dogwood a European shrub with small white flowers and purple berries
chinquapin 1. a small evergreen chestnut in the beech family that grows in the
United States; 2. the edible nuts this produces
tower (above something, etc.) to reach a great height, or rise high above it or
them