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Activity book. Track 15. Page 36. Activities 1and 2. The Grand Canyon: Beyond Words.

The Grand Canyon is one of the seven natural wonders of the world, and one of the largest canyons on Earth. Many writers have tried to describe the wonder of the Grand Canyon. They use words like mysterious, overpowering,and strange. But it is not possible to put human meaning to such a place. The Grand Canyon truly is beyond words.

The canyons are among the oldest rocks on earth, with many levels of granite, schist, limestone and sandstone.

The Grand Canyon measures 2,500 meters from the canyon floor to its highest point.

Because of its size, the weather at the top of the canyon is often much different from the bottom.

On some winter days, for example, you may find cold winds and snow at the top. But at the bottom of the canyon, you may find warm winds and flowers.

The Grand Canyon is home to 2,000 plant species. Some of these species can only be found in the park.

The Grand Canyon was named a Globally Important Bird Area in 20l4 because of the role it plays in protecting many species of birds.

Native American occupied the Grand Canyon 3,000 years ago. Bones, hair, feathers and the remains of plants have been found in deep, dry caves high in the rock walls.

The Hopi, the Paiute, the Navajo and other Native American tribes have all been in the area for at least 700 years.

Five million people visit the Grand Canyon National Park every year. Depending on the time of day, the sun lights up the rock walls in red, orange, and golden colors. The bright colors are the result of minerals in the rock. Their appearance changes endlessly -- with the light, the time of year, and the weather.

At sunset, the canyon walls take on softer colors of blue,purple, and green.

Most visitors walk along paths partway down the canyon.Hundreds of thousands of people see the canyon by air each year. They pay a helicopter or an airplane pilot to fly them above and around the canyon.

Visitors can also see the Grand Canyon from a huge glass walkway called the Skywalk. The Skywalk is on the Hua

lapai Indian Reservation in the western part of the canyon.The Hualapai Indians built it to increase tourism at the reservation. It opened in 2007.

The only place to see the entire canyon at once is from outer space.

Activity book. Track 16. Page 44. Activities 1and 2. Colorful Mandarin Duck Excites New Yorkers.

It is not easy to excite New Yorkers. This is one reason why actors and other famous people move to the city.They can live quieter lives and escape the paparazzi photographers who would follow them in Hollywood.

But New York has a new media star. And this star is not living so quietly.

The star is a colorful Mandarin duck. The bird first appeared this month in a small body of water in Manhattan's Central Park.

Large crowds have gathered to see the duck. Reporters have been following its every move. The media attention on the duck has earned the name "quackarazzi"– a word combination of paparazzi and the sound a duck makes!

The duck has chosen to live in a costly part of New York -just off Fifth Avenue, near the historic Plaza Hotel. There,hundreds of people turn up every day, hoping to see the bird show off its extremely colorful feathers.

Many people like the duck because its colors are like "sunsets," says New Yorker Joe Amato. He comes to the park nearly every day with his camera equipment.

Bird lovers have been keeping record of the bird's daily life through social media postings and videos. This week, New York's newest celebrity seemed to enjoy its fame, showing off its wings while members of the "quackarazzi" pushed each other to get a closer look.

Bird expert Paul Sweet heads a large collection of bird species at the New York-based American Museum of Natural History. He says there is nothing special about a Mandarin duck in Central Park. Central Park Zoo has its own Mandarin duck, he says. These ducks are often imported to the United States from Asia for use on private property.

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