Fluency U5L1

“So this is where some of my tax dollars are going,”

said Mr. Rizzo. “This seems like a good investment.”

Mr. Rizzo and his family were standing near Mammoth

Hot Springs, an attraction near the northern entrance

to the park. He was the grandfather in the family and

had never been here. His children and grandchildren

had invited him and his wife on the trip.

“It is so nice to hear you say that,” commented Mrs.

Rizzo. “You have been so grumpy lately about taxes.”

“That’s enough about taxes, you two,” laughed Dad.

“Let’s just enjoy the springs.”

The family strolled around the springs on a walkway

made of wood. It looked like a smaller version of the

boardwalks they were used to near the ocean, except

they were not near the ocean. Instead, they were high

in the mountains, and right now, they were looking at

unusual rock formations.

“These are called travertine terraces,” said Mom.

“Travertine is a kind of rock. The way the rock has

been deposited forms a series of layers that are

natural terraces.”

“You mean no one built these?” asked Grandmother.

“They are completely natural,” insisted Mom.

“Yellowstone National Park is full of wonderful things

like this. You will get to see a lot of them. That’s why

President Grant and Congress made it our first national

park. It may be the first national park in the world. When

most people come here, they don’t think about the

connection between government and nature, but here it

is. And as Grandfather said, this is a really, really good

investment in our country.”