【英语时差8,16】湛蓝深湖成为阿富汗首座国家公园

（单词翻译）

 A cascading¹ collection of deep-blue high-mountain lakes became Afghanistan's first provisional national park, as the violence-plagued nation took a big first step toward protecting one of its finest natural treasures. Coinciding with Earth Day, officials in the Central Asian country signed a decree to create Band-e-Amir National Park, encompassing² six mountain-fed lakes held back by natural calcified³ dams. Located in the country's peaceful central highlands, the lakes were a popular tourist destination before the Taliban's 1996-2001 rule, and officials hope they can attract tourists from around the world. Band-e-Amir is located in Bamiyan province, which has been relatively⁴ unaffected by the violence that plagues eastern and southern Afghanistan, where Taliban fighters and other militants⁶ control swathes of land and regularly clash with international and Afghan forces. The capital of Bamiyan is where Taliban fighters in spring 2001 blasted away two towering ancient Buddha⁷ statues carved into the region's red cliffs. Officials believe that Band-e-Amir and the remnants of the statues can combine for a powerful tourist attraction if Afghan, U.S. and NATO forces can reduce militant⁵ violence. Making Band-e-Amir a national park will give the four park rangers⁸ who now patrol the area's shores more enforcement powers to protect the lakes, said Peter Smallwood, the country director for the Wildlife Conservation Society, which played a large role in helping⁹ the government prepare Band-e-Amir for national park status.