1 . When the first visitors to Yellowstone tried to report what they saw, news magazines responded, “Thank you, but we do not print fiction.” Established in 1872 and located primarily in Wyoming, Yellowstone National Park (YNP) was famous for its natural scenery and biodiversity. As America’s first national park, it remains one of the most popular tourist attractions.

This year, YNP has reported that it had the most-ever September visitors. The increase contrasts sharply with May, when visitation rates were 90% lower compared to the same month last year. The park recorded about 837,000 visits in September, a rate 21% higher than September 2019 and 15.6% higher than the park’s second-busiest September on record in 2018, when it hosted 724,000 people.

Yellowstone was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic from March 24 to May 18, when its two Wyoming entrances reopened. In June, the park opened its three other entrances and visitation rates improved slightly. The park reported a 32% decline in visitors compared to the same month last year. Visitation rates through June were down 49% compared to numbers from the first six months of 2019. However, a rapid uptick saw an increase of 2% in visitation rates in July compared to the same month last year. The park hosted 955, 645 visitors in July compared to 534,000 people in June.

The national park’s peak season is typically from May through September. Most lodges, restaurants, stores and other services close for the year in October, followed by all park roads in early November.

Sara Fleming, a spokesperson for the Gardiner Chamber of Commerce, said the increase in tourists could be caused by an increase in the amount of young people who have visited the park in recent months. She said more young people between 20 and 50 have visited the park than in previous summers.

1. In which of the following months visitation rates dropped most?

A．May.

B．June.

C．July.

D．September.

2. What does the underlined word “uptick” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Rise.

B．Decline.

C．Close.

D．Reopen.

3. Why is the number of visitors to YNP increasing?

A．The government encourages people to visit it.	B．YNP is the best destination for holiday takers.
C．The number of young visitors is on the rise.	D．The admission fee has declined greatly.

4. What may the best title for the text?

A．America’s first national park	B．YNP got its busiest September
C．The best season to visit YNP	D．Visitors lost interest in YNP