|
|
A lone arbutus tree perches atop a hill on Salt Spring Island in British Columbia. Home to about 10,000 people, Salt Spring is the largest of Canada's Gulf Islands. The Gulf Islands comprise about a dozen large islands and hundreds of smaller islets which dot the inland Strait of Georgia south of Vancouver. The island's sheltered location, relatively dry climate, and strong tides give rise to a number of species unique to this region.
不列颠哥伦比亚，盐泉岛，一棵孤独的杨梅树。作为大约一万人的家园，盐泉岛是加拿大高尔夫群岛中最大的一座岛。高尔夫群岛由十多个大岛屿和上百个小岛组成，坐落于温哥华南部乔治亚海峡的内陆。盐泉岛封闭的地理位置、相对干燥的气候以及汹涌的潮水使它拥有了许多该地区的独特物种。
A naked boy stands at the turquoise blue edge of the South Pacific in French Polynesia. This island paradise is a haven for European tourists, but its natives have long been troubled with feelings of antipathy over 150 years of French rule.
法属波利尼西亚，一个赤裸的男孩站在南太平洋碧绿海水边的绿松石上。这个岛屿天堂是欧洲旅游者的胜地，但当地人却长期困扰于对法国150多年殖民统治的反感情绪。
Spires of limestone tufa rise from the shores of California's Mono Lake. Tufa form when underwater springs rich in calcium meet lake water rich in carbonates, forming calcium carbonate, or limestone. The limestone precipitates in layers over time and can grow more than 30 feet (9 meters) high. Mono Lake's tufa are particularly dramatic because water diversions have significantly lowered the lake's level, exposing more of the columns.
加利福尼亚梦娜湖沿岸，花岗岩上的石灰塔，或者叫石笋。当富含钙质的地下水接触到富含碳酸盐的湖水时，就形成了碳酸钙或者花岗岩，进而形成石笋。地壳中的花岗岩随时间流逝缓慢析出，可以长到30英尺(9米)高。梦娜湖的石笋尤其特别，因为河道已显著地降低了湖面高度，让更多的石柱暴露了出来
Camels cast shadows across the Qala-e-Bost arch in southern Afghanistan's Helmand province. The 11th century arch, which appears on the 100 Afghani note, marks the principal approach to the ancient fortress citadel of Bost, later renamed Lashkar Gah.
Over the centuries, the city bore multiple assaults by the Ghorids, Genghis Khan, and Tamerlane. Today it is the capital of the Helmand province.
南阿富汗赫尔曼德省，骆驼的影子映射在Qala-e-Bost拱门上。这座11世纪的拱门---出现在100面值的阿富汗尼柱上---标记着真主通往远古要塞Bost(后来改名为Lashkar Gah)城堡。
数个世纪以来，拉什卡尔城市遭受了Ghorids、成吉思汗、铁木儿的多次袭击，今天则成为赫尔曼德的省会城市。
Wiry bloom stalks from two sotol plants lean toward sunlight that streams through a break in the clouds in the Maderas del Carmen Protected Area. The mountainous park in Mexico's Coahuila State joins with Big Bend National Park on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande.
Sotol is a favorite snack of black bears, and its blooms attract swarms of flying insects including flies, bees, and butterflies. Juice from the stem is somewhat sweet and can be pressed and fermented to make the fiery liquor mescal de sotol.
Maderas del Carmen自然保护区，两株Sotol花向透过云层的阳光倾身。这个位于墨西哥Coahuila州的山地公园在格兰德河处与美国大弯国家公园相接。
Sotol是黑熊最喜爱的食物，它的花能吸引一群苍蝇、蜜蜂、蝴蝶之类的飞行昆虫。其枝干流出的浆液有甜味，经过加压和发酵后可制成一种叫mescal de sotol的烈酒
Water flies as a young white tiger shakes itself dry in a pool at California's Marine World Africa USA. (Now called Six Flags Discovery Kingdom.)
White tigers are extremely rare in nature, and many seen in zoos today are produced through controversial inbreeding. White tigers can be born to normal-colored tigers if both parents carry the recessive gene for white coloring.
加利福尼亚海洋世界(现在叫六旗探索王国)，水池中的年轻白虎试图把自己甩干而弄得水花四溅。
自然界的白虎已经极为稀有，如今许多在动物园里见到的白虎都是通过备受争议的近亲繁殖产生的。如果双亲带有隐性白色基因，生下来的白虎可能会是正常毛色。
Jagged tower karst formations rise in the distance as the Li River flows past a quiet landscape near Guilin, China.
These karst mountains are what remain of an ancient seabed that was lifted and subsequently eroded away. The formations line much of the Li River and have inspired Chinese poets and artists for centuries. They're also a source of national pride, earning an appearance on the back of China's 20 yuan note.
中国桂林，漓江和远处参差的塔状山岩。
这些塔状的山是一个抬升后被侵蚀的远古海床的遗迹。它们沿着漓江坐落，激发了数个世纪来的中国诗人和艺术家们的灵感。它们也是民族骄傲之源，展现于中国的20元面值人民币的背面。
A washerwoman hangs diaphanous saris to dry on the mortared walls of a house in India. India's enormous labor pool allows even middle-class households there to employ home help, including servants, cooks, and washerwomen.
印度，一个洗衣女正将纱巾挂到岩质墙壁上晒干。印度那数目巨大的劳动力甚至让中产阶级家庭都可以雇佣家庭帮手，包括侍者、厨师和洗衣女。
A close-up of meerkat in the Kalahari Desert shows its sturdy, rakelike claws, an important adaptation for their tunneling lifestyle. Meerkats are master excavators, frequently digging themselves entirely out of sight in pursuit of potential meals, which include beetles, scorpions, insect larvae, and small reptiles.
卡拉哈里沙漠里的一只獴的爪子特写。耙一样的坚固爪子是这种动物隧道生活的一种适应。獴是专家级的挖掘工，经常打洞遁身于地下寻找潜在的食物，包括甲虫、蝎子、昆虫幼虫、小型爬行动物等。
A herd of elephants makes its way through swamp grass in Kenya's Amboseli National Park. Established as a national park in 1974, the 151-square-mile (392-square-kilometer) park at the foot of Mount Kilimanjaro in southwest Kenya is home to more than 450 animal species, including elephants, wildebeests, cranes, and egrets.
一群大象正穿越肯尼亚安博色里国家公园的沼泽。于1974年作为国家公园建立后，这个位于肯尼亚西南乞立马扎罗山脚的面积151平方英里(392平方公里)的公园就成为了超过450种包括大象、野兽、鹤、白鹭等动物的家园。
Found only on the islands of Oahu, Molokai, Maui, and Hawaii, the happy face spider, such as this one guarding its eggs on a leaf in Maui, is known for the unique patterns that decorate its pale abdomen. Scientists believe Theridion grallator may have developed its distinctive markings to discourage birds from eating it.
作为一种只能在瓦胡岛、莫洛开岛、毛伊岛和夏威夷岛找到的蜘蛛，笑脸蛛---比如这只在毛伊岛上的某片树叶上保护她的卵的家伙---因其装饰于苍白腹部的独特图样而闻名。科学家们相信，这种学名为Theridion grallator的蜘蛛发展了这种鲜明的标记以让鸟类打消吃它的念头。
Approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) from Belize City, the almost perfectly circular Blue Hole is more than 1,000 feet (305 meters) across and some 400 feet (123 meters) deep.
The hole is the opening to what was a dry cave system during the Ice Age. When the ice melted and the sea level rose, the caves were flooded, creating what is now a magnet for intrepid divers. Today the Blue Hole is famed for its sponges, barracuda, corals, angelfish—and a school of sharks often seen patrolling the hole’s edge.
距伯利兹城大约60英里(100公里)，几乎完美的圆圈---蓝洞---超过1000英尺(305米)直径和400多英尺(123米)深。
这个洞是冰河时期一个干岩洞系统的开口。当冰融化、海平面上升以后，这个岩洞就被淹没了，成为今天吸引着勇敢潜水者们的一块磁铁。如今的蓝洞因为海绵、梭鱼、珊瑚、天使鱼而声名远扬，并且经常能见到一群鲨鱼在洞的边缘游弋。 |
|
IP卡
狗仔卡
发表于 2008-1-2 11:07:09
提升卡
置顶卡
沉默卡
喧嚣卡
变色卡
千斤顶
显身卡
发表于 2008-1-2 12:21:05
楼主
