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这十个景点趁早去看看 以后可能就看不到了......

2019-01-31来源:和谐英语

你看或不看,世界上那些知名的景点都在那里。其实,也不一定。

由于全球变暖、污染和人类活动的影响,有些美丽的景色未来可能会消失。事实上,这一进程也正在发生。

还不赶紧收拾行囊,在为时已晚之前,去看看这些景观?

The Great Wall, China  中国长城

Stretching over 21,000 kilometers, the Great Wall was built to prevent invasions and has a history of more than 2,000 years. UNESCO calls it "an absolute masterpiece", not only "because of the ambitious character of the undertaking but also the perfection of its construction."

长城修建于两千多年前,用于抵御入侵,蜿蜒2.1万多公里。联合国教科文组织称长城是“伟大的杰作”,不仅仅“因为修建过程体现出的雄心壮志,还因为其完美的建筑。”

But perfection isn't protection. 51.2 percent of the Great Wall has either already disappeared or is at a significant risk of disappearing, according to a press conference held by the State Council Information Office in January 2019. Besides for wind and rain erosion, the main reasons for the destruction of the Great Wall are human factors such as tourism, construction, human contact and improper intervention.

但完美并不意味着保护的完善。国务院新闻办公室在2019年1月的一次新闻发布会上表示,长城有51.2%的部分已经消失或消失的风险很大。除了风雨的侵蚀,长城遭到破坏主要是人为因素,比如旅游、建筑、人的接触和不恰当的干预。

Easter Island, Chile  智利复活节岛

The Easter Island, located in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, is most famous for having over 1,000 Moai statues, which were built by the Rapa Nui people after they arrived on Easter Island around 1200 AD.

复活节岛位于太平洋东南方,以拥有1000多个摩艾石像闻名。公元1200年左右,拉帕努伊岛岛民抵达复活节岛后修建了这些石像。

In the last few years, ocean waves have risen and begun reaching dozens of Moai statues. Scientists from the UN have warned that the icons could be engulfed as the sea level is predicted to rise at least by 1.8 meters by 2100 as a result of climate change.

在过去一些年 ,海浪上涨,拍打到几十个摩艾石像。联合国的科学家提醒说,据预测,由于气候变化,海平面在2100年前至少会上涨1.8米,这些石像可能会被海水吞没。

engulf[ɪn'gʌlf; en-]:vt.吞没

Yellowstone National Park, US  美国黄石国家公园

As the world's first national park, the Yellowstone National Park is known for its wildlife and its many geothermal features. But due to global warming, there is less snow and rainfall, shrinking lakes and drying out wetlands.

作为全球第一个国家公园,黄石国家公园以野生动植物和众多的地热景观著称。但由于全球变暖,降雪和降雨变得稀少,公园内的湖泊面积缩小,湿地逐渐干涸。

Venice, Italy  意大利威尼斯

The “Floating City” may not float for much longer as experts have warned that Venice could sink in less than a century. As it was built on a muddy lagoon with inadequate foundations, Venice is also known to suffer from subsidence.

“漂浮之城”威尼斯或许漂浮不了多久了,专家提醒说,威尼斯或将在100年内沉没。威尼斯建在泥泞的泻湖上,根基不牢,因此饱受下沉的困扰。

subsidence [səb'saɪd(ə)ns; 'sʌbsɪd(ə)ns]:n.下沉;沉淀;陷没

Since 1897, the sea level in Venice has risen by 30 centimeters, and the Mediterranean will rise by up to 1.4 meters before 2100, according to scientists from Italy and France.

自1897年以来,威尼斯的水平面上涨了30厘米。据意大利和法国的科学家所说,地中海海平面在2100年之前还将上涨1.4米。 

Old City of Jerusalem, Israel  以色列耶路撒冷旧城

Regarded as a holy city in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, Jerusalem regularly receives record-breaking numbers of tourists who are on pilgrimages. That's a lot of pressure for a site already straining under a significant population and a lack of maintenance.

耶路撒冷是犹太教、基督教和伊斯兰教的圣城,每年有创纪录的游客前来朝圣。对一座已经饱受人口众多和缺乏维护之苦的旧城来说,显然压力山大。

pilgrimage ['pɪlgrɪmɪdʒ]:n.漫游;朝圣之行

The Old City of Jerusalem, with 220 historic monuments, including the famous Dome of the Rock and Wailing Wall, has been on the UNESCO list of World Heritage in Danger list since 1982. UNESCO has warned that the Old City is in danger from accelerated deterioration, rapid urban or tourist development projects, armed conflict, serious fires, earthquakes, landslides and much more.

耶路撒冷旧城有220处历史遗迹,包括著名的圆顶清真寺和哭墙。自1982年以来,耶路撒冷旧城就入选联合国教科文组织世界濒危遗产名录。联合国教科文组织提醒说,由于退化加速、城市及旅游开发项目加快发展、武装冲突、严重火灾、地震和滑坡等等,耶路撒冷旧城正处于危险之中。

Pamukkale, Turkey  土耳其棉花城堡

Pamukkale, which means “cotton castle” in Turkish, is famous for its gleaming white calcite terraces with warm and mineral-rich waters overrun.

Pamukkale在土耳其语中意思是“棉花城堡”,因闪闪发亮的白色方解石阶地著名,这里还蕴藏着温热且富含矿物质的泉水。

Before being listed as a World Heritage Site in 1988, Pamukkale had been severely damaged by human activities. People filled used hot spring water to fill swimming pools, some visitors stood on the rocks with their shoes on, and some even bathed in the hot springs with soap and shampoo.

在1988年被列为世界遗产之前,棉花城堡就已被人类活动严重损坏。人们用温泉泉水填满游泳池,一些游客穿着鞋站在岩石上,还有一些人甚至在温泉里用肥皂和洗发水沐浴。

To protect the terraces, the Turkish government has decided to demolish the hotels and require all tourists to visit this site barefoot, but it isn't enough to reverse the damage.

为了保护这些阶地,土耳其政府决定拆除宾馆,要求所有游客赤脚游览,但这还不足以扭转破坏情况。

Great Barrier Reef, Australia  澳大利亚大堡礁

Home to 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 species of mollusk, the Great Barrier Reef draws visitors to Australia from all over the world. This legendary 1,200-mile ecosystem along Australia's Queensland coast is one of the world's most renowned wonders.

澳大利亚大堡礁有400种珊瑚、1500种鱼类和4000种软体动物,每年吸引着全球众多游客前来。这里位于昆士兰州沿海,绵延1200英里(约合1931公里),是一处传奇般的生态体系,也是全球最著名的景点之一。

mollusk ['mɒləsk]:n. [无脊椎]软体动物

However, the Great Barrier Reef is expected to be "subjected to increasingly frequent bleaching events, cases in which corals turn white and may die," according to a UNESCO report. The heat waves caused by global warming have killed half of the coral here in only two years, according to a cnn report. Pollution from industrial developments and harmful fishing practices are also big concerns.

但据联合国教科文组织报告,大堡礁将“遭受越来越频繁的白化现象,珊瑚因此变白而死亡。”美国有线新闻网报道称,全球变暖导致的热浪在两年内就已经杀死了一半珊瑚。工业发展导致的污染和有害的捕鱼活动也非常令人担忧。

bleach [bliːtʃ]:vt.使漂白,使变白

The Dead Sea, Jordan  约旦死海

At 423 meters below sea level, the Dead Sea is 10 times saltier than the ocean, meaning that the water is so dense, even tourists who can't swim will be able to float.

死海位于海平面423米以下,咸度是海水的10倍,这意味着海水密度很大,即使不会游泳的游客也能在死海里漂浮。

But the seaside resorts built in the 1980s now sit kilometers away from the water's edge, which has losing a third of its surface area in the past 40 years. The damage is irreversible due to the nature of the mineral industry and the type of agricultural use that has drained the water.

但在上世纪80年代修建的海滨度假区如今距离死海沿岸已有数千公里远。在过去40年,死海表面面积的三分之一已经消失。由于矿产业的特性,这种损害是不可逆的,农业用途也在消耗死海海水。 

The Amazon Rainforest, South America  南美洲亚马逊热带雨林

Home to millions of animals and plant species, the Amazon Rainforest is the world's largest tropical rainforest. Unfortunately, it is quickly disappearing due to illegal logging, drought, soil erosion, water contamination and general climate change. Roughly 5.4 million acres of the forest is cleared each year in Brazil alone.

亚马逊热带雨林中有数百万种动植物,是世界上最大的热带雨林。不幸的是,由于非法采伐、干旱、土壤侵蚀、水污染和普遍的气候变化,这里正在快速消失。每年仅在巴西,就有大约540万英亩(约合218.5公顷)的雨林被砍伐。

The Maldives  马尔代夫

The Maldives, located in the Indian Ocean, is a tropical paradise with luxurious hotels that hover over crystal clear waters brimming with tropical fish - but this vision of bliss will soon be gone.

马尔代夫位于印度洋,是一个有着奢华酒店的热带天堂,热带的鱼儿在清澈见底的海水里游来游去。但这番美景很快也会消失。

Some islands in the Maldives were erased from the map after the deadly tsunami in 2004. Even worse, over 80 percent of the islands sit no more than one meter above sea level, meaning it is the lowest country on Earth and therefore likely to disappear within decades due to rising sea levels.

在2004年一场致命的海啸之后,马尔代夫的一些岛屿从地图上消失了。更糟糕的是,超过80%的岛屿高于海平面的距离不足1米,也就是说,马尔代夫是世界上最低的国家。因此由于海平面的上升,马尔代夫很可能在几十年内消失。