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Namibia: Africa’s Natural Wonderland 纳米比亚：非洲的自然奇境

 

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From sand surfing to exotic wildlife, adventures abound in the world’s oldest living desert  从滑沙到异国风情的奇特野生动物，这片世界上最古老的活沙漠（译注：living意指有动植物生长的沙漠，而非不毛的沙漠）充满冒险刺激

 

I ran a few steps and threw myself across a waxed slab of Formica, starting a screaming free fall down a huge sand dune in Africa. Sandboarding, both on your stomach and, better yet, on your feet, is bigger than big here in Namibia.

我跑了几步，然后飞扑在一块上蜡的福米加板上，在一处非洲巨大沙丘上展开了自由滑落的尖叫之旅。在纳米比亚，滑沙是再刺激不过的活动了，你可以趴着滑，更厉害的是，还可以站着滑。

 

I came to this country expecting the usual Africa experience: elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras.

我到这个国家原本预期会拥有寻常的非洲体验：像是看到大象、长颈鹿、狮子、斑马等等。

 

Who figured I would also find the adventure capital of the continent? My trip was complete with sliding down sand dunes on snowboards, sidehilling on ATVs, trekking by camel, parasailing…. oh yes, and hugging a 300-pound seal.

谁想到我居然发现了非洲大陆的冒险之都。我的旅程包括在滑雪板上滑下沙丘，坐沙滩车斜驶山腰（译注：攀登很陡峭的山坡或沙丘时，由于垂直往上走角度会过于陡峭，因此改用宛如Z字型的方式，逐步斜向往上爬，称为sidehilling），骑骆驼跋涉，玩飞行伞……对了，甚至还拥抱一只三百磅重的海豹喔。

 

But first, there was Swakopmund, a town up the coast of Namibia, which is just above South Africa on Africa’s Atlantic coast.

不过，先让我讲一下纳米比亚的海岸城市史瓦哥蓬吧。纳米比亚位于非洲大西洋沿岸，就在南非的上端。

 

Adventures on sand and sea  沙与海的冒险

 

The sandboard day starts on four-wheeled ATVs, or quad bikes as they are called here. At the base of a 200-foot dune, you pick up your “board” and trudge up to a knife-edge ridge. Up top, you flop across the board and head down, though if you’re chicken like me, you’ll drag your toes. It’s one thing to drive alongside sand dunes in a Jeep, but quite another to surf down the middle of them, floating through a sea of frozen, golden waves.

我们搭乘四轮传动沙滩车展开划沙一日行，这里把沙滩车称为四轮传动摩托车。在两百呎高的沙丘底下，你先挑选「滑板」后，再步履艰难地走到薄如刀刃的丘脊上，你在上头整个人趴在板子上往下冲。当然如果你像我一样胆小，就会用脚趾头抵着地拖滑。开着吉普车沿沙丘行驶是一回事；在沙丘中急冲而下，飘越过一大片静止的金色沙浪则又有另一番风情了。

 

And the seal? That was a whole different experience. The seal’s name is Robbie. He greets tour boats regularly, happily letting people pet him while joyfully nuzzling back. We took off in a small tour boat and were hardly 15 minutes from the dock when Robbie showed up, his large wet eyes expectant.

至于海豹呢，则是一个完全不同的体验。那只海豹名叫洛比。牠会定期向游艇致意，很乐意让人们拍拍牠，还会高兴地用鼻子摩擦回敬游客。我们搭一艘小游艇出发，离开码头不到十五分钟洛比就出现了，牠大而湿润的眼睛带着期盼。

 

The captain held up a fish and Robbie wiggled aboard, where he sat patiently while everyone fed and petted him. And then came the snow-white pelicans, with glowing orange beaks. And the line of cormorants. And the dolphins.

船长拎起一条鱼，洛比扭摆上船，耐心坐着，让每个人喂牠和抚摸牠。然后颜色雪白、有着鲜艳橘色鸟喙的鹈鹕来了，接着是成行的鸬鹚，之后则是海豚。

 

 

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slab [slæb] n. 厚板，平板；厚片

Formica 福米加 a type of hard plastic made into a thin sheet, which is used to cover tabletops and other subjects

dune [djun] n.（风吹积成的）沙丘

on one’s stomach 俯卧, 趴在地上

better yet 更恰当地

ATV (all-terrain vehicle) 全地形车; 沙滩车 a vehicle designed for use over roadless, rugged landscape

trek [trɛk] v. 艰苦跋涉；缓慢地行进 to travel a long distance, usually over land such as hills, mountains or forests

parasailing [ˋpærə͵selɪŋ] n.（驾降落伞由汽艇牵引的）帆伞运动

quad [kwɑt] bike 四轮摩托车

ridge [rɪdʒ] n. 屋脊，山脊

flop [flɑp] v. 扑通落下（或倒下）; 沉重地躺下

chicken [ˋtʃɪkɪn] adj.【俚】胆怯的

frozen [ˋfrozn] adj. 一动不动的

nuzzle [ˋnʌz!] v. 用鼻紧挨；用鼻爱抚

wiggle [ˋwɪg!] v. 摆动；扭动

pelican [ˋpɛlɪkən] n.【鸟】鹈鹕

cormorant [ˋkɔrmərənt] n.【鸟】鸬鹚

 

 

 

 

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The oldest living desert  最古老的沙漠

 

We were beginning to realize Namibia was nothing like the rest of Africa. Originally, this long expanse of desert belonged to South Africa but won independence in 1990. It is miles of sand, grass and mines that spit out everything from gold and diamonds to uranium. But above all, it is part of the Namib, the oldest living desert on Earth.

我们开始明白，纳米比亚一点也不像非洲其他地区。最初这片长而广阔的沙漠属于南非领土，但后来在一九九０年独立。这个地区有绵延的沙、草及能开采从黄金、钻石到铀等矿藏的矿区，但最重要的是，它是纳米布沙漠的一部分，而纳米布沙漠是地球上最古老的沙漠。

 

Our afternoon was spent on the dunes with Tommy Collard, who runs his “Living Desert Tour.” We took out over the dunes, planing weightlessly in our Land Rover like a boat on water.

下午我们和汤米．考乐德一起在沙丘上度过，他提供「活沙漠之旅」服务。我们坐在越野车里，像水上行船一般地轻盈掠拂过沙丘。

 

Suddenly, Tommy leaped out of the car, dug through the sand and came up with a sand-diving lizard, which latched onto his thumb and just hung there.

汤米突然跳下车，挖进沙堆，捞出一条潜在沙里的蜥蜴。蜥蜴缠绕在他的姆指上，就这样挂着。

 

But our real experience with the dunes came at Sossusvlei to the south. The sand here is made of powder-fine bits of quartz, among other minerals. The more the quartz has oxidized, the redder the sand becomes. And at Sossusvlei, the sand is blood red.

但我们真正的沙丘体验却是在南边的索苏维来尝到的。这里的沙是细如粉末的石英和其他矿物组成的。石英氧化的程度愈严重，沙的颜色就会愈红。索苏维来的沙则是血红色的。

 

In early dawn light, the dunes were an incredible swirl of colored patterns outlined in the sand. The light crept up the sand, turning the beige a vibrant salmon. An endless blanket of yellow grass glowed and people atop the dunes cast shadows in a montage of angles and lines.

曙光下，沙丘的沙显现出不可思议的彩色漩涡图案。光线慢慢浮现沙上，将米色转变成明亮的粉鲑色。一整片无际的黄草散发光芒，沙丘顶上的人们在角度与线条合成的图像里投下阴影。

 

Nature’s invitation  大自然的邀请

 

Our host, Hilmar Tonnemacher of Abenteuer Afrika Safari, surprised us with a sundown celebration just outside Swakopmund. Hilmar’s staff had spent hours setting up hundreds of luminarias, creating a sea of glittering lights that climbed the sides of a narrow canyon. Dinner was waiting in a small courtyard.

我们的主人是「非洲狩猎探险公司」的希尔玛．汤马裘，他给了我们一个惊喜，那就是在史瓦哥蓬城外开日落庆宴。希尔玛的员工花了好几个小时安置数百盏灯笼，沿着狭隘峡谷的两侧打造出闪亮的灯海。晚餐就在一座小天井中等着我们。

 

Slowly, we began to relax and understand. “In Namibia, nature reaches out and touches you,” Hilmar had said. “It’s subtle. You might not feel it the first day, but it will make you feel well and happy.”

我们慢慢开始放松，也逐渐领悟。「在纳米比亚，大自然会伸出手来碰触你，」希尔玛曾经说过：「这是很微妙的感觉。你第一天可能无法体会，但它会让你觉得幸福快乐。」

 

 

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spit out 吐出 release

uranium [jʊˋrenɪəm] n.【化】铀

above all 最重要的, 尤其 most especially, most importantly

take out 动身, 开始 Informal to begin a course; set out

dive [daɪv] v. 潜水; 下潜

latch [lætʃ] v. 附着（在某物上）

oxidize [ˋɑksə͵daɪz] v. 氧化；生锈 for a substance to combine with oxygen and lose hydrogen, forming another substance

outline [ˋaʊt͵laɪn] v. 画出……的轮廓，画……的略图

creep [krip] v. 不知不觉地到来；渐渐产生 advance stealthily or unnoticed

beige [beʒ] n. 米黄色

salmon [ˋsæmən] n. 鲑肉色，浅橙色 pink-orange, pinkish-orange

safari [səˋfɑrɪ] n. 非洲的（狩猎）旅行

sundown [ˋsʌn͵daʊn] n. 日落；黄昏

luminaria [͵luməˋnɛrɪə] n.（墨西哥的）传统圣诞灯（一种棕色纸灯，内燃蜡烛）a type of lantern with a lighted candle set in sand inside a small decorative paper bag

glittering [ˈglɪtərɪŋ] adj. 闪闪发光的

courtyard [ˋkortˋjɑrd] n. 庭院；天井

reach out 伸出 move forward or upward in order to touch

 

 

 

 

 

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Experiencing wildlife in luxury  体验奢华的荒野生活

 

From Swakopmund, we flew by private plane to Etosha, Namibia’s great wildlife reserve.

我们从史瓦哥蓬搭私人飞机到埃托夏，这是纳米比亚绝佳的野生动物保育区。

 

Here’s where you find the herds of elephants and giraffes silhouetted against a blood-red setting sun, where jackals skulk near water holes, where rhino and buffalo and herds of springbok wander past.

在这里你会看到成群的大象与长颈鹿在血红落日背景衬托下的身影，还有胡狼偷偷摸摸地接近水洼，而犀牛、水牛和成群的跳羚也晃荡而过。

 

We found Okaukuejo Premier Waterhole Chalets, the largest of Namibia Wildlife Resort’s safari lodges.

我们找到「欧卡屋库埃乔顶级水洼小屋」，这是「纳米比亚野生度假中心」最大的狩猎小屋。

 

Over the past several years, the lodges have been completely remade into something that could come from the pages of an architectural magazine. Simple but elegant décor includes beds romantically covered in soft pillows, duvets and mosquito netting. With marble floors and tasteful African art, it’s all very, very upscale.

过去几年来，小屋已经完全被改造成像建筑杂志扉页里的图片一样了。简单优雅的装饰包括覆盖着柔软枕头、羽绒被及蚊帐的浪漫睡床。大理石地板及饶富品味的非洲艺术品，让一切显得非常、非常高档。

 

Okaukuejo means “premier water hole.” The gathering at the resort’s water hole just yards from our chalet was nothing less than majestic. The animals moved in at sunset and by 7:30 p.m., there were 14 elephants including half a dozen babies, along with a couple of rare black rhinos, half a dozen wart hogs and who knows what else in the tangle of legs, trunks and hooves.

欧卡屋库埃乔的意思是「顶级水洼」。就在离我们小屋数码之外，度假区水洼的聚会只有壮观足以形容之。日落时，动物都靠了过来，晚上七点半时，有十四只象──包括六只象宝宝，还有两只稀有黑犀牛，和六只疣猪。在一堆交错的脚、象鼻和蹄子当中，谁知道还藏着哪些动物。

 

Eventually, a jackal wandered by, looking like someone’s scruffy lost dog. We were told that bright spotlights keep the animals from seeing us but there’s no doubt that jackal knew. He drank, then came in to look us over and deliberately made eye contact before nimbly leaping over the spike-topped rock wall and disappearing into the darkness between our cabins.

终于有一只胡狼晃过，看起来像是谁家走失的落魄狗儿。我们被告知，耀眼的聚光灯可以让动物看不到我们，但那只胡狼一定知道，因为牠先喝水，然后走近审视我们一番，故意和我们的目光接触后，才机灵地跃过顶端布满尖钉的石墙，消失在小屋之间的黑幕中。

 

The Jackal was gone but the people stayed. They were still out there at midnight, watching the parade go by.

胡狼走了，但人们留了下来。午夜时分，他们仍在外流连，看着动物奇观游行般地（译注：此parade是比喻性的说法）经过。

 

−by Yvette Cardozo

 

 

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silhouette [͵sɪlʊˋɛt] v. 使现出轮廓

set [sɛt] v.（日，月等）落，下沉

jackal [ˋdʒækɔl] n.【动】豺，胡狼

skulk [skʌlk] v. 躲藏；潜伏

springbok [ˋsprɪŋ͵bɑk] n.【动】跳羚（产于非洲南部，受惊时能高跃）

waterhole [ˋwɔtɚhol] n. 水坑；水洼；水泉

chalet [ˋʃæle] n. 瑞士的农舍; 小木屋

décor [deˋkɔr] n. 装饰，室内装潢 the style and layout of interior furnishings

duvet [djʊˋve] n. 羽绒被

upscale [ˋʌp͵skel] adj. 高档的

nothing less than 与...一模一样; 无异于, 完全是 strongly showing this quality; nothing short of something

wart hog【动】（非洲野生）疣猪

tangle [ˋtæŋg!] n. 乱糟糟的一团[S][（+of）]

trunk [trʌŋk] n. 象鼻

hoof [huf] n. 蹄

scruffy [ˋskrʌfɪ] adj. 邋遢的; 不整洁的; 破旧的

spotlight [ˋspɑt͵laɪt] n.（汽车上的）反光灯，探路灯

look someone over  仔细检查, 粗略地看一遍 to examine someone very carefully

spike [spaɪk] n. 墙头钉；尖铁

 

 

 

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Vocabulary Focus

trudge [trʌdʒ] v. 跋涉，步履艰难地走 to walk slowly with a lot of effort, especially over a difficult surface or while carrying something heavy

expectant [ɪkˋspɛktənt] adj. 期待着的；盼望着的 thinking that something pleasant or exciting is going to happen

expanse [ɪkˋspæns] n. 广阔区域; 延伸部分 a large, open area of land, sea or sky

plane [plen] v. （水上飞机等）在水面滑行，在水面掠过 to travel over the surface of water, rising partly out of the water and skimming along the surface; to soar or glide

montage [mɑnˋtɑʒ] n. 综合画；拼集的照片 something produced by combining various smaller parts

subtle [ˋsʌt!] adj. 微妙的，难捉摸的 not loud, bright, noticeable or obvious

silhouetted [͵sɪlʊˋɛtɪd] adj. 显出轮廓的，显示影像的 viewed as a dark shape seen against a light background

deliberately [dɪˋlɪbərɪtlɪ] adv. 故意地，蓄意地 in an intentional or planned manner

nimbly [ˋnɪmblɪ] adv. 敏捷地；机灵地 moving in manner that is quick and exact

 

 

NAMIBIA: the place of the grace. Experience it yourself

 

 

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