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The Treasure of Costa Rica 哥斯达黎加的珍奇异宝

 

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The beauty of Central America proves all that’s gold doesn’t glitter  中美洲之美，证明了真正的瑰宝未必非得金光闪闪不可（译注：作者在玩gold的文字游戏，黄金会闪闪发亮，但此处的gold指瑰宝、宝藏，指本文中的大自然宝藏，所以不会像黄金一样闪闪发亮）

 

In 1502, as explorer Christopher Columbus sailed across the Atlantic Ocean on his fourth trip to the New World, he discovered Costa Rica. Unfortunately for Columbus, the country’s gold-adorned natives captured his attention, causing him to overlook the real wealth of the land – nature’s bounty.

一五０二年，探险家哥伦布第四次穿越大西洋到新大陆时，发现了哥斯达黎加。很遗憾的是，哥伦布的注意力完全放在穿金戴银的原住民身上，使他忽略了这块土地的真正财宝──来自大自然的恩赐。

 

A paradise of wildlife  野生物天堂

 

If Columbus had realized he’d discovered a “living” gold mine, it may have changed the course of history. He had no way of knowing, however, that Costa Rica (meaning “rich coast”) contained over 500,000 species (of which some 300,000 are insects). That puts this Central American nation among the 20 countries with the greatest biodiversity on Earth.

如果哥伦布知道他发现的是一个「活生生」的金矿的话头（此处的金矿指大自然宝藏，因此是活生生的），历史或许就会因此改变。然而，哥伦布是不可能会知道哥斯达黎加（意指「丰富海岸」）拥有五十多万个物种（其中大约三十万种是昆虫），这点使得这个中美洲国家名列全球生物多样性最丰富的二十国之一。

 

Pacific Coast treasure hunt  太平洋海岸寻宝记

 

Although Columbus only made port on the Caribbean Coast and never saw the Pacific side of the country, only 75 miles separated the country’s two coasts at its narrowest point. So the sky’s the limit these days for seeing wildlife in this third-smallest Central American country with its mountainous cloud forests, volcanic valleys and tropical lowlands. Over 25 percent of Costa Rica’s national territory is protected, which is the largest percentage of total area set aside in the world. The country’s 780-mile-long Pacific Coast (from its border with Nicaragua in the north to Panama in the south), which harbors some of the country’s most abundant species-rich areas, is a guaranteed hotspot to find “treasure.”

虽然哥伦布都是从加勒比海岸登陆，未看过太平洋岸的那一边，但其实两边海岸在哥斯达黎加最狭窄之处的距离只有七十五哩。如今要在这个中美洲第三小国看野生物，机会无穷，哥国拥有云雾雨林、火山谷、热带低地，国土超过四分之一是保护区，是世界上保护区比率最高的国家。哥斯达黎加的太平洋海岸长七百八十哩（从北端与尼加拉瓜接壤处至南端与巴拿马接壤处），涵盖部份哥国物种最丰富的地区，绝对是可以挖到「宝」的热门地点。

 

In the wild  置身野外

 

A visit to Manuel Antonio National Park, the country’s smallest, lets me know I’m on the right course. The park attracts some 150,000 visitors a year who come for the unspoiled, white-sand beaches and to catch sight of some of this biological haven’s 109 mammals and 184 bird species that inhabit this tropical, lowland wet forest (or rainforest). Manuel Antonio’s concentrated diversity exemplifies the kinds of areas that help make Central America and central Mexico known as a Mesoamerican biodiversity hotspot.

参观哥斯达黎加最小的曼纽安东尼奥国家公园，让我知道我来对地方了。每年有十五万游客到此一游，欣赏未受破坏的雪白沙滩，观赏这个生物避风港中、栖息在热带低地雨林的一百零九种哺乳动物及一百八十四种鸟类。中美洲与墨西哥中部素有「中美洲生物多样性热门地点」之称，曼纽安东尼奥小小面积内的高度多样性，正是最佳例证。

 

 

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bounty [ˋbaʊntɪ] n. 慷慨的赠予；礼品；赠款

biodiversity [baɪo͵daɪˋvɝsətɪ] n. 生物多样性 the number and types of plant and animal species that exist in a particular environmental area

make port 入港 enter (a) port

set aside 存储, 留出 to separate and reserve for a special purpose

harbor [ˋhɑrbɚ] v. 包含

unspoiled [ʌnˋspɔɪld] adj. 未损坏的；未受破坏的

Mesoamerican [͵mɛzoəˋmɛrɪkən] adj. & n. 中美洲文化(的)

 

 

 

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The park certainly lives up to its reputation for easy wildlife spotting. As I walk along one of its trails, the wildlife seems to come out of the woodwork. High up on a tree, a three-toes sloth sits motionless. On the forest floor, an agouti, a hare-sized rodent, scurries past.

在公园内果真很容易就能看到野生物的身影。我走在一条步道上，野生物似乎悄然间就出现眼前。一只三趾树懒高坐树上，一动也不动；还有一只野免大小的啮齿类动物，则匆匆从林地上跑过。

 

Hanging out in some nearby trees, a group of White-Faced Capuchins, the most curious of the country’s four monkey species, live up to their nature by watching me as I watch them. Being in the wild with the wildlife was truly a moment to treasure.

在邻近树上晃荡的还有一群白面卷尾猴，我看着牠们，牠们也盯着我看，这习性果然是哥国四种猴子当中最顽皮好奇的一群。在野外与野生动物在一起，确实是值得珍惜的时刻。

 

Treasured, fleeting moments  美好时光瞬间飞逝

 

I’m definitely primed for exploring when we make port at Corcovado National Park, situated on the Osa Peninsula. This park’s reputation as the crown jewel of Costa Rica’s national parks is well-deserved – it has some 400 birds, 140 mammals, 115 amphibians and reptiles and 500 tree species. It also protects the country’s largest populations of Scarlet Macaws. White-Lipped Peccaries and jaguars. Corcovado is also home to the other three monkeys species – Spider, Squirrel and White-Faced.

当我们抵达位于欧萨半岛的康科瓦杜国家公园时，我已蓄势待发、准备好好探索一番。康科瓦杜号称哥斯达黎加国家公园最闪亮的明珠，确非浪得虚名：园内有四百种鸟类、一百四十种哺乳动物、一百一十五种两栖动物及爬虫类、五百种树木、还保护了全国数量最多的绯红金刚鹦鹉、白吻西貒、美洲豹。蜘蛛猴、松鼠猴、白面猴等三种猴子，也生活在这个国家公园内。

 

A blue morpho butterfly stops me in my tracks as it flutters past. The contrasting colors of its bright iridescent blue backside and dull-brown underside mesmerize me until the squawking of Scarlet Macaws pierces the tranquility. Though the dense tangle of trees prevents me from seeing these almost 3-foot-long, brilliantly-colored, bright-red birds, hearing them is joyful.

一只蓝闪蝶翩翩飞过，霎时让我停下脚步，蓝闪蝶的颜色对比强烈，翅膀表面是明亮的虹彩蓝，内面是黯淡的棕色，我看得入神，直到绯红金刚鹦鹉的尖叫声划破了这一片宁静。虽然纠结浓密的树林让我无法看见这些色彩斑斓、几达三呎长的大红鸟儿，但是听到牠们的叫声就够让人愉悦了。

 

Traipsing on with my eyes on the ground to avoid tripping over the mosaic of tree roots helps me sidestep a Whiptail Lizard as it races past my feet with a non-venomous, a-foot Vine Snake hot on its tail. Soon a musky scent of the White-Lipped Peccary fills the air. This 22-inch, 75-pound, pig-like mammal that has a penchant for charging happily stays out of sight.

我继续漫步向前，眼睛看着地上，以免被纠结得宛如镶嵌图案的树根绊倒，也因此得以闪避一只快速奔过我脚边的鞭尾蜥蜴，以及紧追其后的无毒三呎青蛇。空气中很快弥漫着白吻西貒的麝香味，这种身高二十二吋、重七十五磅、外型像猪的哺乳动物，性喜冲撞，还好没有出现在我的视线范围内。

 

I savor each sensory experience, big or small, seen or unseen, as a treasured fleeting moment.

不论大小、可见或不可见，我享受每一个感官经验，犹如瞬间即逝的美好时刻。

 

 

 

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live up to 无愧于; 实践; 符合〔标准〕to carry out; fulfill; to prove equal to

spotting [ˋspɑtɪŋ] n. 定位 the act of detecting something; catching sight of something

agouti [əˋgutɪ] n.【动】刺鼠

scurry [ˋskɝɪ] v. 急匆匆地跑

capuchin [ˋkæpjʊ͵tʃɪn] n.【动】中南美的卷尾猴

fleeting [ˋflitɪŋ] adj. 转瞬间的；短暂的

prime [praɪm] v. 使准备好 completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress

well-deserved 当之无愧

macaw [məˋkɔ] n. 金刚鹦鹉

peccary [ˋpɛkərɪ] n.〔生活在中﹑南美洲的〕西貒; 【动】（原产热带美洲的）野猪

flutter [ˋflʌtɚ] v.（鸟）振翼，拍翅

iridescent [ɪrɪˋdɛsənt] adj.〔因光线不同而〕变色的 showing many bright colors which change with movement

backside [ˋbækˋsaɪd] n. 背部

underside [ˋʌndɚ͵saɪd] n.下侧; 下面; 底部

mesmerize [ˋmɛsmə͵raɪz] v. 迷住；迷惑

squawk [skwɔk] n. 粗厉的叫声

tangle [ˋtæŋg!] n. 乱糟糟的一团

traipse [treps] v.【口】游荡，闲荡

trip [trɪp] v. 绊，绊倒[（+over）]

mosaic [məˋzeɪk] n. 马赛克式的东西; 镶嵌图案 a pattern or mixture of many small things

sidestep [`saɪdˏstɛp] v. 横跨一步以避免〔被打击或撞到人〕

hot on someone’s tail 紧跟某人(物) close to and likely to catch someone you have been chasing

musky [ˋmʌskɪ] adj. 有（或似）麝香气味的

charge [tʃɑrdʒ] v. 向前冲 to rush forward in or as if in a violent attack

out of sight 看不见；目所不见之处 not visible

 

 

 

 

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A taste for the flora  品味植物之美

 

The golden opportunities for making treasure stops along this coast are endless when traveling by ship. While the two previous ports had road access, there are no roads to this spot that’s nestled on Golfs Dulce (meaning Sweet Gulf), one of only three tropical fjords in the world. Casa Orquideas, a family-owned, one-acre oasis that’s been cultivated and tended for almost three decades, is filled with tropical trees, exotic plants and some 100 different orchid species, hence its name, meaning “Orchid House.”

搭船沿着海岸游览，有数不尽的寻幽访胜机会。之前两个港口都有道路可通，但是这一处位于甜蜜海湾的景点，就无路可到了，这里是全世界仅有的三个热带峡湾之一。私人家族拥有的「兰屋」则是占地一英亩大的乐土，主人悉心栽培照顾近三十年，园中有许多热带林木、奇花异草、一百多种不同的兰花品种，因此称为「兰屋」。

 

The paths through the manicured grounds wind past endless species of palms, bromeliads and cycads. There’s even a ylang-ylang, an aromatic plant used as a base for numerous expensive perfumes. Several other species with outlandish-sounding names like cannon ball tree, pickle tree, and gourd tree just reinforce Costa Rica’s status as a “growing” power. There are only two seasons here called verano (or summer, the dry season) and invierno (or winter, the rainy season).

修过的地面上有小径蜿蜒穿过各式各样的棕榈树、菠萝科植物、苏铁类植物，甚至还有一棵依兰树，这种芳香植物是许多昂贵香水的基底。好几种名字相当奇特的植物，如：炮弹树、木胡瓜、酸瓠木，再度证实了哥斯达黎加新兴（栽种）势力的地位（译注：growing power一般指「日渐强大的势力」，grow也有「栽种、培育」之意，在文中一语双关）。哥斯达黎加只有两个季节：夏季，即干季；冬季，即雨季。

 

Orquideas’ collection also includes heliconias, a tropical plant native to the Americas that has around 200 species. The heliconias, named after Mount Helen in Greek Mythology, seems an appropriate name since these plants can grow up to 30 feet high. While heliconias are a favorite for hummingbirds, I’m more partial to nibbling on the sweet pulp around the chocolate seed from a cacao tree at Orquideas’ garden. Now that leaves me with a taste for the flora.

「兰屋」的植物还包括：热带美洲的本土赫蕉属植物，品种约两百种。赫蕉的原文出自希脑神话中的海伦峰，这些植物能长到三十呎高，倒也名副其实。虽然赫蕉是蜂鸟的最爱，我倒是比较偏爱小口咬食兰屋花园可可树可可种子的甜果肉，让我品味到植物之美。

 

Rich coast glitter  美丽海岸闪闪发光

 

After days of natural treasure hunting along this coast, I know I’ve only scratched the surface of the country’s hundreds of thousands of species, but that’s all it takes to convince me that the treasure of Costa Rica is nature – it doesn’t have to glitter to be true gold.

沿着这海岸寻找大自然瑰宝多日之后，我知道自己只接触到哥斯达黎加数十万物种的一小部份而已，不过这些就足够让我深信，哥斯达黎加的宝藏是它的自然景观，毋须金光闪闪就已是人间至宝。

 

−by Susan Zimmerman

 

 

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fjord [fjɔrd] n.〔挪威海岸邊的〕峽灣

oasis [oˋesɪs] n.（沙漠中的）綠洲 a calm, pleasant place, usually in a desert, where there is water and therefore plants and trees

manicured [ˋmænɪkjʊrd] adj.（花園、草坪等）修剪整齊的，整修的

bromeliad [broˋmili͵æd] n. 鳳梨科植物

cycad [ˋsaɪkæd] n. 蘇鐵屬植物；蘇鐵

pickle [ˋpɪk!] n. 醃菜, 泡菜

gourd [gord] n. 葫蘆屬植物；葫蘆

hummingbird [ˋhʌmɪŋ͵bɝd] n.【鳥】蜂鳥

partial [ˋpɑrʃəl] adj.【口】偏愛的[F][（+to）]

nibble [ˋnɪb!] v. 一點點地咬（或吃）

flora [ˋflorə] n. 植物群（尤指某一地區或某一時期的植物群）

glitter [ˋglɪtɚ] v. 閃閃發光，閃爍

 

 

 

 

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adorned [əˋdɔrnd] adj. 穿着, 佩戴着…的 adding something decorative to a person or thing

the sky’s the limit【口】【谚】没有限制 something which means there is no limit to what something or someone can achieve

hotspot [ˋhɑtspɑt] n. 热点 a place of intense activity

haven [ˋhevən] n. 安全地; 避难所 a safe or peaceful place

exemplify [ɪgˋzɛmplə͵faɪ] v. 作为……的例子; 是…的范例 to be a typical example of something

come out of the woodwork 突然出现, 没有预期的出现 to appear after being hidden or not active for a long time; to appear suddenly and unexpectedly

penchant [ˋpɛntʃənt] n. 【法】嗜好﹐爱好〔尤指别人有点不赞成的事物〕a liking for or a habit of doing something, especially something that others might not like

outlandish [aʊtˋlændɪʃ] adj. 古怪的﹐奇異的 strange and unusual

scratch the surface 略懂皮毛, 不夠介入研究 to discover or deal with only a very small part of a subject or problem

 

 

Costa Rica- Manuel Antonio National Park

 

 

Corcovado National Park Wildlife, Wildlife Refuges in Costa Rica

 

 

White Faced Capuchin Monkeys Costa Rica

 

 

Spider Monkeys

 

 

Baby Squirrel Monkeys

 

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Blue morpho butterfly

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