人教版英语选修第二册 unit 4 Reading and Writing

XU XIAKE’S GUILIN

徐霞客的桂林

It is 10 in the morning, and I am travelling by raft down the Li River.

上午十点，我正乘着竹筏沿漓江顺流而下。

The sun is already burning hot even though it has not yet reached full strength, but a calm breeze cools my skin.

太阳尚未升至最高点，却已是酷热难耐，一阵清风拂过，带来丝丝凉意。

So far the day is wonderful, but the purpose of my trip is not just to have fun: I am following in the footsteps of Xu Xiake (1587–1641), the famous Chinese travel writer and geographer.

这一天十分惬意，但此行不只是游玩。我追寻着徐霞客（1587–1641）的足迹，他是中国著名旅行家、地理学家。

Though Xu was from Jiangsu, he spent more than 30 years travelling throughout the country, and greatly admired my destination today—Ox Gorge.

徐霞客虽是江苏人，却用三十余年游历全国。他十分向往我今天的目的地——黄牛峡。

As we flow down the river, we are surrounded by steep hills sticking up into the sky—karsts.

竹筏沿江前行，拔地而起的陡峭山峰环绕四周，这便是喀斯特地貌。

Unique among mountains, karsts were formed over thousands of years as rain drained into the acidic soil and melted the soft rock, leaving the harder rock behind.

喀斯特地貌与众不同。千百年来，雨水渗入酸性土壤，溶蚀松软岩石，坚硬岩石留存下来，造就了这般奇景。

Guangxi is full of karsts, giving it some of the most interesting—and beautiful—scenery in the world.

广西遍布喀斯特峰林，拥有世界上最奇特秀丽的风光。

Xu was one of the first people to make a careful study of Guilin’s karsts and their related cave systems.

徐霞客是最早细致研究桂林喀斯特地貌与溶洞群的人之一。

He, like many people today, found them fascinating.

和如今许多人一样，他深深沉醉于此。

Suddenly, our raft hits some rapids, and I find myself covered in water.

忽然，竹筏撞上急流，水花溅了我一身。

I turn to my raftsman and we share a laugh.

我望向筏工，两人相视一笑。

The water not only keeps us cool, but it is all part of the adventure.

江水不仅驱散暑气，也是这场旅途的乐趣所在。

What made someone like Xu spend years travelling thousands of kilometres away from home?

是什么驱使徐霞客常年远行，跋涉千里？

Perhaps it’s the same reason as mine: to explore the world and to discover new things.

或许和我的想法一样：探索天地，探寻新知。

As Xu wrote, “A great man should in the morning be at the blue sea, and in the evening at Mount Cangwu. Why should I restrict myself to one corner of the world?”

正如徐霞客所言：“大丈夫当朝碧海而暮苍梧，何囿于一隅？”

Xu was not alone.

像他这样游历四方的人并不少见。

Much like today, the late Ming Dynasty was a golden age of tourism within China.

和当下相似，明末是国内旅行的黄金时期。

People travelled hundreds of kilometres to visit temples, go mountain climbing, or explore scenery.

人们不远百里，访古寺、登高山、寻美景。

Yet, perhaps no one in China travelled farther or longer than Xu Xiake.

然而，在中国，或许没有人的行程比徐霞客更远、更久。

At least, if anyone did they did not write about it.

就算有，也没有留下文字记录。

When our raft reaches Ox Gorge, it proves to be every bit as beautiful as I expected—a watery heaven on earth.

竹筏抵达黄牛峡，风光和我预想的一样秀美，宛如水上仙境。

The raft is tied up, and then I head out to explore.

我拴好竹筏，动身前去游览。

That afternoon, I find a cave on the river.

那天下午，我在江边发现一处岩洞。

I wade into it and the water grows shallower, until finally I am walking on dry land.

我涉水走入洞中，水位渐渐变浅，最后踏上干燥的地面。

Up ahead I see a light and hear laughter echoing off the cave walls.

前方透出光亮，阵阵笑声在岩壁间回荡。

There is a large pool of mud, and a group of young people are jumping into it and swimming around.

洞里有一大片泥塘，一群年轻人正跳进泥里嬉戏。

I run and join them.

我跑过去，和他们一同玩耍。

Soon, like my new friends, I am covered in gray mud from head to toe.

没多久，我和新伙伴一样，从头到脚沾满灰泥。

After an hour of play, I head back out of the cave and take a swim in the river to get clean.

玩了一小时后，我走出岩洞，跳进江中洗去泥浆。

And I wonder, when Xu Xiake came here nearly five hundred years ago, did he examine the mud like a scientist? Or did he jump in?

我不禁遐想，五百年前徐霞客来到此地，是像学者一般观察泥土，还是也纵身跃入泥塘？

Of course he jumped in. You know he did.

他当然会跳进去。我确信如此。

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