2023年8月

哈利路亚山，张家界国家森林公园，中国 'Avatar' Mountains, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China (© Amazing Aerial Premium/Shutterstock)

挑战地心引力的世界奇观 Gravity-defying wonders of the world

哈利路亚山，张家界国家森林公园，中国

哈利路亚山是位于中国湖南省张家界国家森林公园内的一处胜景。这些石柱曾出现在电影《阿凡达》中，那些高耸的石英砂岩峰林正是悬浮山的灵感来源。2010年1月25日，张家界南天一柱被更名为《阿凡达》哈利路亚山。据了解，电影《阿凡达》中“潘多拉星球”中的大量原型来源于张家界群山，其中“南天一柱”图片就成为“哈利路亚山”即悬浮山的原型。1992年，包括“南天一柱”（哈利路亚山）在内的武陵源风景名胜区被联合国教科文组织列为世界遗产。现在，这个地方每年都吸引着数百万的游客前来欣赏该地引入入胜的美景。此外，公园里还分布着许多徒步小径和玻璃悬空栈道，以便游客们欣赏哈利路亚山的全景。

'Avatar Mountains,' Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, China

These stunning stone spires, rising from the forest in China's Hunan province, are said to have inspired the floating mountains of the movie 'Avatar.' There are more than 3,000 of these quartz-sandstone pillars in Zhangjiajie National Forest Park, often swathed in mist, part of a spectacular landscape that has inspired generations of painters. These days, they are popularly known as the 'Avatar Mountains' and one, the 3,544-foot-high Southern Sky Pillar, was officially renamed as 'Avatar Hallelujah Mountain' in 2010, the year after the blockbuster movie was released.

The spires sit within the wider Wulingyuan Scenic and Historic Interest Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and attract millions of tourists each year who come to marvel at their otherworldly beauty. The park is dotted with numerous hiking trails and glass-bottomed skywalks, allowing visitors to enjoy panoramic views of this natural wonder.

罕肯瀑布,威尔斯格雷省立公园, 加拿大不列颠哥伦比亚省 Helmcken Falls, Wells Gray Provincial Park, British Columbia, Canada (© Laurens Verhoeven/Getty Images)

听它咆哮！ Hear it roar!

罕肯瀑布,威尔斯格雷省立公园

罕肯瀑布 (Helmcken Falls) 坐落在威尔斯格雷省立公园 (Wells Gray Province Park) 内，是一处令人惊叹的自然奇观。威尔斯格雷省立公园就是为了保护这座优美的瀑布而建立的。为政府工作的土地测量员罗伯特·亨利·李发现了这处大自然带给我们的天然珍宝。这座雄伟的瀑布是加拿大第五高的瀑布，从陡峭的大约有141米的高度火山岩悬崖上倾泻而下，释放出飘逸的雾气，在阳光下翩翩起舞，也形成了彩虹与瀑布相互映衬的绝美景观。

基韦斯特的七英里大桥，佛罗里达州，美国 Seven Mile Bridge in the Florida Keys (© Evgeny Vasenev/Cavan Images)

一把通向岛屿的钥匙 A key to island travel

七英里大桥，佛罗里达州，美国

很久很久以前，佛罗里达州住着一位富有的实业家，名叫亨利·弗拉格勒。他启动了一项艰巨的工程：修建一条连接佛罗里达大陆和基韦斯特的跨海铁路。最终，七英里桥于1912年正式落成，被称为世界第八大奇迹。然而，奇迹并不长久，1935年，这座大桥遭遇飓风从而停止了运营。后来，这座桥被卖给了美国政府，经历重建后摇身一变，成了一条汽车高速公路，于1938年重新开放。

如今，你若到访这座久负盛名的七英里桥，你会发现两座桥：一座是老七英里桥，仅对行人和骑自行车的人开放，另一座是于1982年建成的新七英里桥，用于车辆通行。好莱坞大片《杀人执照》和《真实的谎言》中都曾出现过这座桥的身影。

Overseas Highway, Florida Keys

Once upon a time, there lived a wealthy industrialist, Henry Flagler, who embarked on the herculean task of creating an overseas railway connecting mainland Florida to Key West. When it opened in 1912, it was dubbed the Eighth Wonder of the World. However, the triumph was short-lived. It was hit by a hurricane on Labor Day, 1935 and the railroad discontinued operations. The railway was sold to the US government and rebuilt as an automobile highway, opening in 1938.

These days, the Overseas Highway still stretches about 113 miles through the Florida Keys over 42 bridges, which jump from island to island over the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico. Many of the original bridges were replaced in 1982, including the longest, the Seven Mile Bridge pictured in the distance in our homepage image. Drivers crossing the Overseas Highway can still see remnants of some of the old bridges running alongside their replacements, including the Old Seven Mile Bridge, a section of which was renovated for cyclists and pedestrians. An engineering marvel, the ‘highway that goes to sea' has also featured in blockbusters like 'License to Kill' and 'True Lies.'

四月九日广场，陶尔米纳，西西里岛，意大利 Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina, Sicily, Italy (© rudi1976/Alamy)

发光的矩形广场 A glowing square of squares

四月九日广场，陶尔米纳，意大利

陶尔米纳，一颗镶嵌在西西里岛上的美丽明珠，毗邻古希腊殖民地纳克索斯，被爱奥尼亚海和风景如画的伊索拉贝拉岛所环绕。自19世纪以来，这个美丽的小镇一直是旅游胜地。
陶尔米纳的中心便是四月九日广场，广场四周布满各种风格的咖啡馆、小酒吧以及正在为游客画像的浪漫艺术家。你可以坐下来喝杯卡布奇诺，享受陶尔米纳的轻松度假氛围，也可以站在阳台上可以远眺埃特纳山、陶尔米纳古剧场遗址和纳克索斯湾的壮丽景色。

Piazza IX Aprile, Taormina, Sicily, Italy

Welcome to Taormina, an historic Italian resort built into a hillside high above the Ionian Sea on the coast of Sicily. From here you can take in panoramic views of the coast of Calabria, on the Italian mainland, the city of Syracuse, and Mount Etna, roughly 20 miles away.

Our homepage image shows the town's main square, the Piazza IX Aprile, with a Baroque church and bell tower, the Chiesa di San Giuseppe, and an historic clock tower. The square is seen as an elegant 'public living room' with many outdoor bars and artists waiting to paint your portrait.

英仙座流星雨，白杨木峡谷州立公园，俄勒冈州，美国 Perseid meteor shower, Cottonwood Canyon State Park, Oregon (© Joshua Meador/Tandem Stills + Motion)

抬头看，它来了 Look up, incoming…

英仙座流星雨

当我们的祖先看到安静的夜空突然下起流星雨，他们会是什么感受？是惊惧还是惊叹？好在现在的我们已经知道，这是一场年度“灯光秀”，被称为英仙座流星雨，活跃期一般在每年的7月中旬至8月下旬。英仙座流星雨是由地球穿过斯威夫特-塔特尔彗星留下的碎片造成的，当这些碎片撞击地球大气层，就会产生炽热的流星雨。今天正是英仙座流星雨的高峰期，月亮预计只有10%的亮度，今晚可千万别错过“赏雨”哦！

Perseid meteor shower over Oregon

What must our ancestors have thought when they saw meteors light up the night sky? Was it terrifying or an event of wonder? Thankfully, we now know that this celestial cascade is a harmless annual event. The Perseid meteor shower thrills stargazers from mid-July to late August and is due to peak today. The Perseids are caused by Earth passing through debris left behind by the Comet Swift-Tuttle. When the cosmic debris hits our atmosphere, it disintegrates in a colorful, fiery light display. It's a good night to catch the Perseids if you can—the moon is projected to only be 10% illuminated, so the meteors should really stand out against the dark sky.

土著艺术品，Ngaruwanajirri艺术中心，Wurrumiyanga，巴瑟斯特岛，澳大利亚 Indigenous artwork, Ngaruwanajirri Art Centre, Wurrumiyanga, Bathurst Island, Australia (© Robert Wyatt/Alamy)

世界土著人民的一天 A day for the world's Indigenous populations

世界土著人民国际日

据估计，地球上有4.76亿土著人，这个术语的意思是“起源于土地”或土著人，指的是一个地区第一批已知居民的后代。他们约占全球人口的6%，但会说世界上估计7000种语言中的一半以上。我们今天的主页展示了澳大利亚提维人的艺术，他们在只有2000人的社区中说一种独特的语言，与另一种已知的语言没有联系。殖民主义长期以来一直影响着土著人民，导致高贫困率、语言和传统土地的丧失。联合国于1994年首次举办了世界土著人民国际日，每年8月9日，他们都会关注维护世界上最古老文化的权利、尊严和存在的斗争。

International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples

Earth is home to an estimated 476 million Indigenous people, a term meaning 'sprung from the land' or native, which refers to the descendants of an area's first-known inhabitants. They represent about 6% of the global population but speak more than half of the world's estimated 7,000 languages. Our homepage today showcases the art of the Tiwi people of Australia, who speak a unique language unlinked to another other known language, in their community of only 2,000 people. Colonization has long impacted Indigenous people, contributing to high rates of poverty and loss of language and traditional lands. The UN first held the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples in 1994, and every August 9 they bring attention to the fight to preserve the rights, dignity, and existence of the world's oldest cultures.

马苏阿的甜面包海蚀柱，撒丁岛，意大利 (© DaLiu/Getty Images)

壮观的自然古迹

甜面包海蚀柱，撒丁岛，意大利

马苏阿是意大利伊格莱西亚斯市的一个小镇，周围环绕着地中海植物群，两侧是高耸的石灰岩悬崖。那些喜欢钓鱼、浮潜或水肺潜水的人会喜欢这个位置，因为这里晶莹剔透的海水和极佳的能见度。然而，壮丽的甜面包海蚀柱是一个巨大的石堆，从海滩前的水面上浮现出来——事实证明是它是该海湾的主要景点。它的名字来源于巴西里约热内卢的一个命名为甜面包的海蚀柱岩层，由于与它惊人的相似，游客们都会与它联系在一起。尽管甜面包海蚀柱的表面积只有30平方米，但它却异常高大，高出海面133米。小岛的西北和东南两侧有天然的拱门和画廊，石头是在这些地方被侵蚀而雕刻出来的。如果有人敢的话，一艘小船可以穿过那里的一条隧道。

五花海，阿坝九寨沟旅游景区，四川省，中国 five-flower lake, Aba Jiuzhaigou Tourist Area, Sichuan Province, China (© Michael Ver Sprill/Getty Images)

恍若童话世界，胜似人间仙境 Like a fairy tale world

五花海，九寨沟，中国四川省

在立秋的这一天，我们带您来欣赏一下九寨沟五花海绝美景色。中国的秋季景色堪称四季之最，树木层林尽染，叠翠流金。虽然酷热与凉爽的分水岭并不在立秋这一天，但是人们在经历了一个夏季的高温季节后，开始期待秋日的凉爽温度，也开始期待出门欣赏秋季的美景。

九寨沟五花海之美在于能够在同一水域中呈现出鹅黄、墨绿、深蓝、藏青等色，色彩缤纷，是九寨沟各个景点中最为精彩的景点之一。进入秋季的九寨沟恍若童话世界，胜似人间仙境！翠海、叠瀑、彩林、雪峰，演绎着赤、橙、黄、绿、青、蓝、紫的梦幻组合，令人几乎不敢相信眼前的现实！

地上一点，天上万千 One on land, a million in space

博迪岛灯塔，北卡罗来纳州，美国

作为信标、警告、亦是希望和回家的象征，灯塔已经存在了几千年。几个世纪以来，科技一直在进步，如今的灯塔技术远非几百年前的灯塔可比，人们在20英里之外就能看见现代灯塔的灯光。今天照片里展示的是始建于1872年的博迪岛灯塔，它俯瞰一片被称为大西洋坟场的海域。自建成之日起它就在和头顶群星争辉，指引水手回到安全的港湾。

National Lighthouse Day

Happy National Lighthouse Day! A beacon, a warning, and a symbol of hope and home, lighthouses have existed for thousands of years. The earliest known was the Pharos of Alexandria, which stood an estimated 330 feet tall. Built by the ancient Egyptians in the 3rd century BCE, an open fire was lit at its highest part to guide ships into port. Illumination technology advanced over the centuries, culminating in today's electric versions beaming light that can be seen from over 20 miles away. North Carolina's Bodie Island Lighthouse, pictured here, was built in 1872 and overlooks a section of ocean once known as the Graveyard of the Atlantic. Since then, it's been doing its best to outshine the stars above, as it guides sailors home to safe harbor.

一面反映大自然之美的镜子 A mirror reflecting nature's beauty

镜池，长野，日本

迷人的镜池坐落在日本长野。水池周围清幽的环境完美倒映在这个人工水库的镜面般的湖水中。被郁郁葱葱的绿色植物和户隐山脉所包围的镜池，四季的风景都各有千秋。在樱花盛开的季节，瓣瓣樱花会随着微风在湖面起伏。秋日，周围橙黄的树木倒映在湖面上，仿佛湖中也有一片人间仙境。

Kagami-ike, Nagano, Japan

This serene Japanese landscape is reflected in the still waters of an artificial reservoir known as Kagami-ike, meaning ‘mirror pond.' Surrounded by lush greenery and the Togakushi Mountain Range in Nagano Prefecture, Kagami-ike emerges from the morning mists to create an enchanting spectacle. During the cherry blossom season, visitors walk among sakura petals that float along the breeze while, in autumn, they can enjoy its surrounding orange and yellow foliage. This secluded spot is a wonderfully peaceful place for mindful meditation and self-reflection.

星空迷