世界上十大令人叹为观止的美景(上)

There are many things that can leave someonebreathless, aside from grinding out a triathlon orspending time at high altitudes. The sight of a brideon her wedding day may take the breath from agroom-to-be. Witnessing an orchestra play aMozart symphony in a grand concert hall might doit as well. Perhaps the sight of your baby being bornmight do the trick.

除了参与“铁人三项”的运动或者在高原地区生活，世界上还有很多会让人窒息的事。准新郎在婚礼当天看到美丽新娘的刹那可能会被惊艳到窒息;在音乐大厅聆听乐团演奏莫扎特交响曲时，你可能会被震撼到窒息。再也许，当你第一眼看到刚出生的宝宝时也会激动到窒息。

But sometimes it's not a life event at all, but the mere sight of something awe-inspiring. Youstand before it, a chill comes over you and your breath becomes shallow and measured. Onecan only imagine the early settlers making their way across the American West and riding up tothe rim of the Grand Canyon for the first time. The feeling they must have gotten is likelysimilar to what a modern tourist might feel when faced with that same breathtaking vista. TheGrand Canyon makes the cut on our list, along with nine other breathtaking views around theglobe.

然而有时候让你惊叹的常常不是一些生活中的具体事情，仅仅只是你看到的某些东西。站在这些事物面前，你会感觉心头一颤，呼吸也变得急促起来。你们大可以想象早期移民者穿越美国西部过程中，在科罗拉多大峡谷边缘看到的景象。面对这令人叹为观止的景色时，他们一定和现在的游客有过一样感受。本文中，美国的大峡谷，连同全球各地的其他九大美景，为读者朋友们呈现出十大无与伦比的景观。

10.Top of the Empire State Building

10.帝国大厦之顶

The expanse of New York City's urban jungle is something that's left many tourists over theyears confused and maybe a little intimidated. Street level is where the action is, but if youreally want to take it all in and leave your breath behind, there's no better way than to take thelong elevator ride to the observation deck of the Empire State Building (ESB). Since the fallof the Twin Towers on Sept. 11, 2001, the ESB has regained its status as the tallest building inNew York. This National Historic landmark climbs more than a quarter of a mile straight up,with the observation deck located 1,050 feet (320 meters) above the city streets on the 86thfloor. The view from the deck has taken the breath away from more than 110 million visitorssince it opened in 1931. The deck offers a 360 degree vista of the 230 buildings that are atleast 30 stories high, including an unparalleled view of the chrome spires of the legendaryChrysler Building.

纽约城庞大复杂——也许还带着点儿恐怖意味的城市建筑多年来一直让游客很头疼。游客通常在街道上欣赏这些城市美景，但是如果你非要把它一次性尽收眼底，就抛开你的恐惧，乘上电梯直达帝国大厦观景台。自从2001年9月11日双子塔倒塌后，帝国大厦就是纽约城最高的建筑了。这座国家历史性地标垂直高度达400多米，观景台大约在距地面320米处，相当于地面高楼第86层的高度。自1931年对公众开放以来，大厦已经吸引了1.1亿多游客前来参观。大厦观景台提供了360度的视角，可以看到230幢至少30层楼高的大厦，包括传说中壮观得无与伦比的克莱斯勒大厦楼顶。

9.Top of the Eiffel Tower

9.埃菲尔铁塔之顶

What the Empire State Building offers New York tourists, the Eiffel Tower matches in Paris. Andwhile the City of Lights doesn't have the kind of jaw-dropping skyscrapers that Gotham does,it's still a breathtaking view once you take the elevator ride up the tower to the observationdeck. At 984 feet (320 meters), the tower is the second tallest structure in France, behind theMillau Viaduct, and was the tallest in the world until the completion of the Empire StateBuilding. While there are 1,671 steps that go to the top of the tower, visitors can only climb tothe first and second tiers at 189 feet (57 meters) and 379 feet (115 meters). In order to go tothe top lookout for the most breathtaking view, you need to ride one of two elevators that makethe trip every eight minutes -- about 100 per day. For the best viewing, show up about anhour before sunset and take in the "magic hour" before the sea of yellow lights come to life asdarkness falls.

巴黎旅行必去埃菲尔铁塔，如同纽约旅行必去帝国大厦。虽然巴黎的灯光不如纽约摩天大楼的璀璨灯光来的让人瞠目结舌，但是乘电梯直上埃菲尔铁塔观景台，壮观的景象依然会让人震惊。塔高320米，是法国第二高建筑，仅次于米洛高架桥，在美国帝国大厦竣工前埃菲尔铁塔一直是世界最高建筑。通往塔顶的台阶有1671个，通常游客只能达到57米高的第一层和115米高的第二层。为了达到塔顶看到壮景，人们需要乘坐电梯，那里有两架电梯，每8分钟一个班次，一天来回约100次。为了欣赏最美的景色，你可以日落前一个小时到达埃菲尔塔顶，然后感受那具有魔幻色彩的一小时——夜色降临前，夕阳余晖洒落海面。

8.Rim of the Grand Canyon

8.科罗拉多大峡谷的边缘

The shining star of the National Park Service program in the United States, the Grand Canyonhosts more than 5 million visitors each year. Standing on the edge of the canyon rim issomething that can only be fully understood by doing it yourself. No words can aptly describe,and no photograph can fully capture the sheer size and magnitude of the natural worldwonder. It truly does take your breath away and is something that must be experienced inperson. The canyon is a jaw-dropping 277 miles (445.7 kilometers) long and 18 miles (29kilometers) wide at its widest point and we can thank the Colorado River for forming it over aperiod of about 3 to 6 million years. For a little more solitude, try venturing out to the moredistant North Rim. This section of the canyon is no less breathtaking, and gets about 10percent the number of visitors as the more heavily frequented South Rim.

科罗拉多大峡谷作为国家公园服务项目中闪耀的明星，每年接待超过500万名的游客。只有亲身站在峡谷的边缘才能完全理解这一切。没有任何语言可以形容这样的景色，没有一张照片可以完全把这个规模宏大的世界级自然奇迹收纳进去。它的景色的确美得令人窒息，而且这种无法形容的美必须亲自体验。科罗拉多大峡谷长达277英里(相当于445.7千米)，最宽处有18英里(即29千米)。对此，我们应该感谢科罗拉多河——经过它三百到六百万年的冲刷，这峡谷景观才得以形成。另外，喜欢清静的话就去探索更远的北部峡谷边缘，那里的景色丝毫不比其他地区差，并且大部分游客通常都是去南缘观景的，只有大约10%的游客才会去峡谷北缘。

7.Summit of Mount Everest

7.珠穆朗玛峰的峰顶

This view takes your breath away in more than one way. Not only will you feel like you're at thetop of the world at the summit of Nepal's Mount Everest, but the incredible altitude willliterally leave you breathless. Everest was formed about 60 million years ago and is the tallestpeak (from sea level) on the planet at 29,035 feet (8,850 meters). Because of the extremeweather conditions at the summit, climbers rarely attempt to complete the ascent outside ofthe months of May and June, when the jet stream is pushed north. If you do choose to makethe ascent, you may come across some dead bodies along the way. There are about 120 bodiesof those that the mountain has claimed on your path to the top -- they've been impossible toremove. But don't let that dissuade you. If you're an experienced mountaineer, you can beone of the 150 people that attempt to reach the summit each year. Once you're at the top,have your camera ready, because you'll only be there for a few minutes before you start yourdescent.

这里的景色会以不同的形式令你屏息。珠峰峰顶不仅仅会让你感受到自己正站在世界的最高处，它那高得令人难以置信的海拔也会让你无法呼吸。珠穆朗玛峰形成于6000万年前，它的最高峰(从海平面算起)有29035英尺(8850米)。由于珠峰顶上极端恶劣的天气情况，除了5月和6月——这两个月的急流是向北的，天气较为温暖，登山者很少尝试去爬完全程。如果你选择登山，沿途也许你会看到一些尸体。在通往峰顶的路上，大约有120具已经无法被移动的登山者的尸体。但是不要让这些成为你登顶的障碍。如果你是一个经验丰富的登山家，你完全可能成为每年成功登顶的150个人中的一位。一旦你站在峰顶，准备好你的相机，因为几分钟之后你就要开始下山。

6.Top of Machu Picchu

6.马丘比丘之端

The Incan ruins at Machu Picchu have been the subject of research and speculation since theirrediscovery in 1911. While Peruvians knew about this "Lost City of the Incas" above theUrubamba Valley, they weren't excavated and examined by historians until Hiram Bingham didso in 1911. Ever since then, the tiered stone ruins have been on the radar of historians,anthropologists and tourists alike. Nobody is exactly sure why the Inca people built thisarchitectural wonder, but some theories include use as a destination for religious pilgrimages,a retreat for Incan rulers or as an astronomical observatory. Whatever its purpose, to viewthe ruins that sit unseen from below remains one of the truly breathtaking things you can takepart in. The three distinct areas constructed in the 1400s (agricultural, urban and religious)are all built to blend seamlessly into the surrounding natural environment. The combinationof the history, mystery and natural wonder of Machu Picchu make it one of the new SevenWonders of the World.

马丘比丘——印加帝国的遗迹，在1911年被重新发现后一直是人们研究和思索的对象。当初秘鲁人得知坐落在乌鲁班巴河谷之上的这座“失落的印加城市”时，并没有任何的历史学家去挖掘和研究它，直到1911年，海勒姆·宾厄姆才首次着手研究马丘比丘。从此之后，这个石城遗迹备受广大历史学家、人类学家、旅游爱好者等的关注。没有人确切知晓印加人建造这一建筑奇迹的原因，然而猜想则有很多，比如说用作宗教朝圣的地点、印加皇室的避暑胜地，还有人认为它可能是当时国家的天文台。 不管其修筑的目的是什么，亲临此境来观赏这平时在低处难以见到的景色已是令人真正心潮澎湃的一件事。15世纪的人们居然能够把三个不同领域(农业、城市和宗教)的特色景观完美地融进一座城及其周围的自然环境中：马丘比丘古城遗址外围是层层梯田形成的农业区，城区则由200座建筑和109个连接山坡和城市的石梯组成。城内规划井然，北部多为庄严的宫阙神殿，南部是作坊、居室和公共场所。奇妙的历史、令人产生无限遐想的各种谜团和引人入胜的自然奇观，使马丘比丘古城成为世界新七大奇迹之一。