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One of the odder coincidences of physical geography is the fact that there are two double islands, roughly the same size, positioned at each other's antipodes, or farthest-distant point. The islands of England and Ireland in the Northern Hemisphere and the islands of North Island and South Island in the Southern Hemisphere are just such a coincidence. The first two islands comprise the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland (or Eire), and the second two islands comprise New Zealand. Among these four islands, there can be no doubt that South Island is the least polluted and most spectacularly scenic of them all.
自然地理上較為奇特的巧合之一是地球上有兩組大小約略相同、位置相對或者說相距最為遙遠的雙島。北半球的英格蘭和愛爾蘭群島以及南半球的北島和南島就是這樣的一種巧合。第一組的兩座島構(gòu)成英國和愛爾蘭共和國，第二組的兩座島則組成新西蘭。四個島中，南島無疑是污染最少且風景最秀麗的。
There is much competition to make such a claim. The island of England, politically constituting England, Scotland, and Wales of the United Kingdom, is dotted with country villages set alongside rivers and lakes. There are not very tall but nonetheless rugged mountains in the north, and endless miles of rocky coastline that seem mystical. Ireland, too, is a paradise of greenery, with far fewer people than populous England and even more quaint villages scattered among its low-lying hills and forever green fields. North Island in New Zealand sports a balmy climate and the beaches to make use of it; one beach alone is more than 150 kilometers long, and with relatively few people on its shores, one can pretend one is at the very end of the earth. Volcanoes, large lakes, and quickly flowing rivers traverse the land. Given the beauty of these three islands, what makes South Island so special?
這樣說勢必經(jīng)過一番競爭。在政治版圖上構(gòu)成英國的英格蘭、蘇格蘭和韋爾斯的英格蘭本島，鄉(xiāng)間農(nóng)村沿著河岸和湖畔星羅棋布。北部的山雖不高但卻崎嶇不平，而綿延不絕的巖岸則展現(xiàn)出神秘的風情。愛爾蘭也是個綠色天堂，人口遠不及人煙稠密的英格蘭，卻有更多古意盎然的農(nóng)村散布在低洼的山丘和常綠的田野間。新西蘭的北島以擁有溫和的氣候和可享受這宜人氣候的海灘為傲；光是一個海灘就超過150公里長，而岸上人口相當稀少，可以讓人假裝自己是在世界的盡頭。火山、大湖和湍急的河流橫亙著全島。既然這三個島如此美麗，南島又有何特別之處？
Plenty. For those who like mountains, South Island is sure to please. Mt. Cook at 3,764 meters is its highest peak, with 16 others above 3,000 meters. Naturally, many local and foreign mountain climbers come here for the challenge of these Southern Alps. In addition, there is an extensive glacier system, endless forests, and innumerable lakes throughout this highland area. Some of the world's best mountain scenery is available within the 500-kilometer long chain of the Southern Alps.
那可多著呢。對那些喜愛大山者來說，南島一定能取悅他們。南島的最高峰庫克山高3764米，另外還有16座超過3000米的山峰。自然而然地，許多國內(nèi)外的登山家來到此地挑戰(zhàn)南半球的阿爾卑斯山脈。此外，還有一個廣大的冰河系統(tǒng)、無止盡的森林和數(shù)不盡的湖泊遍布在這個高原帶。一些舉世無雙的山光水色可在這綿延500公里長的南阿爾卑斯山脈之間欣賞到。
Perhaps you prefer the sea? South Island is not only an island, but many tiny islets can be found off its coastline. Great deep-sea fishing, scuba diving, and snorkeling can be had, though the waters here are cooler than those of North Island. (Remember, in the Southern Hemisphere, as we go north, it gets warmer.) As fewer people live on South Island than on North Island, those who crave solitude and pristine beaches will be amazed at their luck here. With almost no heavy industry on South Island, the air, water, and land are all free of pollution. The local seafood is therefore clean, plentiful, and never-ending.
也許你比較喜歡海？南島并不只是一座島嶼，在它的外海還散布著眾多的小島嶼，可以從事深海釣魚、深海潛水和浮潛——雖然這里的水溫比起北島的水溫要來的低。（記住，在南半球愈往北走海水愈溫暖。）由于南島的人口比北島少，喜愛獨處和原始海灘的人在此將會對于他們有幸來到這里而感到驚異。南島上幾乎沒有重工業(yè)，空氣、水和土地全都未受污染。當?shù)氐暮ｕr因而干凈、富饒而且取之不盡。
Do healthful climates interest you? South Island is the place to be. Its temperate climate sees little snow except in the highlands and mountainous areas. Like Ireland and England, there are no extremes of temperature, either. Summers are warm, not hot, and winters are brisk rather than freezing. The fresh air is sometimes humid from the abundant rainfall of this area. Every season invites the nature lover to get out and be active in the countryside.
你對健康的氣候感興趣嗎？來南島這地方就對了。除了在高原和山區(qū)地帶，這兒溫和的氣候很少降雪。就像愛爾蘭和英格蘭一樣，氣溫也不嚴酷。夏天暖而不熱，冬天則涼爽而不寒冷。清新的空氣有時會因這地區(qū)豐沛的降雨而潮濕。這里一年四季都適合愛好大自然的人出門到鄉(xiāng)間去活躍一番。
Of course, South Island is not for everyone. For those who need busy, crowded, noisy, and polluted cities, this Southern outpost will surely disappoint. For those who enjoy pressure and stress, South Island will leave them empty-handed. And for those who would rather stay at home or in an office in front of a computer screen or in the thumping, smoke-filled dance floors of discos, some of the world's best natural scenery will never entice them away. For the rest of us, though, South Island is the world's best-kept secret. If Nature's paradise sounds alluring, make a point of visiting South Island.
當然，并非每個人都會喜歡南島。對那些需要繁忙、擁擠、嘈雜和受污染城市的人而言，南半球的這個邊陲地區(qū)必定會讓他們感到失望；對那些喜歡壓力和緊張的人而言，南島將使他們空手而返；而對那些寧愿待在家里或辦公室計算機屏幕前、或是窩在音樂震天價響、煙霧彌漫的迪斯科舞池內(nèi)的人而言，世上最棒的一些自然景色永遠也無法誘使他們離開。但是對我們其余的人而言，南島是世上最棒的秘境。如果大自然中的天堂聽起來讓你覺得有吸引力，那么別忘了到南島去玩一玩。
