2014-01-02 
【Aiden in English】
When I was little, I used to love natural history museums. But never in my life had I seen something like this. The Natural History Museum in Maputo, the capital of Mozambique was like none other. The whole first floor was collected by literally a manmade 4-D of a typical African ecosystem. It had the African big five- the lion, leopard, cape buffalo, elephant, and rhino. The 4-D picture had them set around a small pool of water with desert and some little patches of grass. The scene also had giraffes munching on a tree with lush green and plentiful leaves. Warthogs scurried under the legs of the bigger animals as they searched for shade. A few leopards chased the warthogs while the rhinos were trying to escape a pride of lions. It fascinated me to see how the artists could capture it all and combine it into a 4-D picture. The detail about how the wild worked was all explained in one exhibition hall. I guess what people say is true. A picture is really worth a thousand, no, even a million words.
Next, we proceeded to the back, where we saw what this museum was famous for. It had a timeline of a fetus or an immature elephant that was still in the mother's belly. The process of giving birth to a quarter-ton baby began with a tiny ball. Then it got bigger and bigger, and started taking shape! At a month, the fetus, or baby elephant already had the looks of his or her mother. It was white. By the time it reached 11 months, the skin had turned black. Finally, it took another 11 months for birth.
In America, all of these illustrations needed to exhibit real dead animals or specimens to actually be a museum. But in Maputo, everything presented man-made models except fetal development. However, they both demonstrated the same things. Really, there wasn't a significant difference. As long as I got the message, it would be fine for me.
【红霞译文】
小的时候我喜爱自然历史博物馆，但从未想到会参观象莫桑比克首都马普托这样别具风格的自然历史博物馆。
整个一楼展出的非洲动物生态系统全部都是四维人工模型，包括非洲五霸﹕狮子、豹子、水牛、大象、黑犀牛，以莫桑比克草原特有的沙漠绿洲湖泊为背景来表现野生动物的自然环境，长颈鹿置身茂密的绿叶丛中享尽美味佳肴，疣猪为摆脱庞然大物的威胁而四处躲藏，几只豹子竭力追逐疣猪，犀牛面对一群狮子大举进攻只好疲于奔命，艺术家们将野外捕捉的生动形象浓缩到室内精湛的四维作品之中，真是别具匠心，人们常说一幅图画胜过千言万语，对此我深有同感。
随后我们来到展厅背面参观该博物馆最著名的展品，那就是世上罕见的幼象胚胎发育标本，涵括从胚囊到出生时250公斤个体的成长过程：头一个月，胚胎初显“象”态，周身呈白色；直到十一个月时，肤色才逐渐变黑；再有十一个月，小象行将诞生于世。 在美国只有动物尸体做成的标本才有资格拿到博物馆展出，但在马普托却反其道而行之，除胎儿发育为实体标本外，其它均为人造模型，当然无论动物标本还是人造模型都起到普教意义，说真格的两者确实没有显著差异，只要物尽其用，什么材料的模型对我都起到教育意义。 Today in History(历史上的今天): 2013: Cruising at Sea in S America(南美海上休闲日) 
Natural History Museum of Maputo (马普托自然博物馆 01-02-2014) 
4-D African Ecosystem @ Natural History Museum (自然博物馆·四维非洲生态系统) 
Authentic Elephant Tusks @ Natural History Museum (自然博物馆·真象牙 01-02-2014) 
Elephant Embryology @ Natural History Museum (自然博物馆·小象胚胎发育) 
6-Mo Elephant Fetus @ Natural History Museum (自然博物馆·小象六个月胎盘) 
8-Mo Elephant Fetus @ Natural History Museum (自然博物馆·小八个月胎盘) 
10-Mo Elephant Fetus @ Natural History Museum (自然博物馆·小象十个月胎盘) 
Portuguese Fortress (葡萄牙堡垒 01-02-2014) 
Portuguese Fortress (葡萄牙堡垒 01-02-2014) 
Miniatures @ Portuguese Fortress (葡萄牙堡垒·微型雕塑 01-02-2014) 
Cannons @ Portuguese Fortress (葡萄牙堡垒·火炮 01-02-2014） 
Central Railway Station (马普托火车总站) 
Street Vendor @ Central Railway Station (马普托火车总站·推销土特产的小贩 01-02-2014) 
Victorian-Style Architecture @ Central Railway Station (马普托火车总站·维多利亚式建筑 01-02-2014) 
Steaming Train @ Central Railway Station (马普托火车总站·蒸汽火车 01-02-2014)
Monument to the African and European Fighters of the WWI @ Workers Square (工人广场·第一次世界大战非洲和欧洲战士纪念碑 01-02-2014) 
Barefoot Guy w/ Mozambique Tour Flag @ Workers Square (工人广场·手持莫桑比克旅游锦旗的光脚小伙 01-02-2014) 
City Hall & Statue of Michel Samora on Independence Sq. (市政厅与独立广场—莫桑比克开国总统雕像 01-02-2014) 
City Hall (市政厅 01-02-2014)
Statue of Samora Machel @ the Entrance of Tunduru Gardens (市立植物园入口处莫桑比克开国总统雕像 01-02-2014) 
Jardim Tunduru (市立植物园 01-02-2014) 
Iron House (铁屋 01-02-2014) 
Maputo Central Market (马普托中央市场 01-02-2014) 
Big Bowl Balance @ Maputo Central Market (马普托中央市场·菜盆称盘 01-02-2014） 
Native Girl @ Street Stall (看地摊的小女孩) 
Jumma Masjid Mosque (星期五清真寺 01-02-2014) 
Cathedral of Our Lady of Conception (圣母大教堂 01-02-2014) 
Saint Anthony Catholic Church (赞美主教堂) 
The Nave of Saint Anthony Church (赞美主教堂·主殿 01-02-2014) 
The Ceiling of Saint Anthony Church (赞美主教堂·天蓬)
Costa do Sol (太阳海岸 01-02-2014) 
Costa do Sol Public Beach (太阳海岸·公共海滩) 
School Kids (学童) 
Bearded Fig Tree (长须无花果树) 
Sausage Tree (吊灯树) 
Jackfruit (波罗蜜) 
Soursop (刺番荔枝) Crosslinks(相关博文):
Mozambique(出游莫桑比克) Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋) Africa (漫游非洲) 5th Grade(小学五年级) |
