2014-01-04 
【Aiden in English】
Under the vast yellow sun, life in the Tala Private Game Reserve was remarkable. Everything was in motion and had a role in the ongoing cycle of life. Three African Big Five could be seen there: the black rhino, elephant, and Cape buffalo in the wild savannah outside Durban, South Africa. As we drove through, the first animal we saw was a gun that was sitting in the middle of the road. Its short, pointy horns stuck out of the sides of the animal's head while it took its time crossing the road. The next animal we spotted was a black ostrich. It was a male, dining in a garden of seeds. More animals came out one after the other. The impalas grazed in the tall grass, while Egyptian geese swan through the lagoon, searching for small fish. In the meantime, we noticed some new animals, such as the Kudus, which resembled deer with long antlers, and the Gemsbok, an antelope characterized by a white stripe down the center of its face. However, a Gemsbok had pointy antlers, whereas a Kudu had curved antlers. No matter how good the animals appeared, the scenery was always better. Endless rolling hills stretched into the distance. On the other side was a small pond with a jungle on the horizon. Not a cloud was in the sky, and the sun was shining brightly. As we went on, the animals began to repeat themselves. Sounders of warthogs flew by, and zebras just turned into a black-and-white blur. Rhinos lie down by the lagoon in the sun. Their large horns reflected the light, making it shine and gleam. All the animals seemed like those in a zoo. They had no predators because the people kept the lions and leopards away. The animals just stood there without anything to fear. They looked like statues that ate, slept, gave birth, slept, and ate. Sometimes, life needs a little danger to really make it interesting. 【红霞译】
太阳光芒万丈，把塔拉“绿色”私营禁猎区的动物滋养得膘肥体胖，生命周而复始永不停息，非洲五霸中的黑犀牛、大象和水牛三位好汉常年驻扎南非德班“海湾”城外这片野味十足的大草原上。
我们驱车游览，静坐在马路中间的角马首先挡住了去路，其脑袋上长得羚角又尖又短，过马路不慌不忙，比老牛拉破车速度还慢；接下来黑色公鸵鸟进入视线，它正在花园里忙打牙祭，越来越多的动物竞相出现，黑斑羚在深草丛中饱食终日；埃及雁团团围著泻湖飞来转去，死死盯住水中小鱼。
在领略上述“老面孔”风采的同时，我们还结识了一些新知，像扭角林羚和南非剑羚，两者都是羚羊之类的动物，但扭角林羚鹿角既长又尖；而南非剑羚脸心则有斑纹，并且鹿角带弯。
其实不管这里野生动物有多麽诱人，都不及周围自然风光旖旎。放眼望去，连绵起伏的丘陵无穷无尽地伸向遥远，清泉潺潺绿树悠悠，明媚的天空万里无云，灿烂的阳光普照大地。
我们继续向前，见到的都是已经熟知的动物：疣猪从眼前飞速闪过，斑马黑白条纹令人看得眼花缭乱，犀牛四仰八叉躺在泻湖旁晒著太阳，两个大牛角反射出刺眼的光芒。 这里所有的野生动物好像圈养在动物园的驯养动物一样没有任何天敌，因为狮子和豹子早已被人们拒之门外，所以它们无忧无虑逍遥自在，犹如一尊活雕塑养尊处优，整天吃饭、睡觉、繁衍後代，睡了吃吃了睡。有时候生活需要一点紧迫感，否则真觉得索然乏味。
Today in History(历史上的今天):
2011: 报复心理(Revenge)  Port of Durban, the Largest & Busiest Shipping Terminal in Sub-Saharan Africa
(德班港·撒哈拉“沙漠”以南非洲最大、最繁忙的航运码头) 
Tala Private Game Reserve Map (黄金私营禁猎区地图)  Valley of Thousand Hills w/ Its Spectacular Sweeping Scenery of Rolling Hills & Gorges
(千山谷·拥有壮丽的绵延山丘和峡谷风光)
 Valley of a Thousand Hills w/ the True & Untainted Beauty of Africa
(千山谷·展现非洲真实而纯粹之美的地方)  Brothers from Vancouver (来自温哥华的兄弟俩 01-04-2014)
 Docile & Highly Visible Animals Due to Lacking Apex Predators in the Reserve
(因缺乏顶级掠食者，保护区的动物性情温顺且易见)  Common Duikers, Living Independently of Water & Feeding on Leaves, Fruit & Seeds
(灰小羚羊·无需水源也能生存，以树叶、水果和种子为食)  Duiker Head Rubbing, a Common Social Behavior
(小羚羊擦头·常见的社交行为)  Male Duiker w/ Aggressive Territorial Marking
(公灰小羚羊·极具攻击性的领地标记） 
Cormorant w/ the "Dracula" Pose on a Post (鸬鹚·柱子上保持德古拉“龙之子”姿势)  Egyptian Geese @ Figtree Dam
(无花果树坝·埃及雁 01-04-2014)  Egyptian Goose, Featuring a Distinct "Bandit's Mask"， Symbolizing the Soul of the Deceased, & Viewed as an Emblem of Fertility & Abundance
(埃及雁·有着独特的“强盗面罩”，象征着逝者的灵魂，被视作生育和丰饶的标志)  Common Elands, the World's Largest Antelopes
(大羚羊·世上最大的羚羊) 
Female Eland in a Tan Coat (母大羚羊·棕褐色皮毛) 
Gnu Driving the Great Migration, the Largest Mass Movement of Land Mammals on Earth (牛羚/角马·推动地球上规模最大的陆地哺乳动物迁徙——大迁徙)  Hartebeest w/ Exceptional Speed & Endurance
(狷羚·拥有超凡的速度和耐力) 
Female Hartebeest w/ Its Unique, Ungainly Appearance in a Tan Coat (雌狷羚·拥有独特而笨拙的外形和黄褐色皮毛)
 Two Impala Males Fighting for Dominance
(两只雄高角羚争夺统治地位) 
Male Impala w/ Incredible Leaping Ability (雄高角羚·具有惊人的跳跃能力) 
Male Greater Kudu w/ Spectacular, Spiral Horns (公大旋角羚·头顶壮观的螺旋状角) 
Male Greater Kudu, the Grey Ghost of Africa (公大旋角羚·非洲灰色幽灵)  Ostrich Family, the World's Largest, Heaviest, Flightless & Fastest Birds
(鸵鸟·世上体型最大、体重最重、不会飞的鸟类) 
Male Ostrich w/ Striking Jet-black & White Plumage (公鸵鸟·醒目的黑白相间羽毛)  Rhino, Wallowing in Mud w/o Sweat Glands
(犀牛·因缺乏汗腺而喜好泥浆打滚)  Warthog, Characterized by Backward Burrowing
(疣猪·善于反向掘穴)
 A Herd of Plain Zebras, the Most Common & Geographically Widespread Species of Zebra in Black-and-White Striping
(平原斑马·黑白条纹，最常见、分布最广的斑马物种)  Zebra Mom & Child (斑马母与子)
 Zebra Harem within a Herd (群内斑马后宫)
Stripes, a Form of Protection from Biting Flies (斑纹·防止蝇咬)  Zebra Genitalia (斑马外生殖器)
 Hippo Hide (河马池塘)
 Growmore Dam (格罗莫尔“生长”水坝)
 Gift Shop (礼品店)
 Bakery Chef of Nautica Oceania
(“大洋·航海”号游轮——糕点师 01-04-2014)  Gala Tea Time, the Lavish, Grand-scale Afternoon Tea Event Held on Nautica Oceania
(节日茶点——“大洋·航海”号游轮举办的奢华盛大下午茶活动 01-04-2014)
 Macaron Tower @ Gala Tea Time
(节日茶点·马卡龙“面团”塔)  Croquembouche @ Gala Tea Time
(节日茶点·焦糖泡芙塔 01-04-2014)  Preparation of Colorful Candy @ Gala Tea Time
(节日茶点·色彩鲜艳的糖果制作 01-04-2014)  12-Piece Orchestra of Nautica Oceania
(“大洋·航海”号游轮——12件管弦乐队 01-04-2014)  美人蕉带刺种子荚、柄状球根草
Crosslinks(相关博文): South Africa(出游南非) Across the Indian Ocean(穿越印度洋) Africa (漫游非洲) 5th Grade(小学五年级) |
