LESSON 75

MOUNTAINS

高　山

1．The Himalayas^〔1〕 are the highest mountains on our globe, They are in Asia, and separate India from Thibet. They extend in a continuous line for more than a thousand miles.

2．If you ever ascend^〔2〕 one of these mountains from the plain below, you will have to cross an unhealthy border, twenty miles in width. It is, in fact, a swamp^〔3〕 caused by the waters overflowing the river banks.

3．The soil of this swampy border is covered with trees and shrubs, where the tiger, the elephant, and other animals find secure retreat^〔4〕. Beyond this border, you will reach smiling valleys and noble forests.

4．As you advance^〔5〕 onward and upward, you will get among bolder and more rugged^〔6〕 scenes. The sides of the mountains are very steep, sometimes well wooded to quite a height, but sometimes quite barren^〔7〕.

5．In crossing a river you must be content with three ropes for a bridge. You will find the streets of the towns to be simply stairs cut out of the rock, and see the houses rising in tiers^〔8〕.

6．The pathways into Thibet, among these mountains, are mere tracks by the side of foaming torrents. Often, as you advance, you will find every trace of the path swept away by the falling of rocks and earth from above.

7．Sometimes you will find posts driven into the mountain side, upon which branches of trees and earth are spread. This forms a trembling foothold^〔9〕 for the traveler.

8．In the Andes^〔10〕, in South America, the sure-footed mule is used to carry travelers. Quite often a chasm^〔11〕 must be crossed that is many feet wide and hundreds of feet deep. The mule will leap across this chasm, but not until it is sure it can make a safe jump.

9．"One day," says a traveler, "I went by the worst pass over the Andes Mountains. The path for seventy yards was very narrow, and at one point it was washed entirely away. On one side the rock brushed my shoulder, and on the other side my foot overhung the precipice^〔12〕."

10．The guide told this man, after he was safely over the pass, that, to his knowledge^〔13〕, four hundred mules had fallen over that precipice, and in many instances travelers had lost their lives at that terrible spot.

【中文阅读】

1．喜马拉雅山是地球上最高的山，位于亚洲，在印度与中国西藏之间，山脉连绵超过一千英里。

2．如果你试图从山脚的平原登上其中一座山峰，你就必须跨越一条危及生命健康的边界线，宽度达到了20英里。实际上，那是一片由于河水溢出河床流到岸边形成的沼泽地。

3．沼泽地的土壤被树林与灌木丛所覆盖，那里是老虎、大象等动物寻找安全退路的所在。跨越了这片边界地，你就能到达开阔的山谷和郁郁葱葱的森林。

4．当你继续向上攀登，你会置身于更粗糙、更崎岖的山野之间。山崖十分陡峭，有时即便很高的地方也生长着树木，有时则相当贫瘠荒凉。

5．越过河流的时候，有一条三根绳子做成的桥你就该感到满足了。走进市镇，你会发现街道是直接在岩石上开凿而成，房子一排排拔地而起。

6．进入西藏的小路蜿蜒在山间，小路一侧就是怒吼着的滚滚洪流，你会发现路上没有任何足迹，因为都被从山上滚落的石头和沙泥一扫而空了。

7．有时你会看到山崖上插着柱子，在上面铺上树枝和泥土，就形成了让人心惊胆战的立足之地，供旅人通过。

8．在位于南美洲的安第斯山脉，旅客们使用步伐稳健的骡子作为坐骑。常常在必须跨越好几英尺宽、几百英尺深的峡谷时，这种骡子会一跃而过，当然，如果它们不确定自己可以越过的话，是不会冒险的。

9．“有一天，”一位旅客说，“我遇到了安第斯山脉最糟糕的路况。有一段路长达70码，非常狭窄，有一个地方路完全被冲走了。我只好任由一侧的肩膀被岩石摩擦着，另一侧的脚就吊挂在悬崖边上。”

10．在这位旅客安全通过了那条路之后，一位向导告诉他，据他的了解，在那个悬崖大概摔死过400头骡子，还有很多人在那个可怕的地方失去了生命。

注释

〔1〕Himalayas, also written Himmaleh.

〔2〕Ascend, go up, climb.

〔3〕Swamp, low, wet ground.

〔4〕Retreat, place of safety.

〔5〕Advance, go forward.

〔6〕Rugged, rough.

〔7〕Barren, without trees or shrubs, unproductive.

〔8〕Tiers, rows one above another.

〔9〕Foothold, that on which one may tread.

〔10〕Andes, next to the highest range of mountains in the world.

〔11〕Chasm, a deep opening in the earth, or cleft in the rocks.

〔12〕Precipice, a very steep and dangerous descent.

〔13〕Knowledge, that which is known.