澳大利亞10大自然奇觀(上)
Even though The Great Barrier Reef and Uluru missed out on being crowned one of the New 7 Wonders of Nature, Oz has arguably some of the world's most stunning landscapes.
雖然新七大自然奇觀的評選中，大堡礁和烏盧魯巨石沒有入圍，但澳大利亞的風景着實值得人們一瞧。We've chosen 10 of the country's most awe-inspiring natural wonders.
現在就讓我們來領略一下澳大利亞的十大自然奇觀。u
1.烏盧魯
Uluru is a sacred site to the indigenous Anangu people, who request individuals not to climb the sandstone monolith 450 kilometers (280 miles) southwest of Alice Springs in the Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park. Once known as Ayers Rock, it's 348 meters high (1,142 feet) with a circumference of 9.4 kilometers (5.8 miles). It's famed for the different hues that bathe it, particularly at sunrise and sunset.
烏盧魯是當地原住民安南古人的聖地，任何人都不可以獨自攀爬，烏盧魯巨石坐落於烏盧魯-卡塔曲塔國家公園，在艾麗斯泉市西南方450千米處。烏盧魯巨石也稱艾爾斯巨石，高348米，周長約9400米，在日升日落時分，可呈現出不同的顏色，因而聞名。t Barrier Reef
2.大堡礁
The only living thing on Earth visible from space, the Great Barrier Reef was born 25 million years ago. The world's largest reef system that stretches for 3,000 kilometers off the Queensland coast has 400 different types of coral and 1,500 species of tropical fish. Beautiful but precious, pollution and increased tourism threaten its future.
大堡礁誕生於250萬年以前，是世界上唯一可從太空中看見的珊瑚礁，也是世界上最大的由活性生物組成的單一結構。大堡礁位於澳大利亞北部的昆士藍海岸旁，綿延3000公里，珊瑚種類多達400種，還有1500多種熱帶魚類。大堡礁美麗且珍貴，而污染和不斷髮展的旅遊業正威脅着它的未來。k Bay
3.鯊魚灣
Some 800 kilometers north of Perth on Australia's west coast, Shark Bay's W-shaped coastline of rocky limestone, white sand dunes and cliffs is 1,500-kilometers long. The bay has many shallow peninsulas and is home to 10,000 dugongs, as well as many threatened species, dolphins and the world's most diverse sea grass. Historians say it was where Europeans first landed and deemed it "no good."
鯊魚灣位於澳大利亞西海岸，距珀斯以北800千米，其海岸線呈w狀，由石灰岩、白色的沙丘和峭壁組成，長約1500千米。鯊魚灣有很多淺灘，養育了一萬隻儒艮，是許多瀕危物種、海豚的家園，還有世界上最多姿多彩的海藻。歷史學家們說歐洲人最先發現了這個地方，但他們將其視爲“不毛之地”。Pinnacles
4.尖峯石陣
A three-hour drive north of Perth, these limestone formations were created 30,000 years ago when the receding ocean left deposits of seashells on shore. The Pinnacles rise several meters out of the sand in the Nambung National Park, which is home to grey kangaroos, emus and reptiles.
珀斯向北約三個小時車程就是尖峯石陣，尖峯石陣由石灰岩構成，形成於30000年以前，海岸線後退時將許多貝殼遺留在海岸邊，就形成了這樣的石陣。尖峯石陣位於南邦國家公園，高出沙地好幾米，是灰袋鼠，鴯鶓和許多爬行動物的樂土。ve Apostles
5.十二門徒石
Erosion created these limestone stacks that are viewable from the Great Ocean Road, off the Victorian coast, where they continue to erode. In spite of being named the Twelve Apostles, there were only nine when they were named — but after a recent fall, there are now eight. Their base erodes at a rate of 2 centimeters a year.
從維多利亞海岸邊的大洋公路上就可以看見十二門徒石，海水的侵蝕造就了這些高大的石灰岩，它們也將繼續受到海水的侵蝕。儘管它們的名字是十二門徒石，但在命名之初，只有九座大石塊——後來又倒下了一座，現在只剩下八座，而它們的根基正以每年兩釐米的速度受到侵蝕。
