可能消失的古迹

Around 10，000 years ago， the ice in the area of Montanas Glacier National Park was about 1.6 kilometers deep. When the park was found in 1910， there were around 150 glaciers. But today only 25 of these giants remain， and it is suspected that all of them might be gone by 2030.

The heart of the National Park， Grinnell Glacier， has lost more than 90 percent of its ice over the past century. There is no doubt that global warming is the main cause， but the park seems to be getting hit even worse than other places： the temperature in the area has increased 1.8 times more than other areas around the globe. Whats so terrible about that is that its not just the glaciers that are in danger of disappearing. The icy streams that have always flowed from the great sheets of ice keep the ecosystem of the park going， with its wolves， herds of elk， and one of the largest populations of grizzly bears in lower America. If the glaciers go， not only will the last remnant of the Ice Age disappear， several species will find their home in shambles.

大约1万年前，位于蒙大拿州的国家冰川公园的冰川有约1.6公里深。当它于1910年被发现时，大约有150个冰川。但是现在，仅存下25个大块头，这让人们不禁怀疑，也许到2030年它们将不复存在。

国家公园中心地带的格林内尔冰川在过去的一个世纪里已经有超过90%的冰融化了。毫无疑问，全球变暖是主要原因，但国家公园的情况似乎比其他地方更糟糕：该地区的温度上升速度大约是全球其他地区的1.8倍。可怕的不仅仅只是那些冰川濒临消失。一直以来，从冰盖流出的冰川溪流维持着公园的生态系统，这里群狼共舞，麋鹿成群，更有低海拔美洲大陆上最大的灰熊群之一。倘若冰川不在，不但冰河时代的最后一批遗址会消失，而且这些物种赖以生存的家园也将成为废墟。

Probably， most people havent heard of the Seychelles， a group of around 115 islands not far from the well-known Madagascar. Long before， they were somehow completely uninhabited by humans until the British East India Company discovered them in the 1600s. After that， they became a haven for pirates. Today， they are known as a fantastic place where you can see the biggest fish in the sea—whale sharks. The Seychelles hold some of the earliest scientific records about the magnificent creatures， which are strictly protected.

However， the islands could be underwater in as little as half a century， largely due to the destruction of the coral barriers around the beaches. The rising temperatures destroy the coral and leave it a disturbing， almost skeleton-like white， which destroys entire ecosystems and leaves everyone who lives on the islands vulnerable to devastating events like hurricanes.

可能大多数人都没听说过塞舌尔群岛，这是一个由115个岛屿组成，离知名的马达加斯加很近的岛群。很久之前，这些岛完全就是无人居住的荒岛，直到英国东印度公司在17世纪发现了它们。在那之后，它们就成了海盗的天堂。如今，那里是一个极妙的地方。在那里你能观赏到海中最大的鱼——鲸鲨。塞舌尔是拥有一些最早科学记录的稀有生物瑰宝库，而且这些生物都是被严格保护的。

然而，由于海滩周围的珊瑚屏障的破坏，这些岛屿可能在半个世纪内就会被海水淹没。不断上升的气温破坏了珊瑚，让它呈现恐怖怪异甚至像骷髅般的白色。珊瑚白化不仅破坏了整个生态系统，还让岛上的居民更容易遭受像飓风这样的灾难。

Everyone whos taken a high school biology class knows about Charles Darwin and how he was inspired to devise his theory of evolution while studying the wildlife of these secluded islands. Nearly 9，000 species， many of which can be found nowhere else in the entire world， call these islands home. However， the wildlife that makes the Galapagos so unique is being seriously threatened.

As the number of immigrant workers and tourists has increased， the latter by more than 12 percent every year， so does the number of invasive species， like goats and pigs， which eat the food that the native species need to survive， and predators such as rats make off with the young and the weak. For thousands of years， there were no predators for the native species at all on the islands， and evolution works too slowly for many of these unique animals to hope to catch up in time.

任何一个上过高中生物课的人想必都知道达尔文，以及他是如何经过启发，在研究这些僻静岛屿上的野生生物时构想他的进化论。这座岛是近9000种生物生存的家园，其中很多物种在全世界的其他地方都找不到。然而，这些让加拉帕戈斯独具魅力的野生动物群正受到严重的威胁。

由于外籍劳工和游客数量的增加，后者以每年超过12%的速度增长，除此之外还有入侵物种数量的增多例如山羊和猪。山羊和猪吃掉了本地物种赖以生存的食物，而像老鼠这样的捕食者则同它们当中的弱小个体逃离了这座群岛。千百年来，这些岛上的本地物种根本没有天敌，许多稀有物种因进化得太慢而无法逃脱被捕食。

The name of this district of Manilla， which is the second largest city in the Philippines， means “within the walls”. Its a very appropriate moniker， considering that it has been guarded by the same walls since they were built in the 16th century. It was the original capital of the city， when the Spanish Empire still owned the territory of Manila.

In 1951， Intramuros was declared a historic monument. Slow progress has been made toward its restoration， including the return of its five original gates to their former glory. However， these ancient walls cannot keep out the modern world. Several franchises of Starbucks and McDonalds have been erected around the ancient city， and the moats surrounding it have been converted into golf courses. Historians tremble at what will come next.

市中市，即菲律宾的第二大城市马尼拉一个区的名字，意指“围墙中的城市”。鉴于市中市在16世纪那些城墙建成以来一直被其御护着，这无疑就是一个非常合适的名字。早在西班牙帝国殖民统治马尼拉领域时期，市中市便是该领域的首都。

1951年，市中市正式被列为历史古迹。重建工作缓慢地进行着，其中包括5扇曾经风光无限的大城门的修复。然而，这些古老的城墙根本阻挡不了现代世界发展的大潮。星巴克和麦当劳等一些商家已经拿到了古城附近的经营权，环绕的护城河也已被修成了高尔夫球场。历史学家们对未来可能发生的情况感到担心。

Hishams Palace was buried underneath the sand in A.D. 747 and remained there until Palestinian archeologist D.C. Baramki began excavating it in 1934. Sadly， historians fear that the site might not be around in as few as 100 years.

Intriguingly， no one is quite sure what Hishams Palace is supposed to be. All we really know for sure is that it was definitely built in the early 8th century and destroyed by a massive earthquake. Its threatened by the massive expansion from the neighboring as well as extremely vulnerable to the natural elements after being buried under the sand for so long. The sand appears to be seeking to claim it yet again. When it vanished from sight， it also seemed to vanish from any historical text. Unfortunately， we might never know the palaces secrets.

公元747年，希沙姆宫被埋葬在沙尘之下，直到巴勒斯坦考古学家D.C. Baramki于1934年开始对它进行挖掘工作时，它才得以重见天日。不幸的是，历史学家们表示担心，100年内这个古迹可能就会消失了。

有趣的是，没有人能十分确定希沙姆宫到底是什么样的。我们真正能肯定的是，它建于8世纪初而毁于一次大地震。它面对着来自于邻国的大规模扩张的威胁，而且它已经被掩埋在沙土下很长时间，极易受到自然因素的破坏。沙尘似乎向世人宣告着，这座古城终究会再次回归尘土。当它从人们的视线中消失的时候，似乎也从历史文本消失了。遗憾的是，我们可能永远不会知道王宫中的秘密了。