Colombia's River of Five Colors哥伦比亚的五彩河

涂淑梅

“五彩河”被贊为“来自天堂的河流”，被认为是世界上最美丽的河流。这条河里有数量惊人、色彩多样的海藻。它们浮荡在河床上，紫红、黄、蓝、绿、橙五色随季节变换，给人一种超现实的美感。

South America has been a source of mystery for centuries within the fields of biology and archaeology. The titanic Amazon rainforest holds within it all sorts of natural wonders in the way of plant and animal life.

Meanwhile in Colombia， a river stands out as one of the most 1）visually unique ecosystems in the world.

Locally called the Cano Cristales， this fast flowing and unique river is located in a national park called Serranía de la Macarena in Colombia. The river serves as a 2）tributary for the Guayabero River. The river is made up of several waterfalls， 3）rapids， and plenty of pools. The length of the Cano Cristales is around 62 miles and lies entirely within the national park.

For most of the year， Cano Cristales is 4）indistinguishable from any other river： a bed of rocks covered in dull green mosses are visible below a cool， clear current. However， for a brief period of time every year the most amazing transformation occurs —the river 5）blossoms in a vibrant explosion of colors.

1） visually [ˈvɪzjʊəli] adv.视觉上地

2） tributary [ˈtrɪbjətri] n.支流

3） rapids [ˈræpɪdz] n.急流

4） indistinguishable [ˌɪndɪˈstɪŋɡwɪʃəbl] adj.无法分辨的

5） blossom [ˈblɒsəm] v.兴盛;变得有魅力

For one to truly experience the beauty and uniqueness of the river， they have to visit during the period between July and December. During this time， the river bursts into rich colors.

Cano Cristales， also known as the “River of Five Colors”and the “Liquid Rainbow”， can appear as any mix of colors including yellow， blue， green， orange， and a purplish red.

Although at first， it may appear as though 6）artificial dye was added to the water， this rainbow river is a completely natural 7）phenomenon.

Cano Cristales' various colors are the result of a rare species of 8）aquatic plant that spans the length of the river. The plants change color depending on how much sunlight they receive， which is determined by the height and speed of the water.

It is therefore not uncommon for the plants to be completely colorless if sunlight is too 9）inaccessible. It is also an exceptionally delicate plant. This makes them easily damaged by major disturbances in the water. The biggest threat to the river， as is the case with most natural sites， comes from humans. Within the park， there was a lot of guerilla activity that posed a serious threat to the river and to tourists. Unregulated tourist movement within the park and the guerilla activity led to the park's closure for twenty years until it was opened to the world again in 2009.

Regardless， The River of Five Colors stands out as one of Colombia's most popular natural attractions， drawing thousands of tourists every year.

6） artificial [ˌɑːtɪˈfɪʃl]adj.人造的;人為的;假装的，虚伪的

7） phenomenon [fəˈnɒmɪnən] n.现象;奇迹，奇事，奇才

8） aquatic [əˈkwætɪk]adj.水生的，水栖的，水中的，水上的

9） inaccessible [ˌɪnækˈsesəbl]adj.达不到的;难达到的

几个世纪以来，在生物学和考古学领域，南美洲一直是一个神秘之地。巨大的亚马孙雨林坐拥各类自然奇观，涵盖各类动植物。

在这之中，哥伦比亚有一条河流，有着视觉上最独特的生态系统之一，借此从世界各地的景观中脱颖而出。

当地称为卡诺-克里斯塔尔河，这条湍急而独特的河流位于哥伦比亚一个叫塞拉尼亚·德拉·马卡雷纳的国家公园内。这条河是瓜亚贝罗河的支流。这条河由几个瀑布、急流和大量的池塘组成。卡诺-克里斯塔尔河全长约为62英里（约100公里），完全位于国家公园内。

一年中的大部分时间里，卡诺-克里斯塔尔河与其他任何河流都无异：在凉爽、清澈的水流下可以看到一床被沉闷的绿色青苔覆盖的岩石。然而，每年都有那么一小段时间，最令人惊叹的变化发生了——河水在色彩的碰撞中绽放。

如要真正体验这条河流的美丽和独特性，游客必须在7月至12月期间参观。在此期间，河水会有五彩缤纷的色彩。

因此，卡诺-克里斯塔尔河也被称为“五彩河”或“液体彩虹”，可能以任何颜色的组合出现，包括黄色、蓝色、绿色、橙色和紫红色。

乍一看，像是在水中添加了人工染料，但这条彩虹河完全是一种自然现象。

卡诺-克里斯塔尔河的各种颜色是一种罕见的水生植物引起的，这种水生植物横跨整个河流。这些植物的颜色变化取决于自身接受阳光的多少，而阳光的多少则由水的高度和速度决定。

因此，若阳光无法照射，植物完全无色，这也很常见。不过这种植物也特别脆弱，很容易受到重大干扰，因而遭受到破坏。对河流的最大威胁，就像大多数自然遗址一样，来自人类。在公园内，有许多游击活动对河流和游客构成严重威胁。公园内不受管制的旅游活动和游击活动导致公园关闭20年，直到2009年再次向世界开放。

无论如何，五彩河作为哥伦比亚最受欢迎的自然景点之一脱颖而出，每年吸引着成千上万的游客前来观赏。