The World’s Top Ten Destinations（在线收听）

The World’s Top Ten Destinations

1 Ankor Wat is part of a vast network of around a hundred ancient temples hidden deep in the Cambodian ¹⁾jungle. A thousand years ago, this was a ²⁾thriving wooden ³⁾metropolis with a population in excess of a million people, at a time when London’s was just 80,000. 

2 It’s Alaska, the forty-ninth state of America, a land of endless icefields, sweeping ⁴⁾tundra, ⁵⁾fjords and ⁶⁾volcanoes; twice the size of Texas, five times the size of Britain.  If Manhattan had the same population ⁷⁾density, there would be only 16 people living there. And top of things to see in Alaska was, of course, the ⁸⁾aurora borealis, otherwise known as the northern lights.

3 Ah, Gay Paris! And over thirty years later, our love affair with Paris is still as passionate as ever. But if this is not your found, “⁹⁾formidable!” You said, “See the Eiffel Tower at least once in your lifetime.”

Tourist 1: To me, Paris is elegant, romantic, and expensive.

Tourist 2: Go in the spring, take a lover, and enjoy the art galleries.

4 The Masai Mara in Kenya was your all time favorite place to ¹⁰⁾spot African wildlife.  Over four hundred thousand visitors a year come to see zebra, elephant, gazelle, lion and millions of wildebeest run wild. 

5 Found in the heart of the Yucatan Peninsula, and surrounded on all sides by vast rainforest, Chichen Itza was first populated around the sixth century AD by the Mayans. They were famed for their advanced mathematical knowledge and incredible understanding of the ¹¹⁾solar system. ¹²⁾El Castillo is the most famous structure. This simple-looking building is, in fact, the Mayan calendar. Each staircase has 91 steps, which, added to the single step at the main entrance to the temple, amounts to 365.

6 This is the place to be seen, if you’re a Pharaoh. It was once the centre of Egyptian power, and it’s home to Tutankamun’s burial chamber. It’s Luxor, and you’ve called it the world’s greatest open-air museum.

7 In the middle of the Indian Ocean, with not a theme park, ¹³⁾multiplex, or multi-story car park to be found, it’s the Maldives. 

These islands are actually the peaks of an ancient volcanic mountain range submerged by the sea. Now none of the peaks are more than six feet above sea level and only 200 are inhabited, making it, for many of you, the last ¹⁴⁾paradise on earth. 

8 Now, we move swiftly into the top three.

I’m here in Walt Disney World, Florida. Yes, like all things in America, this place is pretty big.

Kids. Also a great excuse for grown-ups to hang out at Walt Disney World. They don’t have to admit they really wanta be here. Am I right? I’m right! We were shocked at how many big kids there were out there. Walt Disney World, Florida, proving a worthy, if somewhat surprisingly high entry at number 3, but one which also, was clearly, well-deserved. Well done, Mickey!

9 Well, for starters, it’s bigger than both Britain and Ireland. It can be seen from outer space. It is the largest structure made up entirely of living organisms in the world, and no human has ever lived there. It is the great, the ¹⁵⁾gargantuan, the ¹⁶⁾gorgeous, “Great Barrier Reef.”

Two thousand nine hundred coral reefs and 1,000 islands stretch over 2,000 kilometers off the Queensland coast in northeastern Australia. You are ¹⁷⁾dazzled by its outstanding coral displays, pristine white beaches, and crystal blue water.

10 When it comes to destinations you want it big.  And it doesn’t come bigger than this.  It’s beyond expectations! It’s beyond comprehension! The most amazing sight in the world! Make sure this is the one place you see in your lifetime. It’s number one. It’s the Grand Canyon! 

The Grand Canyon is one of the world’s most impressive geological ¹⁸⁾feats. Layer upon layer of different rocks ¹⁹⁾recede down into the Grand Canyon and back through time, until the ²⁰⁾strata, at the river, revealed some of the oldest exposed rocks on earth.  And, it’s getting deeper at an estimated rate of 50 feet per million years. 

I came here armed with facts and figures, like, it’s 277 miles long, it’s a mile deep, and in some places 18 miles wide, but none of those statistics-no, none of them-can prepare you for this sight. It is a truly beautiful thing. 

Every year millions of people visit the canyon and the majority do exactly what I’m doing now. They find a point-any point-and stand, and stare... from sunrise ... ‘til sunset.

带你游世界非常十景

首先，请往这儿看-

深藏在丛林中的吴哥窟是柬埔寨百余座的古代庙宇中的一部份。一千多年前，这里是兴旺的木建筑大都市，人口超过一百万，而当时伦敦才只有8万人。

好！穿上厚衣服，去看世界独一无二的景色。

这是阿拉斯加，美国的第四十九个州。这里有一望无际的冰川、连绵的冻原、峡湾及火山，其面积是得克萨斯州的两倍、英国的五倍。如果纽约曼哈顿的人口密度也和这里一样的话，那里只会有16个人居住。当然，在阿拉斯加最值一看的当属北极光。

       现在，我们到大西洋的另一边。

啊，快乐的巴黎！情迷巴黎三十年都热情未减。如果你没有同样的感受，那真是不可思议！你也会说，“这一生至少要看一次艾菲尔铁塔。”

游客甲：对我来说，巴黎优雅、浪漫，而且昂贵。

游客乙：去巴黎要在春天去，带上爱人，去尽情欣赏艺术馆。

好，各位，放眼望去，你都看见些什么？

如果你想观赏非洲野生动物，肯尼亚的马赛－马拉就是你全天候的最好去处。这里每年有超过40万游客来这里看斑马、大象、瞪羚、狮子及数百万的非洲野生牛羚在原野狂奔。

现在，我们看看古人留给我们的两处遗迹。

奇琴伊察位于尤卡坦半岛的中心，周围遍布着大片的雨林。在公元6世纪左右，玛雅人就开始在此居住。他们因掌握了先进的数学知识以及对太阳系的不可思议的了解而闻名于世。城堡是这里最著名的建筑物。这座简朴的建筑其实是玛雅人的日历。它里面的每一个楼梯有91级步阶，加上在殿堂大门的一级，总数是365级。

如果你是法老的话，我们就能在这里找到你。这里曾经是古埃及的权力中心，同时也是古埃及国王图坦卡蒙的墓室。这里正是卢克索，人们称之为世界上最大的户外博物馆。

依我看，下面这个景点绝对胜过夏威夷！

在印度洋的中部，有一个地方看不到主题公园、多功能影剧院、或多层停车场，这就是马尔代夫。

马尔代夫群岛实际上是被大海淹没的一个古老火山山脉的山峰群。现在，这些山峰的高度都不超过海拔6英尺，并且只有200多个岛屿有人居住，在很多人心目中，她成为地球上最后的乐园。

请留意，三个最佳景点马上就到！

现在，让我们赶紧去参观前三名的景点。

现在我在佛罗里达的迪斯尼世界。是的，就像美国的所有东西一样，这个地方非常大。

带孩子们上这儿来是使成年人留连在迪斯尼世界的一个很好借口, 他们不需承认自己实际上很想来这里。我说得对吗？当然对啦！看到有这么多成人在这里，我们感到吃惊。虽然它能名列第三是多少有点让人意外，不过，佛罗里达迪斯尼世界以她本身的价值，证明自己是当之无愧的。米奇，做得好！ 

下面，我们一起欣赏大自然的杰作吧！

首先，这个地方的面积比英国和爱尔兰加起来的面积还要大，你从太空也能看见它。这是世界上完全由生物机体组成的最大构筑物，但从来没有人类在那里居住。她就是美妙、巨大而绚丽的大堡礁。

在澳大利亚东北部的昆士兰州对开的海里，两千九百个珊瑚礁及一千个岛屿连绵2000多公里，你会为那独特的珊瑚阵、那质朴的白沙滩及晶莹的大海所陶醉。

好了，都准备好了吗？

说到游览景点，人们总希望它大，接下来这景点是大得不能再大了，它大得超出你的想像，简直不可思议。它是世界上最令人惊叹的景色，是你一生中一定要来看一次的地方。它是我们排行榜上的第一名，它就是大峡谷！

大峡谷是世界上最令人难忘的地貌之一。一层层各种各样的岩石铺叠着一直深入到峡谷之中，直至地层，追逐着时光的变迁，在河床中显露着一些地球上最古老的岩石。并且，岩层还在向下延伸，速度估计是每百万年50英尺。

我有备而来，带着资料和数据，比如：峡谷长277英里，一英里深，在某些地段有18英里宽。但即使有了这些统计数据，你也会在这伟大奇观面前惊讶无比，它确实是一个妙不可言的地方。

每年有数百万人来参观大峡谷，大多数人都与我现在一样，做着同一件事。这就是，找一个位置--任何一个位置都可以--站在那里，凝视着，从日出直到日落。

注释:

1) jungle [5dVQN^l] n. 丛林        

2) thriving [WraiviN] a. 繁荣的

3) metropolis [mi5trRpElis] n. 主要城市   

4) tundra [5tQndrE] n. 冻原，冻土带

5) fjord [fjC:d] n. 峡湾                    

6) volcano [vCl5keinEu] n. 火山

7) density [5densiti] n. 密度        

8) aurora borealis 北极光

9) formidable （法语）即incredible，不可思议的，难以置信的      

10) spot [spCt] v. 发现，准确定位

11) solar [5sEulE] a. 太阳的          

12) El Castillo （西班牙语）城堡

13) multiplex [5mQltipleks] n. 多功能放映场影剧院          

14) paradise [5pArEdaiz] n. 天堂，乐园

15) gargantuan [^B:5^AntjuEn] a. 庞大的，巨大的             

16) gorgeous [5^C:dVEs] a. 华丽的

17) dazzle [5dAzl] v. 使眼花缭乱      

18) feat [fi:t] n. 功绩，业绩      

19) recede [ri5si:d] v. 退去，退远     

20) strata [5streitE] n. 地层，stratum的复数