彭蒙惠英语：Kauai Adventure

Kauai Adventure

 

By Yvette Cardozo

 

1

We were standing¹ on a Swiss Family Robinson-style platform 50 feet up in a tree, and were expected to jump. Taking a leap of faith—quite literally—and holding our breaths, we dropped towards the river below, then slid outward . . . on a zipline.

 

Yes, even the paradise-like Hawaiian island of Kauai has a zipline, but extreme adventure here is much more than sliding across a river in a harness.

 

Safe thrills

Kauai has been the setting of Hollywood adventure films, like Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Lord of the Flies and others, for decades. Now, it’s also a destination for real-life adventure: safe, supervised, guided adventure with one of the world’s most jaw-dropping backdrops. Activities range from “heart-attack” rope-swing drops into swimming holes to downhill bicycling adventures; from boat rides behind waterfalls on the Napali coast to our personal favorite, the inner tube ride down irrigation canals of an old sugar plantation²; and, of course, those ziplines.

 

What to do

The most comprehensive of all the tourist trips is the Kipu Falls Zipline Safari³, offering a day for folks with short attention spans who can’t decide what to do. Our group met, incongruously, in a Lihue industrial district on Kauai’s southeast side, got outfitted⁵ with kayak paddles and dry bags for our cameras, then took off on a 2.5-mile paddle up the Hule’ia River. We passed catamarans, skiffs and something that looked like a spaceship, but was actually a racing⁶ trimaran.

 

Upstream we took a short hike through the tropical jungle. Our guide Elvis pointed⁷ out all sorts of local edible⁸ plants. Hau flowers for coughs, wild coffee cherries, wild ginger⁹, taro¹⁰, mango, kukui nut, bananas . . . the list went on and on. In fact, someone later told us 93% of all plants in Hawaii are edible.

 

Vocabulary Focus

harness (n) [5hB:nis] piece of equipment, with straps¹¹ and fastenings, used to control or hold a person, animal or object in place

jaw-dropping (adj) [5dVC:5drCpiN] amazing; extremely surprising

incongruously (adv) [in5kCN^ruEsli] in a way that is unusual or different from the surroundings or from what is generally happening

outfit⁴ (v) [5autfit] to provide someone or something with equipment or clothes

 

Specialized¹² Terms

zipline (n) 滑索 a wire strung between two objects on which a person in a harness rides from a higher point to a lower point

inner tube (n phr) 内胎 an air-filled rubber or plastic ring that normally goes inside tires

irrigation (n) 灌溉 the process of supplying land with water so that crops and plants will grow

trimaran (n) 三体帆船 a small, fast sailing boat with a central hull¹³, or floating part, joined to two other smaller hulls¹⁴, one at each side

hau (n) 哈乌树 a large shrub¹⁵ or tree that is common in the tropics and subtropics

kukui (n) 夏威夷州树 a tree with grayish leaves and clusters of white flowers; the state tree of Hawaii

 

可爱岛探险之旅

 

吴四明 译

 

1

我们站在50尺高，类似电影《海角一乐园》里的一个树顶平台上，准备往下跳。充慢信心地一跃——真的是仅凭信念与勇气；我们摒住气息，落向身下的河流，然后坐着高空滑索往外滑。

是的，即使是像天堂般的夏威夷可爱岛上，也有高空滑索，但是这里的终极探险活动并不只是身上紧套绳索从河上滑过而已。

 

安全的刺激

数十年以来，可爱岛一直是好莱坞探险影片的场景之一，例如。《夺宝奇兵》、《侏罗纪公园》、《苍蝇王》等等。现在它也成了现实生活中进行探险活动的地点。这些安全、受到良好指导及管理的探险活动，拥有一个全世界最不可思议的背景设计。活动包括从可引发“心脏病”的绳索荡秋千落入天然游泳池洞，到下坡单车之旅；从拿帕里海岸瀑布后方划船，到我们每个人最爱的在旧甘蔗园的灌溉沟渠中坐内胎顺流而下；此外，当然还有那些高空滑索。

 

玩什么

对注意力短暂而不知如何决定要玩什么的人来说，各种内容都有的观光行程就是一天的“奇普瀑布高空滑索之旅”。我们这一团，很好笑地，是在可爱岛东南边的利忽野工业区会合，拿着滑桨及装照相机的干燥袋，穿戴好划独木舟的装备后，便展开长约2里半的忽雷野河溯流之旅。途中，我们经过了一些木筏、小艇、及一艘看起来像是宇宙飞船但实际上是三体赛船的东西。

在热带森林中，我们逆流而上健行了一小段路。我们的导游艾维斯指出所有当地可食用的植物。可以治咳嗽的哈乌花、野咖啡樱桃、野姜、芋头、芒果、库库依果、香蕉，还有更多。事实上，后来有人告诉我们，夏威夷所有的植物里，有93%都是可以吃的。 

1 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

2 plantation   

n.种植园，大农场

参考例句：

• His father-in-law is a plantation manager.他岳父是个种植园经营者。
• The plantation owner has possessed himself of a vast piece of land.这个种植园主把大片土地占为己有。

3 safari   

n.远征旅行(探险、考察)；探险队，狩猎队

参考例句：

• When we go on safari we like to cook on an open fire.我们远行狩猎时，喜欢露天生火做饭。
• They went on safari searching for the rare black rhinoceros.他们进行探险旅行，搜寻那稀有的黑犀牛。

4 outfit   

n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装

参考例句：

• Jenney bought a new outfit for her daughter's wedding.珍妮为参加女儿的婚礼买了一套新装。
• His father bought a ski outfit for him on his birthday.他父亲在他生日那天给他买了一套滑雪用具。

5 outfitted   

v.装备，配置设备，供给服装( outfit的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They outfitted for the long journey. 他们为远途旅行准备装束。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• They outfitted him with artificial legs. 他们为他安了假腿。 来自辞典例句

6 racing   

n.竞赛，赛马；adj.竞赛用的，赛马用的

参考例句：

• I was watching the racing on television last night.昨晚我在电视上看赛马。
• The two racing drivers fenced for a chance to gain the lead.两个赛车手伺机竞相领先。

7 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

8 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

9 ginger   

n.姜，精力，淡赤黄色；adj.淡赤黄色的；vt.使活泼，使有生气

参考例句：

• There is no ginger in the young man.这个年轻人没有精神。
• Ginger shall be hot in the mouth.生姜吃到嘴里总是辣的。

10 taro   

n.芋，芋头

参考例句：

• Main grain crop has taro,corn,banana to wait.主要粮食作物有芋头、玉米、芭蕉等。
• You celebrate your birthday with taro,red bean and butter.用红豆、芋头和黄油给自己过生日。

11 straps   

n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带

参考例句：

• the shoulder straps of her dress 她连衣裙上的肩带
• The straps can be adjusted to suit the wearer. 这些背带可进行调整以适合使用者。

12 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

13 hull   

n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳

参考例句：

• The outer surface of ship's hull is very hard.船体的外表面非常坚硬。
• The boat's hull has been staved in by the tremendous seas.小船壳让巨浪打穿了。

14 hulls   

船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚

参考例句：

• Hulls may be removed by aspiration on screens. 脱下的种皮，可由筛子上的气吸装置吸除。
• When their object is attained they fall off like empty hulls from the kernel. 当他们的目的达到以后，他们便凋谢零落，就象脱却果实的空壳一样。

15 shrub   

n.灌木，灌木丛

参考例句：

• There is a small evergreen shrub on the hillside.山腰上有一小块常绿灌木丛。
• Moving a shrub is best done in early spring.移植灌木最好是在初春的时候。