托福阅读：7 Alternative Wonders of the World

　　世界七大奇迹已经有诸多会与战火，不知道这7大自然奇观会不会也随着人类对自然的肆意践踏，在不久的将来也变成了只有在2D世界里才能参观的残影……

　　The seven wonders of the world; a celebration of Earth’s finest natural beauties and all symbolic man-made structures that command awe. The current list includes Egypt’s Pyramids, the Chichen Itza in Mexico, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Italy’s Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru, Petra in Jordan, and the Taj Mahal in India. Taking into consideration the launch of the seven wonders of the world in nature, which has so far attracted 0ver 100 million votes (results to be printed in 2011), here is a list of seven alternative wonders of the world.

　　1. Shark Bay, Australia 　　Shark Bay holds real significance to evolution. The bay, found in the north-west of Australia, contains mysterious little hillocks which have been formed by some of the earlies life-forms on our planet – marine stromatolites. How old are these organisms you ask? Over 3 million-years old! They absorb carbon dioxide and emit oxygen so all life as we know it owes to their existence.

　　2. Tsingy, Madagascar　　Until the animated film came out a few years ago not a lot of people knew anything about Madagascar. Turns out we still don’t know that much about the country except that they are the fourth-largest island in the world and is home to 5% of the world’s plant and animal species. They are also home to the Tsingy of Bemaraha, a forest of limestone needles. They are so compact that humans can all but venture through the strange forest. Instead it is home to endagered lemurs and birds.

　　3. Wulingyuan National Park, China　　China is home to some amazing wonders, the Great Wall of China being a prime example. But for natural beauty that takes your breath away cast your eyes at the vast magnificence of Wulingyuan. There are over 3,000 of those sandstone columns, each of which stands at hundres of metres in height. The pillars are survivors of an ancient sea floor and are accompanied by beautiful waterfalls, amazing caves, spectacular valleys and thick forestation that contains gorgeous wild lotus and orchids.

　　4. Socotra Archipelago, Yemen　　One of the remotest parts of the world, the Socotra Archipelago is located in the horn of Africa. It is so difficult to get to this location that tourism is impossible making it one of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. The rare trees seen in the picture are impressively known as the Dragon’s Blood Trees, believed to contain natural medicine for the human body.

　　5. Namib Desert, Namibia　　Among all the other well-known deserts of the world the Namib Desert would probably feature quite lowdown in the list. Which is a shame seeing as it is the oldest desert in the world and has the most spectacular sand dunes, some reaching as high as 380 metres making them the world’s highest. The desert is 1,200 miles long but is let down by its width, which is only 70 miles.

　　6. Andean Penitentes, Chile/Argentina　　Spooky looking ice figurines stand eerily silent in the Andes, found in Chile and Argentina. They have been formed at an amazing altitude of 4,000 metres and when sunlight is reflected over the ice some brilliant melting patterns are caused, which can reach heights alone of more than five metres.

　　7. Cueva de los Cristales, Mexico　　Translated this means Cave of Crystals. Found in Mexico this is an incredible site of natural, colossal crystals. Known as colossal gypsum shafts they can span 11 metres in length and a metre in diameter. This unique forest was found buried in the mineral-rich lands of the Chihuahua region. The crystals are thought to be over half a million years-old. The cave in which they sprout from sits above magma and the heat from this, along with the cave’s mineral-rich groundwater, allows them to grow so healthily.