Some of the world's greatest wonders are the historical sites that have existed for hundreds and sometimes thousands of years. Many of them were lost to human knowledge for centuries before they were uncovered. Thanks to urbanization, natural disasters, and pollution, however, it is likely that these historical landmarks will be lost once more before the end of this century.
在这世界上已经存在了几百年甚至几千年的伟大奇迹往往都是历史遗迹。它们中有很多在被发现之前就已经淡出人类文明史中数百年。然而，由于城市化的进程、自然灾害和环境污染，这些遗址古迹很有可能在本世纪结束前消失。
10.国家冰川公园
Around 10,000 years ago, the ice in the area of Montana's Glacier National Park was about 1.6 kilometers (1 mi) deep. When the park was founded in 1910, there were around 150 glaciers. Only 25 of these giants remain, and it is suspected that all of them might be gone by 2030.
大约10000年前，位于蒙大拿州国家冰川公园的冰川有约1.6公里（1英里）深。而当它于1910年被发现时，仍然大约还有150个冰川。但是现在，仅存的25个大块头让人们不禁怀疑，也许到2030年它们将不复存在。
The heart of the National Park, Grinnell Glacier, has lost more than 90 percent of its ice over the past century. It's no surprise that global warming is the 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.It's 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.
国家公园的心脏地带格林内尔冰川已经在过去一个世纪里融化了超过90％的冰。这并不奇怪，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率大约是全球其它地区的1.8倍以上。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养育并且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，这些物种赖以生存的家园也会沦为废墟。
9.帝王谷
The resting places of the mighty pharaohs of Egypt, such as Ramses II and the boy king Tutankhamun, have inspired wonder and awe through centuries. Unfortunately, they have also inspired many treasure hunters who were little more than thieves and plunderers.
埃及法老们比如拉美西斯二世和年轻法老图坦卡蒙的安眠圣殿，几百年来一直象征着奇迹和敬畏。不幸的是，他们也吸引了众多实则为强盗的寻宝者。
But now, the Valley of Kings faces a different kind of threat. This one comes not from greedy Indiana Jones wannabes but several thousand well-meaning tourists. Fungus has begun to grow out of control around the tombs, and scientists believe that the parasite has flourished due to poor ventilation and the respiration of thousands of visitors. The head of Egypt's antiques has reported that the tombs may vanish within 150 years.The engravings and paintings inside the tombs are already beginning to disappear. In response, the number of tourists allowed inside the tombs has been restricted, and some exhibits have been closed completely. Hopefully, these restrictions, along with the use of new ventilation systems in the tombs, will be enough to save them.
但现在，帝王谷面临着各种各样的威胁。而这一次并非来自《夺宝奇兵》的崇拜者，而是那些"好心"的游客们。现在墓葬周围已经开始疯狂地长出菌类，科学家认为，寄生生物肆虐是由于墓内通风不良以及大量的游客呼吸。据埃及考古学界的权威透露，墓葬可能会在未来150年内消失。不幸的是，墓葬内的雕刻和绘画也开始慢慢损坏掉。对此，进入墓葬参观的游客数量已经受到限制，有的展区甚至已经完全关闭。我们只能祈祷，这些参观限制以及墓葬内的新通风系统能够拯救帝王谷遗迹。
8.塞舌尔群岛
It's probably a fair bet that most people haven't heard of the Seychelles, a group of around 115 islands not far from the more well-known Madagascar. 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 one of the greatest places to 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.
我敢保证大多数人都没听说过塞舌尔群岛，这是一个由115个岛屿组成的岛群，而且离那个知名的马达加斯加很近。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，它们是能观赏到海中最大鱼——鲸鲨——最方便的地方之一。塞舌尔可以称得上是最早被记录的稀有生物瑰宝库，而且这些生物都是被严格保护的。
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 Seychelles have fallen victim to one of the most brutal incidences of coral bleaching worldwide. The rising temperatures destroy the coral and leave it a disturbing, almost skeleton-like white, destroying entire ecosystems and leaving everyone who lives on the islands vulnerable to devastating events like hurricanes.
然而，由于周围的海滩珊瑚屏障的破坏，这些岛屿可能在半个世纪内就被海水淹没掉。塞舌尔群岛曾沦为世界上珊瑚发病率最高的珊瑚白化现象的牺牲品。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。
7.奥林匹亚
When we think of ancient Greece, most of us think of the Greek gods, Sparta, or the Olympics. While everyone knows that the Olympics were created in Greece, not many people know about the exact city where they were founded.
每当我们想到古希腊，我们最先联想到的总是希腊众神和斯巴达，或者奥运会。虽然众所周知，奥运会在希腊诞生，但是没有多少人准确地知道具体是在哪一座城市。
Olympia has been occupied by several different cults over the years who worshiped several different gods, from Kronos, the King of Titans, to the goddess of lust and beauty, Aphrodite. Over time, one cult claimed the city completely for their god, the ruler of the Olympians, Zeus himself. Nearly everything in the city was designed to honor him, from the magnificent 13-meter (42 ft) statue covered in gold and ivory (which, sadly, no longer exists) to the Olympic games themselves. Today, the Olympic flame is still ignited in this city and then transported to wherever the games are being held.Ironically, it is fire that threatens the origin site of the beloved games. In 2007, several fires that were started by arsonists spread rapidly across the country, killing more than 60 people. The flames were barely contained by a dedicated team of firefighters just a hillside away from wiping out the historic site of the original games. Thanks to global warming, fires have become much more commonplace and much more powerful, threatening to burn the site to a crisp and render all efforts to protect it in vain.
奥林匹亚城曾经拥有众多教派，多年以来，从克罗诺斯，泰坦之王，到欲望美神——阿佛洛狄忒女神，居民们一直崇拜着好几种不同的神。随着时间的推移，主流教派声称奥林匹亚城就是他们唯一的守护神，即奥林匹亚众神之王——宙斯。与此同时，城市的所有事物几乎都是为了纪念他而诞生，从宏伟的13米（42英尺）由黄金和象牙（不幸的是已经不复存在）铸成的雕像到如今的奥运会本身。时至今日，奥运圣火仍然熊熊燃烧庇佑着这座城市，并在奥运会期间传递到各举办地。讽刺的是，一场大火威胁到了这个神圣赛事的发源地。 2007年，数名纵火犯燃起的大火迅速蔓延到城镇各地，死亡人数超过60人，大火被一支专业的消防队控制在远离奥运起源历史遗迹的山坡的另一面。然而由于全球气候变暖，大火变得更旺更难以控制，最后差点让所有的保护措施都付之东流，把遗址烧为废墟。
6.The Chan Chan Archaeological Zone
6.昌昌城考古区
Chan Chan, which enjoys the titles of the largest pre-Columbian city to be discovered and the largest ever adobe city, covers around 20 kilometers (12 mi) of Peruvian land. It was originally inhabited by the Chimu people, who divided the city into nine different citadels, each of which were autonomous.
昌昌城，享有最大的前哥伦比亚城旧址的美誉，曾是面积最大的土砖城，覆盖秘鲁陆地上约20公里（12英里）长的地方。起初奇穆人居住在这里，当地居民将城市划分为九个各自独立的要塞。
Chan Chan has also been labeled by anthropologists as the "first true engineering society in the New World." Their projects, such as an irrigation system that supplied the entire city and their attempt to create a massive canal that would have stretched to the Chicama River 80 kilometers (50 mi) north, were unheard of in "civilized" Europe. The city lasted for more than 600 years before the Incan Empire finally managed to overthrow it.Today, this archaeological wonder is under attack not only from those who come to pillage and loot but also from storms caused by the deadly El Nino phenomena. To make matters worse, powerful earthquakes put the city in danger of being crushed completely.
昌昌城也被人类学家贴上了"新世界第一个真正的工程社会"的标签。他们的工程，譬如能够服务于整个城市的灌溉系统以及他们创造的延伸到奇卡马河80公里（50英里）以北的大运河，在"文明"的欧洲都是闻所未闻的。这座城市的辉煌历时600余年才终于被印加帝国成功地推翻。如今，这个历史奇迹受到的攻击远不止来自那些掠夺者，更可怕的敌人或许是致命的厄尔尼诺风暴。更糟糕的是，强地震也能把这座城市彻底粉碎。
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