本帖最后由 人与自然 于 2012-11-21 16:16 编辑
牧夫发完此贴之后，新浪才发，牧夫终于抢先新浪发出了这组图片，当然，新浪有专业翻译人员随时准备，因此翻译比牧夫要全，这里借用一下新浪的翻译。
http://slide.tech.sina.com.cn/d/slide_5_453_25002.html#p=2
在美国加利福尼亚州的红杉国家公园，美国摄影师拍摄了一组令人惊叹的作品，展现世界上第二大树——被戏称为总统的巨型红杉的壮观景象
These are some of the world's largest trees, rising majestically out of the snowy slopes along the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
Photographer Michael Nichols spent two weeks capturing images of the 'President' - the world's second-biggest tree which is at least 3,200 years old in Sequoia National Park, deep in the southern region.
Sequoias only grow on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada, a mountain range which runs 400 miles through Nevada and California. Giant sequoias can reach 247-feet - the height of a 20-storey building.
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Taking on the president: The world's second largest tree, a sequoia dubbed the president, on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada mountain range
Tree of life: Sequoias are particular to the region and can grow as tall as 20-story buildings 巨型红杉是当地特有树木，高度可达到20层楼。这棵红杉生长在红杉国家公园南部深处，至少拥有3200年历史。
Taming a titan: Photographer Michael Nichols spent two weeks capturing breathtaking images of the majestic tree 摄影师迈克尔-尼古拉斯在红杉国家公园逗留两周，用镜头记录下红杉“总统”的惊人景象
As writer David Quammen, whose article accompanies the photographer's series in National Geographic, noted: 'It’s not quite the largest tree on Earth. It’s the second largest. [size=1.2em]
Recent research by scientist Steve Sillett of Humboldt State University and his colleagues has confirmed that the President ranks number two among all big trees that have ever been measured—and Sillett’s team has measured quite a few.
It doesn’t stand so tall as the tallest of coast redwoods or of Eucalyptus regnans in Australia, but height isn’t everything; it’s far more massive than any coast redwood or eucalypt.
Iconic: The President is one of the major tourist draws at the Giant Sequoia National Monument which covers much of the Sierra Nevada “总统”是红杉国家公园的明星。这座国家公园覆盖了内华达山的大部分地区。红杉国家公园座落于内华达山。内华达山连绵约643公里，穿过内华达州和加利福尼亚州。
红杉国家公园的巨型红杉“总统”，真正的参天大树。红杉只生长在内华达山的西部斜坡，这种巨树的高度可达到247英尺（约合75米），相当于一座20层的建筑。
Immense: The tallest sequoias are so large that it is impossible to look at them in one go
红杉国家公园的巨型红杉“总统”，真正的参天大树。虽然高度无法与沿岸红杉或者澳大利亚瑞格楠（一种桉树）相提并论，但体积却远远超过任何沿岸红杉或者桉树。
Intrepid: A researcher climbs a sequoia as part of an effort to measure and map the giant trees
一名研究员借助绳索爬上巨树，进行测量。“总统”的顶部在雷击中毁坏，高度达到247英尺，长有4条主枝，每条主枝的体积都相当于一棵大树。
'Its dead spire, blasted by lightning, rises to 247 feet. Its four great limbs, each as big as a sizable tree, elbow outward from the trunk around halfway up, billowing into a thick crown like a mushroom cloud flattening against the sky.
'Although its trunk isn’t quite so bulky as that of the largest giant, the General Sherman, its crown is fuller than the Sherman’s. The President holds nearly two billion leaves.
Trees grow tall and wide-crowned as a measure of competition with other trees, racing upward, reaching outward for sunlight and water. And a tree doesn’t stop getting larger—as a terrestrial mammal does, or a bird, their size constrained by gravity—once it’s sexually mature. A tree too is constrained by gravity, but not in the same way as a condor or a giraffe.
It doesn’t need to locomote, and it fortifies its structure by continually adding more wood. Given the constant imperative of seeking resources from the sky and the soil, and with sufficient time, a tree can become huge and then keep growing. Giant sequoias are gigantic because they are very, very old.'
Survivors: Many of the most impressive trees were destroyed soon after they were discovered by settlers in the 19th century 幸存的大树。19世纪，很多巨杉在被定居者发现后遭到砍伐。虽然树干没有世界第一大树“谢尔曼将军”那么粗大，但树冠更为壮观。据悉，“总统”上生长着近20亿片叶子
Gorgeous: The majestic plants are considered one of the greatest natural wonders in the U.S. 壮观的巨杉被誉为美国最惊人的自然奇观之一。这棵铁锈色红杉的底部面积相当于一座普通住宅的房间，让人感到不可思议。
The 'rusty red' tree has a footprint as large as a room in an average home, and is so huge that it is almost impossible to look at.
Their giant size allows them to survive disasters which would wipe out many of their woodland competitors - they are unaffected by storms, resistant to forest fire and can live even after being struck by lightning.
And the trees never stop growing even when they are hundreds of feet tall - in fact, their rate of growth has been found to increase the older they are.
The trunk is constantly widening, while the upper limbs grow stronger even as the trees age.
Steve Sillett and his helpers proved this unexpected finding by climbing up the biggest trees and measuring them more thoroughly than had ever been done before.The full article is published in the December issue of National Geographic.
VIDEO: Drive THROUGH a tree and explore the tallest sequoia on the planet!
Discovery: The trees were a source of huge fascination when they were found by settlers 定居者与巨杉合影留念。凭借巨大的身躯，“总统”得以在各种灾难中幸存，例如风暴、火灾或者雷击。
Destruction: The early settlers were not afraid to cut down the giant trees for timber 早期的定居者砍伐了大量巨杉，以获取木料，随着时间的流逝，它们的树干越长越粗，“上肢”越发强壮。研究过程中，希尔勒特和同事借助绳索爬上巨树，进行测量。
Innovation: A settler in 1890 shows off the path he has cut through the giant sequoia Wawona 1890年的一名定居者，正穿过在巨杉上凿出的通道。相比之下，其他很多树木在灾难中死亡。即使高度达到了几百英尺，树木仍会继续生长，生长速度会随着年龄增长而加快
KING OF THE SIERRA NEVADA: HOW THE GIANT SEQUOIA IS THE WORLD'S LARGEST PLANT
The giant sequoia - Sequoiadendron giganteum - tends to live for many centuries, enabling it to grow larger than any other species of plant.
The trees are naturally found only in a small area of the Sierra Nevada in California, nearly all of which is covered by the Giant Sequoia National Monument.
While they have been successfully grown in other areas of North America and around the world, nowhere have they been standing long enough to challenge the size records set by the Sierra Nevada giants.
They can live for up to 3,500 years, reaching heights comparable to skyscrapers.
The tallest trees currently standing include the President, the General Sherman and the General Grant, all above 240ft - but they are far from the tallest known in history.
Soon after the sequoia was discovered by American settlers in the early 19th century, many of the most impressive specimens were cut down and exhibited to gawking crowds.
One of the biggest of them all was known as the Mother of the Forest, which stood in the area from 668 BC and was discovered by George Gale in 1852.
He stripped the bark of the tree, leading to its swift demise, while a forest fire in 1908 destroyed what was left.
Champion: The General Sherman is the tallest tree in the world still standing, at a staggering 275ft 世界第一大树“谢尔曼将军”，高度达到275英尺（约合83米）。
Stunning: The images of the magnificent giant sequoias are featured in the December issue of National Geographic
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