外刊阅读:A forest made out of signs

在加拿大的一个小镇,有个奇特的景点:由很多路牌、车牌等标志牌组成的“森林”。

A forest made out of signs

by Jennifer Nalewicki

Located deep within the Yukon, one of the most densely wooded areas of Canada, sits a patch of land that's unlike any other forest on the planet. Instead of a canopy(树冠层) of treetops cutting across the horizon, tens of thousands of signposts perch haphazardly(杂乱地) one on top of the other from locales(地点) near and far. They're all part of the Signpost Forest, the largest collection of signs from places around the world.

the Yukon /ˈjuːkɒn/ 是加拿大西北部的省级行政区
densely /ˈdensli/ adv. 密集地、稠密地(由dense加后缀-ly变成副词)
wooded /ˈwʊdɪd/ adj. 长满树木的
patch /pætʃ/ n. 小片土地
unlike /ʌnˈlaɪk/ prep. 不像、跟…不同(由like加上表示否定的前缀un-)
treetop /ˈtriːtɒp/ n. 树顶、树梢
cut across 横贯、贯穿
horizon /həˈraɪz(ə)n/ n. 地平线
signpost /ˈsaɪnpəʊst/ n. 指示牌、路牌
perch /pɜːtʃ/ v. 位于…之上

At last count, the Signpost Forest in Watson Lake contains 91,000 signs from spots near and far, including Berlin, Moscow, Dublin and Hawaii. But how did all these signs get there in the first place?

count /kaʊnt/ n. 数数
spot /spɒt/ n. 地点
Berlin /bɜːˈlɪn/ n. 柏林(德国首都)
Moscow /ˈmɒskəʊ/ n. 莫斯科
Dublin /ˈdʌblɪn/ n. 都柏林(爱尔兰首都)
Hawaii /həˈwaɪiː/ n. 夏威夷

According to the Watson Lake Visitors Center, which helps maintain the collection, a U.S. soldier by the name of Carl K. Lindley was the first person to place a sign there in 1942 while he was helping to construct the Alaska Highway, a strategic roadway project undertaken by the U.S. government during World War II.

maintain /meɪnˈteɪn/ v. 维持、维护
place /pleɪs/ v. 放置
construct /kənˈstrʌkt/ v. 修建、建造
Alaska /əˈlæskə/ n. 阿拉斯加(美国西北部的州)
highway /ˈhaɪweɪ/ n. 干线公路、高速公路
strategic /strəˈtiːdʒɪk/ adj. 战略性的(由strategy加后缀-ic变成形容词)
roadway /ˈrəʊdweɪ/ n. (供车辆行驶的)道路
project /ˈprɒdʒekt/ n. 项目、工程
undertake /ˌʌndəˈteɪk/ v. 承担、承建

Built of planks(木条) that he nailed together and painted red and white, the handmade sign proudly proclaimed "Danville, Illinois, 2,835 miles," denoting the distance that the homesick soldier was from his hometown. Little did Lindley know that years later travelers from near and far would follow in his footsteps and place signposts from their own hometowns.

nail /neɪl/ v. 钉钉子
handmade /ˌhændˈmeɪd/ adj. 手工制作的
proudly /ˈpraʊdli/ adv. 自豪地(由proud加后缀-ly变成副词)
proclaim /prəˈkleɪm/ v. 宣告、公布
Illinois /ˌɪlɪˈnɔɪ/ n. 伊利诺伊(美国中部的州)
mile /maɪl/ n. 英里(=1.6公里)
denote /dɪˈnəʊt/ v. 代表、表示
homesick /ˈhəʊmsɪk/ adj. 想家的
hometown /ˈhəʊmtaʊn/ n. 家乡
footstep /ˈfʊtstep/ n. 足迹、脚步声(follow in someone's footsteps指追随某人做某事)

"It's one of those things that really took off," says Lelah Bruce, supervisor of the Watson Lake Visitors Center. "There are signs from everyone. It's the idea of leaving something in passing and a way for people to say, 'Hey, I was here.'"

take off 起飞、快速发展
supervisor /ˈsuːpəvaɪzə(r)/ n. 主管
in passing 顺带、顺便

Bruce says that it's not uncommon for people to travel out of their way to post a sign, and many travelers build their itineraries to have time to wander around the roughly 8,000-square-meter site, which has pathways meandering(蜿蜒曲折) throughout the property and is open 24 hours a day and 365 days a year.

uncommon /ʌnˈkɒmən/ adj. 不寻常的(由common加上表示否定的前缀un-)
post /pəʊst/ v. 张贴
itinerary /aɪˈtɪn(ə)r(ə)ri/ n. 行程
wander /ˈwɒndə(r)/ v. 漫步、闲逛
roughly /ˈrʌfli/ adv. 大约
pathway /ˈpɑːθweɪ/ n. 路径、小径
throughout /θruːˈaʊt/ prep. 遍及
property /ˈprɒpəti/ n. 地产

To help accommodate anyone interested in creating a sign, the visitor center has wood and paints on hand for decorating. However, many people opt to bring their own signs, albeit illegally, by snatching a metal sign from their hometown and nailing it to one of the wood posts. "It is the largest collection of stolen property never prosecuted," Bruce says. "But of course we don't encourage it."

accommodate /əˈkɒmədeɪt/ v. 给某人提供方便
decorate /ˈdekəreɪt/ v. 装饰、点缀
opt /ɒpt/ v. 选择
albeit /ɔːlˈbiːɪt/ = although
illegally /ɪˈliːɡ(ə)li/ adv. 非法地(由illegal加后缀-ly变成副词)
snatch /snætʃ/ v. 猛地一拽、一把夺走
post /pəʊst/ n. 柱、桩
property /ˈprɒpəti/ n. 财产
prosecute /ˈprɒsɪkjuːt/ v. 提起公诉

The forest has grown so vast that the visitors center doesn't keep any sort of inventory of which signs make up the collection, although Bruce does recall some that stand out from the rest.

vast /vɑːst/ adj. 巨大的
inventory /ˈɪnv(ə)nt(ə)ri/ n. 详细清单
make up 组成、构成
recall /rɪˈkɔːl/ v. 回忆起
stand out 显眼、引人注目

"We have a lot of familial signs where, say, a grandpa will put up a sign and then years later the family will come back and try to find it," she says. "I also posted a license plate from the premier(省总理) of Prince Edward Island at his request."

say /seɪ/ v. 比方说
put up 张贴
license plate 汽车的车牌
Prince Edward Island 是加拿大东部的一个省
at someone's request 应某人的要求

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