我們能走多近？

Two years ago， when on holiday with my family in America， we took a trip to what is perhaps the countrys most wellknown nature reserve： the Yellow Stone National Park1. With a rented car we slowly drove through the immensity of the place， in constant wonder and awe at the wildlife—the elks， the black bears， the bison and wolves， roaming freely around us.2 From time to time， travellers could also be seen sitting on the grass， as quiet as the animals themselves， watching elk from 20 meters away， or taking pictures of antelopes3 on the other side of a river. Ahead of us a silent line of cars had formed， waiting patiently for herds of bison to cross the road. There was no shouting. No screaming. Just this quiet observing. A respect， an understanding between man and nature.

It was then that I first came to understand the importance that distance plays in our appreciation of nature and beauty. Animals were enjoying their lives， and people were having a visual feast.4

Imagine my horror then， when I travelled to Zhangjiajie National Forest Park where， overwhelmed by the same spectacular mountains， tall trees， and clean streams， I was met with excited and over-zealous travelers queuing for the man-made skyscraping sightseeing lift.5 Imagine my sadness at having to pick my way through the littered pathways， or my disappointment when watching fellow tourists throwing sticks at monkeys.

想尋覓一方清凈，人聲車聲卻在耳間呼嘯而過；想重溫兒時的星辰與綠野，眼中卻僅有霓虹和水泥森林。古人敬天畏地，我們卻欲“近”天“違”地——不斷地接近自然，并征服自然。殊不知，親密而有距，才是我們重塑人與自然和諧關(guān)系的準(zhǔn)則。

We are approaching the nature， but how close should we stay in connection with it？ Today， I want to ask you all a question. A simple question， but an urgent one： “What is the proper distance between man and nature？”

A long time ago， by human standards， our ancestors lived in fear of natures destructive forces. The winds， the floods， the earthquakes， and droughts. A fear that drove them to fight， to struggle， to innovate and thereby shorten the gap between man and nature.6 In the process of conquering it， we began to realize that nature was not so hostile7 after all， and so we sought further benefits from it. We encaged birds to hear their sweet singing. We slaughtered elephants to decorate our tables with the white gloss of ivory. In the name of educating our children， we built zoos and circuses； we whipped and beat the wildest of animals until they wilted to our command.8 In the name of civilization， we deforested9 the land； filled up the lakes and rivers to make way for cities， shopping centers and expressways. Our avenues are becoming wider and wider； our buildings are becoming higher and higher. Our cities are growing so fast that we are digging underground.

But my friends， dont you realize that we are getting too close to nature？ That this kind of intimacy can be dangerous？

Yes！ Our mother， Mother Nature is now crying because of our fast development， excessive exploitation and aggressive intrusions.10 She is exhausted from lack of resources， contaminated by synthetic products，11 and troubled by ecological imbalance. Nature always strikes back. Forests keep disappearing， rivers dry up， wild lifes become extinct， the climates ruined and the land grows poorer and uglier every day. See？ The fast and unrestrained development owes the ecology an apology.

The relationship between environment and development is basically the relationship between man and nature. Development is to construct not to destroy. It doesnt mean cornering nature to nowhere. It doesnt mean stripping nature to bareness.12 Development is built upon our care and love for nature because only by respecting it， will it reward us. A happy relationship definitely doesnt rise from violent collision with nature but from peaceful reconciliation with it.13

As， John Milton， the author of Paradise Lost， once wrote： Accuse not nature， she hath done her part； Do thou but thine.14

My dear friends， it is distance that brings about beauty.“Harmony” doesnt lie in intimacy， but in moderate distance.15 Leave a space between man and nature， a space for humans to observe the beauty， to show respect and awe. Keep a distance between man and nature， a distance for our Mother Nature to breathe peacefully， to restore her energy， and to live long and prosperous， just like the well-preserved Yellowstone Park.

1. Yellow Stone National Park： 黃石國家公園，位于美國西部北落基山和中落基山之間的熔巖高原上，公園絕大部分處在懷俄明州（Wyoming）的北部。

2. 我們租了輛車在這無垠之地馳騁，一路上，我們連連驚嘆于眼前的野生景象：麋鹿、黑熊、野牛和群狼在我們近周自由漫步。immensity：無限，廣大；awe： 敬畏，驚嘆；elk：麋鹿；bison： 野牛；roam： 漫游，漫步。

3. antelope： 羚羊。

4. 動物們怡然自樂，人們則盡享視覺盛宴。feast： 宴會，盛會。

5. 在張家界國家公園旅游時，我深深折服于壯美的山川河流。然而，高聳入云的人造天梯旁，游客排著黑壓壓的長隊，興奮而狂熱，你可想見我的震驚！overwhelm：壓倒，折服于；spectacular： 驚人的，壯觀的；over-zealous： 過度熱情的；man-made skyscraping sightseeing lift： 人造天梯。

6. 這種畏懼催他們不斷抗?fàn)?、奮斗、創(chuàng)新，以縮小人與自然的距離。thereby： 由此，從而。

7. hostile： 懷有敵意的，敵對的。

8. 我們打著教育子女的旗號，建造了動物園和馬戲團(tuán)；我們鞭笞毒打野獸，直至將它們馴服在我們的指令之下。whip： 鞭打，抽打；wilt： 使凋謝，使畏縮。

9. deforest： 砍伐森林。

10. 我們的母親，大自然母親正在哭泣，因為我們的超速發(fā)展、過度開發(fā)和過分入侵。exploitation： 開發(fā)，剝削；intrusion： 侵犯，干涉。

11. exhaust： 用盡，耗盡；contaminate：弄臟，污染；synthetic product： 合成產(chǎn)品。

12. 發(fā)展并不意味著將自然逼到無處可逃，也不意味著將自然剝削殆盡。strip： 剝光，剝除。

13. collision： 碰撞，沖突；reconciliation：協(xié)調(diào)，和諧一致。

14. 莫指責(zé)自然，她已盡其所能，你們也須做好己責(zé)。John Milton： 約翰·彌爾頓（1608—1674），英國詩人、政論家，著有《失樂園》（Paradise Lost）等；thou：（古英語）你；thine： 你的。

15. “和諧”并非親密無間，而是適當(dāng)?shù)木嚯x感。moderate： 適度的，中等的。

魏鐘毓，女，湖北武漢人，清華大學(xué)人文學(xué)院外國語言文學(xué)系在讀本科生，研究方向：英美文學(xué)與文化。