一、Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve commands a glacier-crowned, maritime wilderness that stretches northward from Alaska’s inside passage to the Alsek River, encircling a magnificent saltwater bay. The 3.3 million acre park derives its name and much of its biological and cultural significance from this great bay, which harbors spectacular tidewater glaciers and a unique assemblage of marine and terrestrial life. To the south and east, the landscape fragments into the timbered islands and winding fjords of the Alexander Archipelago and the Tongass National Forest. To the west, the Park’s pristine outer coast opens to the Gulf of Alaska, and beyond to the Pacific Ocean and Asia. To the north, the St. Elias Mountains reach across the new Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park (British Columbia) to connect two more vast protected areas; Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve in Alaska and Kluane National Park in Canada. A mountain-guarded, maritime sanctuary, Glacier Bay National Park thus secures the coastal flank of the largest internationally protected area on earth.
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黔南瑶族奇趣录
荔波瑶族的婚姻习俗充满奇情妙趣。瑶麓乡的青裤瑶姑娘,都有一间为她特设的“谈婚房”。当女儿到了“留发期”(青春期),父母就在女儿的谈婚房的板壁上凿好一个手指般大的洞叫“探婚洞”,姑娘的床头就在紧靠探婚洞的地方。 当夜深人静时,姑娘听到外面传来竹笛、木叶或是单弦胡的悠扬乐声,那便有意来追求的小伙子在博取姑娘的欢心。矜持的姑娘会装做熟睡了,不出来应对,小伙子便用根小枝条伸进“探婚洞”来轻轻撩她,姑娘如果对他有心,便会通过这小洞互相交谈,如果姑娘不愿交往,小伙子便要识趣而退。如果经过多次的试探后,姑娘终能相中合意的小伙子,便可开门将他迎进屋里,互诉衷肠。经过若干次的交往和考验,一桩美满婚事便玉成了。
瑶山乡的白裤瑶男女青年物色意中人有另一个方法——“抢腰带”。 每逢赶场天和节日,姑娘们便打扮得漂漂亮亮的,主动去物色对象。当姑娘看到中意的小伙子,就大胆地突然捏住对方的手,将他身上的腰带抢走。这时,如果小伙子若无其事扬长而去,说明他并不中意对方,姑娘只好托人把腰带退还给那小伙子。如果小伙子也看中这姑娘,就尾随姑娘热情地交谈起来。这以后,姑娘会精心做一条漂亮的腰带,在再次约会时送给他,双方交换了信物之后,就可以将心头喜事告诉父母了。至于如何谈婚论嫁,便是后话。