I was always fond of visiting new scenes, and observing strange characters and manners. Even when a mere¹ child I began my travels, and made many tours of discovery into foreign parts and unknown regions of my native city, to the frequent alarm of my parents, and the emolument² of the town-crier. As I grew into boyhood, I extended the range of my observations. My holiday afternoons were spent in rambles³ about the surrounding country. I made myself familiar with all its places famous in history or fable⁴. I knew every spot where a murder or robbery had been committed, or a ghost seen. I visited the neighboring villages, and added greatly to my stock of knowledge, by noting their habits and customs, and conversing⁵ with their sages⁶ and great men. I even journeyed one long summer's day to the summit of the most distant hill, whence I stretched my eye over many a mile of terra ( ['ter?] n.土, 土地)incognita, and was astonished to find how vast a globe I inhabited.

This rambling⁷ propensity⁸ strengthened with my years. Books of voyages and travels became my passion, and in devouring⁹ their contents, I neglected the regular exercises of the school. How wistfully would I wander about the pier-heads in fine weather, and watch the parting ships, bound to distant climes- with what longing¹⁰ eyes would I gaze after their lessening¹¹ sails, and waft¹² （[wɑ:ft, w?ft]vi.飘送）myself in imagination to the ends of the earth!

Further reading and thinking, though they brought this vague （[veig]a.含糊的）inclination into more reasonable bounds, only served to make it more decided¹³. I visited various parts of my own country; and had I been merely a lover of fine scenery, I should have felt little desire to seek elsewhere its gratification, for on no country have the charms of nature been more prodigally（ ['pr?digli] adv. 浪费地, 丰饶地） lavished¹⁴. Her mighty¹⁵ lakes, like oceans of liquid silver; her mountains, with their bright aerial tints¹⁶; her valleys, teeming¹⁷ （ ['ti:mi?] adj.充满的, 热闹的, 丰富的）with wild fertility; her tremendous cataracts¹⁸, thundering in their solitudes¹⁹; her boundless²⁰ plains, waving with spontaneous verdure（[?v?:d??]n.翠绿）; her broad deep rivers, rolling in solemn silence to the ocean; her trackless forests, where vegetation puts forth²¹ all its magnificence; her skies, kindling²² with the magic of summer clouds and glorious sunshine;- no, never need an American look beyond his own country for the sublime²³ （[s??blaim]a.壮丽的；高尚的 n.高尚，崇高）and beautiful of natural scenery.

游历记述

我向来钟爱访历新境，采风问俗。自幼我就开始旅行，多次探查我所成长的城市的偏僻之处、陌生之所。这让我父母饱受虚惊，当然也让那些街头报讯员获益颇丰。随着我渐渐成长到少年，我探查的范围也扩大了。无数个假日的午后，我都消磨在邻近乡村的漫游中。不管哪个历史名胜还是哪个神话圣地，我都悉数知晓；不管哪个杀人越货之所还是哪个鬼魂出没之地，我皆如数家珍。访察邻村时，我观察村民们的风俗习惯，并和其中的学者名士相谈，这些都大大增加了我的知识储备。有一个漫长的夏日，我竟游历到了一座很远的小山头。纵目远眺，方圆数英里的无名大地尽收眼底，我惊奇地发现，原来我所居住的星球是如此的广袤。

随着我渐渐地长大，这种漫游癖好也与日俱增。我将激情皆付诸游记和旅行日记。由于如饥似渴地阅读这些书，我竟荒废了学校的常规课业。天气好的时候，我会无限惆怅地徘徊在码头岬角，目送远帆没入天际，用渴望的眼神追逐那渐渐消逝的白帆，放自己的想象随之到天涯地角。

书读得多了，思考也随之深刻了。虽然这将我那种模糊的漫游嗜好拘于理性，却也使它更为明确和坚定。我访遍祖国的各个地方；我要是钟爱美景，那就绝不屑于到其他地方去搜寻，因为没有哪个国家拥有我的祖国这么丰饶的自然的神采魅力了。广博的湖泊，波光粼粼；巍峨的山峦，危柱擎天；山谷幽幽，生机盎然；瀑布雄浑，巨响回肠；无边无垠的平原，草木时现，翠波绵延；广阔深邃的河流，静穆庄严，汩汩向海；植被繁茂的森林，樵径不通；夏云点燃的天空，光华灿烂；是的，除了美国，我们美国人绝不需要到任何其他地方去寻觅什么壮美的自然景色。