From+lakelubbers.com+etc

We all love a stroll1） in the park on a beautiful summer day， but one of the most popular parks in Austria is only accessible during the winter！

Located at the foot of the Hochshawab Mountains in Trag??， Styria， the Green Lake is one of the world's strangest natural phenomenon. Exquisite2） yet fleeting3） are the words that describe this lake. The tiny lake， surrounded by pines and reflecting the massive Hochschwab Mountains， exists for only a few short months a year.

A shallow pond within a park-like setting for most of the year， it becomes a stunning and picturesque4） picture in green water from May through July. The dry lake-bed is a lush5） meadow for most of the year， a county park favored for hiking and the contemplation6） of nature. The nature reserve offers hiking trails， park benches， bushes， grasses and flowering plants until warm spring days bring water from the thawing mountain peaks to drown it all. Only 1～2m deep during most of the year， Green Lake swells to depths of nearly 12m when fed by snow melt， submerging7） bushes and park benches alike under the waters.

The water is crystal clear and gives a spectacular view of the park meadow submerged underneath. As the water is fresh from the snowcaps8） free of impurities9）， the visibility under the lake is amazing. You can see the green foliage10） from the surface of the lake. The clarity of the water is said to be so good that its visibility is often compared to that of tropical waters.

Along with the greenery， animated life also thrives in the lake. The lake supports a variety of animals such as snails， water fleas， small crabs， fly larvae11）， and different species of trout12）. The plants are not abundant because of the rocky bottom of the lake. Little in the way of aquatic13） vegetation grows during the short months of the lake's existence.

Because of the foliage and grass of the park under the water， Green Lake's water appears a beautiful color of emerald14） green. The submerged tree trunks and branches， paths， park benches and big rocks make the bottom of the lake look like a wonderland， as if there is a civilization underwater. The vision is perfected with the sun streaming down in beams from the surface of the water. The ripples and waves send waves of light down to the bottom of the lake， making it almost a surreal experience.

June is the best month when the grass and flowers are in full bloom underwater. There are also benches to sit and bridges to walk on under the water！ From July the water starts to recede15） and by the end of the year the park is again visible on the ground and available for hikers.

Even though the temperature of the lake remains 4 to 8 degrees centigrade， it is very popular with divers who come especially to dive and visit the underwater park. One of the most popular activities is scuba16） diving along the submerged trails. However， diving at Green Lake is controlled， and divers must possess the appropriate diver ID card. A hotel-restaurant near the shore offers the only legal access for divers to enter the water. Underwater photography is popular at Green Lake. If you have any affinity17） at all for beautiful lakes， diving， or both of these things combined， you should probably book a flight to Green Lake immediately.

A vacation that includes Green Lake is perfect for those who would enjoy a walking holiday around central Austria. All of Styria is picturesque and geared towards18） those who want to hike along country roads and across rough tracks to view some of Europe's best scenery.

Austria is a treasure trove of19） natural beauty， but the crown jewels are located in Styria， and Green Lake is a sparkling diamond adorning these crown jewels.

我們都喜歡在明媚的夏日里去公園散散步，但在奧地利最受歡迎的公園當(dāng)中卻有一個只有冬天才能去！

綠湖坐落于奧地利施蒂利亞州特拉古斯市霍赫史瓦山脈的腳下，是全球最怪異的自然景觀之一。人們用“美不勝收但又轉(zhuǎn)瞬即逝”這樣的詞語來形容它。因為這個四周松樹環(huán)繞、將巍峨的霍赫史瓦山巒倒映其中的小湖每年現(xiàn)身的時間只有短短幾個月。

在一年中的大部分時間里，綠湖湖水清淺，如同一片池塘，周圍環(huán)境也跟個公園似的；但5～7月份期間，這片碧綠的湖水就變成一幅景色迷人、風(fēng)光古雅的圖畫。干涸的湖底在一年中的大多數(shù)時間里都是一大片郁郁蔥蔥的草地，人們可以徒步遠(yuǎn)足，也可以在大自然中沉思冥想，這些都讓這個縣級公園備受青睞。綠湖公園還是個自然保護(hù)區(qū)，園內(nèi)有徒步小徑、公園長椅、灌木叢、草地和開花的植物，直至暖春招至山巔積雪的融水，將這一切淹沒。一年當(dāng)中大多數(shù)時候，綠湖只有1～2米深，當(dāng)積雪融水流入時，湖的深度可增至12米左右，諸如灌木叢、公園長椅等就會被沒入水下。

綠湖的湖水晶瑩剔透，讓淹沒在水下的公園草地展現(xiàn)出一派壯觀景象。由于這里的湖水是剛?cè)诨纳巾敺e雪，沒有雜質(zhì)，因此湖下的能見度令人稱奇。你都可以透過湖面看到水下的綠葉。據(jù)說這里的水清澈無比，其能見度常?？膳c熱帶水域相媲美。

與青蔥綠葉相伴的還有那些生機勃勃、茁壯生長在湖里的生物。湖中棲居著各種各樣的動物，比如螺、水蚤、小螃蟹、蠅蛆和多種鱒魚。由于湖水底部都是巖石，因此湖里的植物并不豐富。在綠湖露面的短短幾個月里，鮮少有什么水生植物可以生長出來。

由于公園里的綠色草木被淹沒在水里，綠湖的湖水呈現(xiàn)出一種美麗的翠綠色。被浸沒的樹干和枝椏以及沉浸在水中的小徑、公園長椅和巨石讓湖底看起來仿若仙境，好似水下有個王國一般。隨著一束束陽光從湖面照進(jìn)湖底，這種幻象變得完美無瑕。還有那漣漣碧波在湖底映出一道道波光，營造出一種幾乎如夢似幻的感覺。

6月是綠湖最美的時節(jié)。此時，水下草木旺盛，花朵盛放，還有長椅可坐，小橋可走。從7月起，湖水開始慢慢消退，等到年末，公園又露出水面、重見天日，徒步旅行的人們又可以來此遠(yuǎn)足。

盡管綠湖的水溫保持在4～8攝氏度，但潛水愛好者還是很喜歡這里，專程到此潛水，游覽水下公園。這里最受歡迎的游玩項目之一便是沿著浸沒在水下的小徑用水肺潛水。不過，在綠湖潛水可是有管控的，而且潛水者必須持有相關(guān)的潛水身份許可照。湖岸附近的一家酒店是潛水者下水的唯一合法入口。水下攝影也是綠湖的熱門項目。如果你真喜歡美麗的湖泊、潛水或是這兩者的組合的話，或許你應(yīng)該立即訂張機票前往綠湖。

對于那些想要在奧地利中部徒步旅行的朋友來說，如果行程里面包括綠湖，那假期就完美了。而且施蒂利亞處處風(fēng)景如畫，適合那些想在鄉(xiāng)間小徑和崎嶇道路上徒步欣賞一些歐洲最佳美景的朋友。

雖說奧地利是一個擁有自然美景的寶藏，但施蒂利亞才是皇家御寶所在地，而綠湖就是那顆點綴這些皇家御寶的閃亮鉆石。

5. lush [l??] adj. 郁郁蔥蔥的，植被茂盛的

6. contemplation [?k?nt?m?ple??n] n. 沉思，冥想

7. submerge [s?b?m??d?] vt. 使沒入水中；浸沒

8. snowcap [?sn??k?p] n. （山峰的）雪頂

9. impurity [?m?pj??r?ti] n. 不純；劣質(zhì)

10. foliage [?f??li?d?] n. 葉子；樹葉；枝葉

11. larvae [?lɑ?v?] n. 幼體，幼蟲

12. trout [tra?t] n. 鮭魚，鱒魚

13. aquatic [??kw?t?k] adj. 水棲的；水生的

14. emerald [?em?r?ld] n. 翠綠色

15. recede [r??si?d] vi. 退；后退

16. scuba [?sku?b?] n. 自攜式水下呼吸器；水肺

17. affinity [??f?n?ti] n. 喜愛，吸引

18. gear ... towards： 使適合于……；使與……相適應(yīng)

19. a treasure trove of： ……的寶庫