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Although residents often like to joke that it is, the mosquito isn't actually Alaska's official state bird. |
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That's the willow ptarmigan. |
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儘管居民經常喜歡這麼開玩笑，但蚊子實際上並不是阿拉斯加的官方州鳥。阿拉斯加真正的州鳥是柳雷鳥。 |
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You also won't see many coconut trees growing in the far north. |
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你也不會見到許多椰子樹生長在極北方地區。 |
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Judging by signage along Grande Drive in Denali, Alaska, however, you might not necessarily know those things. |
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不過，若是從阿拉斯加州德納利的格蘭大道沿路上的標誌判斷，你可能不一定會知道這些事情。 |
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Appearing along the steep, winding ascent to the top of Sugarloaf Mountain, road signs depicting giant mosquitoes carrying off human prey and warning of falling coconuts are clearly meant to get a laugh out of drivers. |
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在爬升通往舒格洛夫山頂的陡峭蜿蜒道路上，沿途出現的路標描繪了巨大的蚊子叼走人類當獵物的景象，也警告駕駛人注意掉落的椰子，這些路標的用意顯然在於搏駕駛一笑。 |
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Just less than a mile long and costing about $1 million to build, the mostly dirt road (some sharp corners are paved) leads to the Grande Denali Lodge. |
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這條以泥土為主的道路（有些急彎道鋪上了平坦路面）通往格蘭德納利旅舍，整條路只有近乎一英里長，開闢成本約為一百萬美元。 |
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Construction on the road began in 2000; the hotel opened in 2002. |
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這條道路在二０００年開始施工，飯店在二００二年開張。 |
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The signs were installed in stages over the past four or five years. |
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According to Grande Denali Lodge general manager Joe Merrill, they were the brainchild of Dennis Brandon, a marketing consultant for the hotel who has a long history in the hospitality industry in Alaska. |
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那些路標是在過去四、五年間陸續設置的。格蘭德納利旅舍總經理喬．梅瑞爾指出，那些路標是丹尼斯．布蘭登的構想。布蘭登是這家飯店的行銷顧問，在阿拉斯加的旅宿業擁有長久的經驗。 |
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"The collection has been added to each year," says Merrill. |
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"The ideas (for the signs) now come out of different people's minds." |
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「這些路標每年都會增加，」梅瑞爾說：「現在，（路標的）點子都是不同的人想出來的。」 |
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As for the broader purpose of the signs, Merrill suggests it's about more than just laughs. |
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至於那些路標的更大目的，梅瑞爾認為不只是要讓人發笑而已。 |
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"I guess they're also a way to take people's attention away from the side of the road with the cliffs," he says. |
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「我猜想那些路標也具有轉移注意力的功能，讓人不至於一直注意著路邊的懸崖，」他說。 |
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"I'm pretty sure we're not done with the signs. |
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Stay tuned to see what our warped minds come up with next." |
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「我敢說我們還會設置更多的路標。等著看我們古怪的想像力接下來會想出什麼點子吧。」 |
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