夏至，2014-06-21

【Aiden in English】

        I was sick and tired of Ocean City in MD, and so was Dad. That's when Dad had a brilliant idea to visit Baltimore and its aquarium, the largest in the nation. I agreed at once and we bolted for the car.

        There was so much for a brilliant idea. The price doubled from the last time I'd been here.

        As I walked into the building, I noticed that there weren’t many real exciting things to do like feed fish or touch them. Instead, there were boards of information that I barely even tried to read. Even the dolphin show was gone and the show replaced with a training demo since some trainers got killed by the trainees or dolphins during training routines. It became more controversial than ever before, though. Now only a few aquariums in the US were still hosting the dolphin shows. People also thought that it resulted in animal abuse because some animals may not like performing, which I understood. Something inside me also felt grateful of the people who noticed the animal's right and emotion.

        What slapped me in the face was that when I was young, this aquarium was one of my most favorite places. Back then, I thought it was filled with wonders of the sea. And I still think so now, except Baltimore Natl. Aquarium kinda lost its luster. Probably because I expect more as I grow up, but whatever reason it is, I'm not going back.

【红霞译文】

        我实在玩腻了马里兰州海洋城，老爸所见略同。正在此时，他灵机一动计上心来，何不到巴尔的摩遛达一趟，顺便参观全美最大的水族馆，我举双手赞成。于是，俩人钻进车里，旋风般狂奔而去。

        虽说主意不赖，但我们为此而付出加倍的代价，门票面值比我上次来访时正好翻了一番。

        我一走进大楼即刻发现，除了喂鱼亲手触摸海洋动物之类的游艺项目外，巴尔的摩国家水族馆不再令我兴致盎然，我甚至懒得追踪布告栏上的消息报道。海豚表演也被取消，取而代之的训练示范可用来画饼充饥。海豚表演越来越有争议，由于某些教练员因训练海豚而横遭海豚报复致死，现在美国国内仅有个别几家水族馆仍保留这项娱乐活动。与此同时，公众也认为海豚表演势必导致虐待动物，因为有的动物未必喜欢登台演出，我深表理解。值得欣慰的是，动物权利及其情感问题已经引起人们的关注。

        我好像在掴自己一记耳光，回想起小时候，该水族馆可谓本人最喜欢光顾的地方之一，年幼的我对大海满怀憧憬。如今我依然迷恋十万个为什么，只是不再着眼于巴尔的摩国家水族馆。或许随着年龄增长，我的期望值大幅度提高，但无论何种原因，我不会故地重游。