For the next 1,800 miles the thin blue ribbon of the Nile, flowing slowly north, unwound over brown soil and green fields, some only a few yards wide, others as broad as an Iowa cornfield.

• 尼罗河像一条细细的蓝色丝带，蜿蜒1800英里，缓缓流向北方，穿过棕色的土地和绿色的农田，农田窄的地方不过几码，宽的可比美国依阿华州的玉米地。