原文：

During his lifetime， Xu Xiake （1586-1641） visited 16 provinces， leaving his footprints in nearly every corner of the country. He never completely depended on books to guide him in his tours nor blindly accepted the conclusions given therein. As a result， he found many inaccuracies in the travel notes written by his predecessors. In order to get a detailed and truthful picture of the places he visited， he seldom traveled by cart or boat. He would walk across hills and dales， and trudge long distances， and to find out the true features of the great world of nature， he would venture far out into jungles seldom visited by human beings. The reward for his work was the discovery of many fantastically beautiful scenes. Famous mountains in various places would find him coming back for revisits during different seasons. There he was， marveling at the kaleidoscopic spectacles during the different hours of the day.

参考译文：

徐霞客一生周游考察了16个省，足迹几乎遍及全国。他在考察的过程中，从来不盲目迷信书本上的结论。他发现前人研究地理的记载有许多不很可靠的地方。为了进行真实细致的考察，他很少乘车坐船，几乎全靠双脚翻山越岭，长途跋涉；为了弄清大自然的真相，他总是挑选道路艰险的山区，人烟稀少的森林进行考察，发现了许多奇山秀景；他常常选择不同的时间和季节，多次重游各地名山，反复观察变换的奇景。