Much is expected of Karakoram Highway, which curls through the tall mountain ranges of northern Pakistan, reaching western China. Both countries are renovating it, seeing its potential as a trade route. Pakistan also views it as a way to consolidate control over territories contested with India.

人们对喀喇昆仑公路寄予厚望，这条公路蜿蜒穿过巴基斯坦北部的高山山脉，一直延伸到中国西部。两国都在翻新它，将其视为一条潜在的贸易路线。巴基斯坦还认为这是巩固对与印度有争议的领土控制的一种方式。

But some of the 500-mile route is barely a two-way road, carved out of the rock face that slopes sharply into valleys below. It is battered by rockfall, floods and earthquakes. A landslide in 2010 blocked a river and drowned about 14 miles of the road. In heavy snowfalls, the road all but shuts down.

但这条500英里长的路线中，有一些几乎不是双向公路，而是在陡峭的山坡下的山谷中凿出来的。它受到岩崩、洪水和地震的冲击。2010年的一次山体滑坡堵塞了一条河流，淹没了大约14英里的道路。在大雪中，道路几乎完全封闭了。

The riskiest part is the last stretch to China. "We can actually call this part of the road as a museum of geohazards," says Sarfraz Ali, a geologist who studies the impact of climate change on the highway at Pakistan's National University of Sciences and Technology.

最危险的部分是通往中国的最后一段路。“我们实际上可以把这部分公路称为地质灾害博物馆，”在巴基斯坦国立科技大学研究气候变化对公路影响的地质学家萨夫拉兹·阿里说。

The Karakoram Highway, named for the spindly mountain range it traverses, was a major feat when it was built in the 1950s to 1970s. Now, the Chinese government has invested about $2 billion to rebuild a nearly 160-mile stretch of highway to replace the old Karakoram road between the Pakistani towns of Havelian and Raikot. The final stretch is expected to be completed in March.

喀喇昆仑高速公路，以其所穿越的细长山脉命名，是上世纪50年代至70年代修建的一项重大壮举。现在，中国政府已投资约20亿美元重建一条近160英里长的高速公路，以取代巴基斯坦哈夫利安和莱科特之间的喀喇昆仑公路。最后一段预计将在3月份完成。

The revamp is a key project of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, or CPEC, in which China plans to invest over $60 billion in energy and transport in Pakistan. CPEC, part of China's global Belt and Road Initiative, has stirred controversy because neither country has offered clarity on the terms of the money or how much of it is loans.

此次改造是中巴经济走廊(CPEC)的一个关键项目，中国计划在巴基斯坦投资600多亿美元用于能源和交通。作为中国“一带一路”倡议的一部分，中巴经济走廊引发了争议，因为双方都没有明确表示资金的具体条款，也没有透露其中有多少是贷款。

The Karakoram is open to much of the public, but foreign journalists are required to get Pakistani military permission to visit its far-northern stretches. When NPR recently gained access, its reporters found a road that has transformed communities along the way.

喀喇昆仑山脉对大部分公众开放，但是外国记者必须得到巴基斯坦军方的许可才能进入其北部偏远地带。当美国国家公共电台最近获准采访时，它的记者发现了一条改变沿途社区面貌的道路。

These days, vehicles cruise on the new highway north of Islamabad, passing rivers and ancient Buddhist monuments, and snarling hectic markets. At night, some stretches are lit by the fluorescent light of flophouses and chai stalls frequented by truck drivers.

如今，车辆在伊斯兰堡以北的新公路上行驶，经过河流、古老的佛教遗迹和混乱繁忙的市场。晚上，卡车司机经常光顾的小旅馆和印度奶茶摊的荧光灯照亮了一些地段。

At the Jehangir Khan Hotel, owner Abdullah Zadran, 28, says he would go out of business because the Chinese were rebuilding this section of the road as a multilane highway outside of town.

在Jeangir Khan酒店，28岁的老板阿卜杜拉·扎德兰表示，他将停业，因为中国人正在将这段道路重建为城外的多车道高速公路。

Waiter Abdul Ghafour, 30, nods in agreement. "My owner won't keep me," he says, worried about losing his $4-a-day wage.

30岁的服务员阿卜杜勒·加福尔点头表示同意。“我的主人不会留住我，”他说，担心失去每天4美元的工资。

In a nearby town, sports supervisor Qazi Ishaq, 45, hopes the improved road brings tourists. He's overseeing boys playing hockey, cricket and soccer on a large field.

在附近的一个小镇，45岁的体育主管卡齐·伊沙克希望改善后的道路能带来游客。他监督男孩们在一个大球场上打曲棍球、板球和足球。

Girls don't play sports in this part of rural Pakistan; they rarely venture outside. Might a new road change these customs? "Our culture will not be affected," Ishaq insists. "Women in our area observe purdah," he says, referring to the practice of seclusion and veiling.

在巴基斯坦农村的这一地区，女孩们不参加体育运动；她们很少冒险外出。一条新路会改变这些风俗习惯吗？“我们的文化不会受到影响，”伊沙克坚称。“我们地区的妇女遵守伊斯兰教规，”他说，他指的是隐居和戴面纱的做法。