纪录片《南太平洋》 第67期 无尽深蓝（）

The South Pacific is a vast ocean wilderness¹.

南太平洋是一片浩瀚的海洋荒野

Its waters are teeming² with life... from tropical coral reefs that attract the great variety...

海域之内生机勃勃，从拥有多样物种的热带珊瑚礁

to the cooler, temperate³ waters that attract the great numbers.

到栖息着庞大种群，凉爽的温带海域

So why is it that in the midst of all this richness

为什么在这片富饶的无尽蔚蓝中

the world's largest predators⁴ can struggle to survive in this endless blue?

世界上最大的食肉动物也得体会生存之艰

Nothing brings home the challenges of surviving in the South Pacific better than the epic⁵ true story that inspired Moby Dick.

没有什么能比启发小说《白鲸》创作的原型故事更能说明在南太平洋存活的艰难

On 23rd February 1821, a lifeboat was found drifting in the eastern Pacific.

1821年2月23日，一艘漂流在东太平洋的救生艇被人发现

In it lay two American whalemen, barely alive.

上面躺着两个奄奄一息的美国捕鲸人

Their whale ship had been sunk by an enormous sperm⁶ whale.

他们的捕鲸船被一头巨大的抹香鲸撞沉

For a staggering three months,

在艰难的三个月里

these shipwrecked mariners⁷ had sailed across 4,500 miles of what may be the loneliest region on Earth.

这些遭遇海难的水手，在地球上最孤独的区域航行了七千多公里

For these sailors, the South Pacific had become a living hell.

对这些水手而言，南太平洋仿佛人间炼狱

So what is it about this ocean that makes survival here such a challenge?

为何在这片海洋中生存会如此艰难呢

1 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。

2 teeming   

adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 )；到处都是；（指水、雨等）暴降；倾注

参考例句：

• The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
• the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道

3 temperate   

adj.温和的，温带的，自我克制的，不过分的

参考例句：

• Asia extends across the frigid,temperate and tropical zones.亚洲地跨寒、温、热三带。
• Great Britain has a temperate climate.英国气候温和。

4 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

6 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

7 mariners   

海员，水手（mariner的复数形式）

参考例句：

• Mariners were also able to fix their latitude by using an instrument called astrolabe. 海员们还可使用星盘这种仪器确定纬度。
• The ancient mariners traversed the sea. 古代的海员漂洋过海。