纪录片《南太平洋》 第133期 奇异岛屿（09）

A thousand miles long and with a mountainous spine¹

一千哩长的山脊

rising one-and-a-half miles above the ocean,

高出海面1哩半

New Zealand offered a world of possibilities to creatures that found their way here.

新西兰为这里的生物以自己的方式生存提供了无限的可能性

On these islands at the end of the world. live some unique animals.

在世界尽头的这些岛屿上生存着一些独特的动物

Alpine² parrots, called "kea", after their calls.

高山鹦鹉,叫"坎亚" 以它们的叫声命名

Living higher than any other parrots, these are possibly the world's most playful birds.

生活在比其它鹦鹉要高的海拨上，它们可能是世上最爱玩的鸟

But most of New Zealand's pioneering creatures were drawn³ to the forests below.

但新西兰多数开拓生物被吸引至下面的森林里

And here too, given the strange nature of life on Pacific islands,

这里同样孕育着太平洋岛屿上奇特的自然生命

it pays to expect the unexpected.

值得去期待意外

And the last thing you might expect to see here...is penguins⁴.

最没想到在这里可以看到的...是企鹅

These are Fiordland crested⁵ penguins,

这些是福德兰峡湾企鹅有着时髦的发型

named after this corner of south New Zealand, and their funky⁶ hairdo.

以新西兰南部的这个海角的名字命名

They're on their daily trip to the sea.

他们每天都要到大海去

Despite hanging out in the forest, they haven't lost their taste for fish.

尽管居住在森林里,但它们没有丢掉尝鱼的嗜好

So why are these woodlands so attractive to penguins?

为什么林地对企鹅这么吸引力?

Because there are no large predators⁷ here, it's a safe place for bringing up baby.

因为这里没有大型掠食者，对于养育幼雏这是安全场所

1 spine   

n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊

参考例句：

• He broke his spine in a fall from a horse.他从马上跌下摔断了脊梁骨。
• His spine developed a slight curve.他的脊柱有点弯曲。

2 alpine   

adj.高山的；n.高山植物

参考例句：

• Alpine flowers are abundant there.那里有很多高山地带的花。
• Its main attractions are alpine lakes and waterfalls .它以高山湖泊和瀑布群为主要特色。

3 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

4 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 crested   

adj.有顶饰的，有纹章的，有冠毛的v.到达山顶（或浪峰）( crest的过去式和过去分词 )；到达洪峰，达到顶点

参考例句：

• a great crested grebe 凤头䴙䴘
• The stately mansion crested the hill. 庄严的大厦位于山顶。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 funky   

adj.畏缩的，怯懦的，霉臭的；adj.新式的，时髦的

参考例句：

• The kitchen smelled really funky.这个厨房有一股霉味。
• It is a funky restaurant with very interesting art on the walls.那是一家墙上挂着很有意思的绘画的新潮餐馆。

7 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》