纪录片《我们的地球》 第93期 奇幻沙漠(10)

At the same time, wind blowing onto the shore sweeps the fog inland.

与此同时，吹向海岸的风将雾气带上陆地

Before long, the cacti¹ are dripping with dew.

不久之后，雾凝结成了露水

The fog is so regular that moisture-loving lichens² are able to grow on the cacti

雾经常会出现，就连喜湿的地衣也能在仙人掌上生长

and they absorb liquid like a sponge.

它们像海绵一样吸收着水汽

In the land of almost no rain, these precious drops are lifesavers for many different creatures.

在一个几乎没有雨的地方，这些宝贵的水滴是许多动物的救命物资。

Further inland, the air remains³ so warm that its moisture does not condense.

在更远的内陆地区，空气一直十分灼热，水汽无法凝结。

So this slender strip of desert is virtually the only part of the Atacama where life can exist.

因此这个狭长地带实际上是阿塔卡马沙漠中唯一的生命绿洲

And without the fog, this land, too, would be empty.

如果没有雾，这片土地也将成为不毛之地。

The guanacos make the most of the dew. But it will not remain for long.

原驼尽量舔吮露水。因为它们不会保留多久。

In an hour or two, the sun will have burnt it off and dried the surface of the cacti.

1到2小时后，太阳将使它们蒸发，仙人掌表面将回复干燥。

1 cacti   

n.（复）仙人掌

参考例句：

• There we could see nothing but cacti.那里除了仙人掌我们什么也看不到。
• Cacti can survive the lack of rainfall in the desert.仙人掌在降水稀少的沙漠中也能生存下去。

2 lichens   

n.地衣( lichen的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The only plants to be found in Antarctica are algae, mosses, and lichens. 在南极洲所发现的植物只有藻类、苔藓和地衣。 来自辞典例句
• Litmus: Mixture of coloured organic compounds obtained from several species of lichens. 石蕊：从几种地衣类植物中获取的带色有机化合物的混合物。 来自互联网

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。