纪录片《我们的地球》 第99期 奇幻沙漠(16)

Deserts are created by the lack of water

沙漠的形成是因为缺少水

but what actually kills animals here is not heat or thirst, but lack of food.

可是这里杀死动物的真正原因并非炎热和缺水，而是缺少食物。

So how on earth does a plant-eater this size survive in a place apparently¹ totally devoid² of vegetation?

那么在地球上，如此巨大的植食动物是如何在这个寸草不生的地方生存的呢

Elephants in Namibia are the toughest in Africa. And they need to be.

纳米比亚的大象是非洲最能吃苦的动物。它们必须如此。

What little food exists is so dispersed³ that these elephants walk up to 50 miles a day

仅有的少量食物也非常分散，所以这些大象每天得走上50英里，

as they travel up the dry river channels searching for something to eat.

沿着干涸的河床搜寻一些可以吃的东西

At times, the task looks truly hopeless.

有时这个愿望看起来根本不可能实现

Elephants may seem out of place in this landscape, but they're not the only ones.

大象似乎不属于有这种地形的地方，但它们并非唯一意外的物种。

1 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

2 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

3 dispersed   

adj. 被驱散的, 被分散的, 散布的

参考例句：

• The clouds dispersed themselves. 云散了。
• After school the children dispersed to their homes. 放学后，孩子们四散回家了。