纪录片《我们的地球》 第149期 富饶丛林(04)

There's no time to waste.

没有时间去浪费。

A seed that may have fallen only a few days ago now bursts through the leaf litter.

几天前才落下的种子突然破土而出。

With so many competitors, getting a good start is critical.

在这么多的竞争者面前，有一个好的开始非常重要。

But each plant has its own particular strategy for making the most of this rare opportunity.

在这个难得的机会面前，每种植物都有自己非常独特的生长方式。

The seeds of hardwoods are quick to germinate¹.

阔叶木发芽速度虽然不慢。

But like the fabled² tortoise, their strategy is to be slow and steady.

不过它们的策略还是稳扎稳打。

Vines and other climbers put all their energy into rapid vertical³ growth rather than girth,

蔓生植物和攀爬植物一样，把全部的力量用于垂直生长，而不是横向生长，

though they'll need to be well-supported.

尽管需要很好的对象支撑其生长。

The climber's strategy looks chaotic⁴ but there's method in their madness.

对这些蔓生植物来说，疯长是它们唯一的思想。

Their growing tips circle like lassoes searching out anchors for their spindly stems.

它们的生长锥如套索般圆形移动，来寻找可以攀援的物体。

They put coils in their tendrils, so that if their support moves, they will stretch and not snap.

因此向支撑的树移动时，它们会伸展而不会断裂。

1 germinate   

v.发芽；发生；发展

参考例句：

• Seeds will not germinate without water.没有水，种子是不会发芽的。
• Can thin and hollow seeds germinate?瘦瘪的种子能够发芽吗？

2 fabled   

adj.寓言中的，虚构的

参考例句：

• For the first week he never actually saw the fabled Jack. 第一周他实际上从没见到传说中的杰克。
• Aphrodite, the Greek goddness of love, is fabled to have been born of the foam of the sea. 希腊爱神阿美罗狄蒂据说是诞生于海浪泡沫之中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

4 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。