纪录片《我们的地球》 第200期 季节森林(14)

After an absence of seventeen years, the forest is now overrun by cicadas.

在17年的缺席之后，森林中的蝉泛滥成灾。

The adults are clumsy and very edible¹.

成年蝉不仅笨拙而且非常美味。

For turtles and other inhabitants of the forest,

对于龟和其他森林居民来说，

this is a feast they're lucky to see once in their lifetime, and they gorge² themselves while they can.

可能再也没有运气能这样狼吞虎咽、大快朵颐。

Times have never been so good.

美好时光！

The cicadas have no defenses and virtually offer themselves to their attackers.

蝉毫无防卫而且好像是把自己送上门供享用。

The stream of insects is so relentless³

这种昆虫川流不息的出现，

that soon all the predators⁴ are full to the point of bursting, and still the cicadas come.

使得捕食者数量很快就暴涨，仍然有大量的蝉赶来。

With the predators overwhelmed the survivors⁵ can achieve their purpose.

当捕食者达到饱和，存活的蝉也在完成它们的使命。

After mating, the adults lay their eggs and then their job is done.

成蝉在交配完并产卵后，它们的工作也完成了。

In just a few days they will all die and the forest will fall silent.

几天的时间内他们全将死去，森林又会恢复平静。

The cicadas here, will not be heard again for another seventeen years.

在接下来的17年里，不会再听到布鲁德蝉的声音了。

Having fed the predators, the cicadas leave one final gift for the forest itself.

喂饱了掠食者后，蝉给森林留下了最后的礼物。

The nutrients⁶ in a generation of cicadas are returned to the soil, all at once

这些蝉给土壤提供了大量养分，

and the trees enjoy a marked spurt⁷ in growth.

树木也可以享受疯长的乐趣。

This may be the single largest dose of fertilizer in the natural world.

这可能是自然界最大剂量的一只营养针。

1 edible   

n.食品，食物；adj.可食用的

参考例句：

• Edible wild herbs kept us from dying of starvation.我们靠着野菜才没被饿死。
• This kind of mushroom is edible,but that kind is not.这种蘑菇吃得，那种吃不得。

2 gorge   

n.咽喉，胃，暴食，山峡；v.塞饱，狼吞虎咽地吃

参考例句：

• East of the gorge leveled out.峡谷东面地势变得平坦起来。
• It made my gorge rise to hear the news.这消息令我作呕。

3 relentless   

adj.残酷的，不留情的，无怜悯心的

参考例句：

• The traffic noise is relentless.交通车辆的噪音一刻也不停止。
• Their training has to be relentless.他们的训练必须是无情的。

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 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

6 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 spurt   

v.喷出；突然进发；突然兴隆

参考例句：

• He put in a spurt at the beginning of the eighth lap.他进入第八圈时便开始冲刺。
• After a silence, Molly let her anger spurt out.沉默了一会儿，莫莉的怒气便迸发了出来。