纪录片《我们的地球》 第324期 极端沙漠(15)

Dune¹ grass, the only vegetation here, provides virtually none,

沙丘草是这里唯一的植物，近乎无荫可寻，

but just an inch beneath the surface of the sand, it is several degrees cooler.

但仅仅是沙子表面下几厘米处，温度都要低上几度。

Avoiding the extreme heat imposes a rhythm on desert life.

为躲避难耐的高温，沙漠动物有了自己的节奏。

And many animals here choose the simplest option of all...

许多动物都选择了最简单的解决方案...

staying hidden all day, and only venturing out in the cool of the night.

白天隐匿在各处，只在凉爽的夜晚外出活动。

As darkness falls, animals appear from seemingly nowhere.

夜幕降临，动物纷纷从各处冒出。

And, among them, inevitably², are hunters.

而这之中，必然存在猎食者。

One of the most voracious³ nocturnal predators⁴ is also one of the hardest to see.

其中最贪婪的夜间捕食者，也最难寻觅它们的踪迹。

This mysterious creature hardly ever appears on the surface of the dunes⁵.

这个神秘的生物鲜少出现在沙丘表面。

But there are signs on the sand that can give it away.

但沙子的移动，却泄露了它的行踪。

It lives only here, where the sand grains are so perfectly⁶ dry and polished, that they flow almost like water.

它只生活在沙粒干燥光滑的地区，让它们可以如流水般行动自如。

It's no bigger than a ping-pong ball. A golden mole⁷.

它的体型还没有乒乓球大。一只金毛鼹鼠。

It's totally blind, but there's nothing to see underground anyway.

它的视力已完全退化，但地下本来也没有什么可看的。

Instead, it has superb hearing.

取而代之的是它极佳的听觉。

Its entire head acts as an amplifier that picks up vibrations⁸ through the sand,

它的头犹如扩音器，能够捕捉通过沙子传来的振动，

so, to locate prey⁹ on the surface of the dune, it has, paradoxically, to thrust its face into the dune.

所以，为了定位沙丘表面上的猎物，它反而矛盾地将脸埋进沙子里。

1 dune   

n.(由风吹积而成的)沙丘

参考例句：

• The sand massed to form a dune.沙积集起来成了沙丘。
• Cute Jim sat on the dune eating a prune in June.可爱的吉姆在六月天坐在沙丘上吃着话梅。

2 inevitably   

adv.不可避免地；必然发生地

参考例句：

• In the way you go on,you are inevitably coming apart.照你们这样下去，毫无疑问是会散伙的。
• Technological changes will inevitably lead to unemployment.技术变革必然会导致失业。

3 voracious   

adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的

参考例句：

• She's a voracious reader of all kinds of love stories.什么样的爱情故事她都百看不厌。
• Joseph Smith was a voracious book collector.约瑟夫·史密斯是个如饥似渴的藏书家。

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 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

6 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

7 mole   

n.胎块；痣；克分子

参考例句：

• She had a tiny mole on her cheek.她的面颊上有一颗小黑痣。
• The young girl felt very self- conscious about the large mole on her chin.那位年轻姑娘对自己下巴上的一颗大痣感到很不自在。

8 vibrations   

n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动

参考例句：

• We could feel the vibrations from the trucks passing outside. 我们可以感到外面卡车经过时的颤动。
• I am drawn to that girl; I get good vibrations from her. 我被那女孩吸引住了，她使我产生良好的感觉。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。