纪录片《非洲》 第63期:撒哈拉沙漠（4）（在线收听）

They're tiny,

他们的体型很小

each weighing the same as a couple of one pound coins,

只有两枚一英镑的硬币那么重

yet the journey to their breeding grounds in Europe

要飞回欧洲的繁殖地

is over 3,000 miles long.

路途有3千英里之遥

Ahead of them lies a vast death trap.

摆在他们面前的是巨大的死亡陷阱

The Sahara is too large to go around.

撒哈拉沙漠漫无边际 无法绕道而行

The swallows have no choice but to meet it head-on.

家燕别无选择 只好迎面而上

It will take one of nature's greatest feats of navigation

他们将展开自然界最伟大的迁徙之旅

to cross this lifeless wasteland.

飞越这片毫无生机的荒漠

A wilderness that stretches not just to the horizon,

狂沙漫漫 一眼望不到边

but almost beyond imagination.

广袤到无法想象

It's an immense blank space on the map.

它是地图上一片巨大的空白

In spite of the Sahara's reputation,

尽管撒哈拉以沙漠著称

less than one-fifth of it is sand.

但沙地的面积还不到五分之一

The rest is stone and wind-scoured rock.

其余的则是石头和风蚀岩