纪录片《冰冻星球》 第5期 世界的尽头（5）

 

For those who can get here, in summer,

海水为那些在夏天光临到此的生物

these waters provide a feast of epic¹ proportions.

提供一场空前绝后的盛宴

But the good times will be very short -

但美好的时光转瞬即逝

a problem that faces all life in the polar regions.

这是极地所有生命所面临的问题

Journeying south across the Arctic Ocean,

向南穿越北冰洋

the first land you reach is Greenland,

抵达的第一站是世界第一大岛

the largest island in the world.

格陵兰岛[字面义为绿岛]

Despite its name, Greenland is mostly white,

与它的名字不同 格陵兰岛以白色为主

covered by a giant ice sheet

被一块硕大的冰原覆盖

six times the size of the United Kingdom.

它的大小是英国的六倍

In the middle of the island, the ice is nearly two miles thick.

在岛中央 冰层有三千米厚

It's a bleak², quiet world.

一个荒凉寂静的世界

Sapphire-blue melt lakes

海水融化成的宝石蓝湖泊

are the first sign that a dynamic process is underway.

表明一个变化正在悄然发生

Each lake forms in a matter of days,

每个湖的形成需要几天时间

expanding until it's miles across

湖面慢慢扩大 宽达几公里

and starts to overflow³.

最后开始溢出

The spill water then carves its way through the ice.

流水在冰面上开凿出条条水道

1 epic   

n.史诗，叙事诗；adj.史诗般的，壮丽的

参考例句：

• I gave up my epic and wrote this little tale instead.我放弃了写叙事诗，而写了这个小故事。
• They held a banquet of epic proportions.他们举行了盛大的宴会。

2 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

3 overflow   

v.(使)外溢，(使)溢出；溢出，流出，漫出

参考例句：

• The overflow from the bath ran on to the floor.浴缸里的水溢到了地板上。
• After a long period of rain,the river may overflow its banks.长时间的下雨天后，河水可能溢出岸来。