纪录片《我们的地球》 第250期 偏远岛屿(21)

It's true that there can be safety in numbers,

巨大的种群数量确实能保证安全，

but numbers can also be something of a problem when you're trying to find your own nest.

但当你试图寻找自己的巢穴之时，这也会成为问题。

The mother is still waiting. Her chicks are now desperate.

母亲依然在等待。小鸟们快要绝望了。

In the midst of all this deafening¹ chorus, he can recognise her particular cry.

在这震耳欲聋的叫声之中，他可以辨识出对方特有的声音。

At last. Both chicks will get a meal.

总算回来了。两只雏鸟都能饱餐一顿。

With a head bob of acknowledgement, their mother now leaves.

点头示意之后，他们的母亲出发了。

It's her turn to do the feeding run.

轮到她外出捕食了。

This formidable commute² is the price these penguins³ pay for sanctuary⁴.

这种艰难的往返是这些企鹅为了庇护所付出的代价。

A strange vision of paradise to us, perhaps,

也许在我们看来，这样的天堂很奇怪，

but, for one and a half million penguins, this island has it all.

但是对于一百五十万只企鹅来说，这座岛屿满足了全部所需。

Islands may seem remote and insignificant⁵,

岛屿可能既偏远而又微不足道，

but they are home to some of the most precious wildlife on Earth.

但它们仍是地球上某些珍贵动物的家园。

1 deafening   

adj. 振耳欲聋的, 极喧闹的 动词deafen的现在分词形式

参考例句：

• The noise of the siren was deafening her. 汽笛声震得她耳朵都快聋了。
• The noise of the machine was deafening. 机器的轰鸣声震耳欲聋。

2 commute   

vi.乘车上下班；vt.减(刑)；折合；n.上下班交通

参考例句：

• I spend much less time on my commute to work now.我现在工作的往返时间要节省好多。
• Most office workers commute from the suburbs.很多公司的职员都是从郊外来上班的。

3 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

4 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

5 insignificant   

adj.无关紧要的，可忽略的，无意义的

参考例句：

• In winter the effect was found to be insignificant.在冬季，这种作用是不明显的。
• This problem was insignificant compared to others she faced.这一问题与她面临的其他问题比较起来算不得什么。