纪录片《我们的地球》 第350期 广袤草原(15)

In summer, bison roamed freely, almost continuously cropping the abundant green grass.

夏季，美洲野牛四处漫步，享用着取之不尽的大片青草。

Now, that grass is not only withered¹ and frozen, it's about to be buried.

现在青草不仅枯萎结冰，马上还会被大雪掩埋。

Sixty million tons of snow now blanket this herd's territory.

六千万吨的积雪覆盖在野牛群的领地上。

Pushing through deep snow is exhausting work, and the bison are now slowly starving.

在厚厚的积雪中行动非常耗费体力，美洲野牛越来越饥饿。

Just keeping warm saps huge amounts of energy.

仅仅保暖都需要耗费大量的能量。

Their thick coats can insulate them down to minus 20 Fahrenheit². It's now minus 40.

他们厚重的皮毛可耐受零下30度的低温。现在是零下40度。

The only thing that will keep them alive is buried beneath three feet of snow.

唯一能让他们活下去的食物被深埋在一米深的积雪之下。

And that's a problem shared with a surprising neighbour.

他们意想不到的邻居也面临着同样的问题。

The food the fox seeks is also deep beneath the snow.

狐狸在搜寻的食物也被深埋在积雪之下。

The survival of both creatures depends on getting through to the ground.

这两种生物能否生存下去，取决于能否挖到地面的食物。

1 withered   

adj. 枯萎的，干瘪的，（人身体的部分器官）因病萎缩的或未发育良好的 动词wither的过去式和过去分词形式

参考例句：

• The grass had withered in the warm sun. 这些草在温暖的阳光下枯死了。
• The leaves of this tree have become dry and withered. 这棵树下的叶子干枯了。

2 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。