纪录片《南太平洋》 第46期 四海为家（14）

Of all these island clusters, Fiji is the largest

其中最大的岛屿是斐济群岛

made up of over 300 volcanic¹ islands, formed some 40 million years ago.

由300多座火山岛组成，是在约4千万年前形成的

Fiji is around two-thirds the size of the Solomons,

斐济面积约为所罗门群岛的三分之二

so remained a reasonable target for would-be colonisers.

它是漂流者们理想的落脚点

Despite its isolation², it is still home to nearly half the number of plant species found in the Solomons.

尽管与世隔绝，它依然是所罗门群岛已发现的近一半植物品种的家园

But animal colonisers were not so successful.

但动物开拓者们却并不成功

At night, the forests are eerily³ quiet.

夜晚，森林寂静下来

Only a handful of bats made it here,

只有极少数蝙蝠在这里

the only mammals to do so, and there are far fewer birds.

它们是这里仅有的哺乳动物，鸟类就更加少了

In the absence of ground predators⁴, invertebrates⁵ evolved into monsters.

由于缺乏陆地掠食者，无脊椎动物进化成庞然怪物。

1 volcanic   

adj.火山的；象火山的；由火山引起的

参考例句：

• There have been several volcanic eruptions this year.今年火山爆发了好几次。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

2 isolation   

n.隔离，孤立，分解，分离

参考例句：

• The millionaire lived in complete isolation from the outside world.这位富翁过着与世隔绝的生活。
• He retired and lived in relative isolation.他退休后，生活比较孤寂。

3 eerily   

adv.引起神秘感或害怕地

参考例句：

• It was nearly mid-night and eerily dark all around her. 夜深了，到处是一片黑黝黝的怪影。 来自汉英文学 - 散文英译
• The vast volcanic slope was eerily reminiscent of a lunar landscape. 开阔的火山坡让人心生怪异地联想起月球的地貌。 来自辞典例句

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 invertebrates   

n.无脊椎动物( invertebrate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Insects and worms are all invertebrates. 昆虫和蠕虫都是无脊椎动物。 来自辞典例句
• In the earthworm and many other invertebrates, these excretory structures are called nephridia. 在蚯蚓和许多其它无脊椎动物中，这些排泄结构称为肾管。 来自辞典例句