英语听力：自然百科 冰冻星球 前往地球尽头(10)

As the warm humid air from the south meet the cold Arctic, the moisture is crystalized and snowflakes form from the sky. Each crystal froms around a particle of dust. All have a six-fold symmetry, but no two have ever been found with exactly the same shape. Their variety and complexity¹ is breathtaking.Each snowflake is water waiting to be released in spring. For this reason, snow is the lifeblood of these silent forests and all that live here depend on it in one way or another. Some, like the great grey owl², appear in spring for the booming times then vanish like phantoms³. Others, like their lemming prey⁴, are here year around beneath the snow, insulated from the cold air above.The northern forests are across road for seasonal⁵ visitors and Arctic specialists. But they are so much more than this. Together they make up the tiger an unbreaking forest that stretches seven thousand miles around our planet and contains 1/3 of all trees on earth.

当南方温暖潮湿的空气遭遇极地的寒冷,天空出现了由湿气形成的冰晶及雪花。每一片水晶都是由灰尘粒子组成。两者都是对称的六边形,但没有两片是一模一样的形状。他们的多样性和复杂性令人为之惊讶。每片雪花都是等着春天被释放的水。因为这个原因,雪是这些静默森林及一切在这里以这样或那样的方式生存生命的源泉。一些动物,比如这头灰色猫头鹰,在春天万物复苏时出现,然后像幽灵般消失。而其他动物,就像其猎物一样,常年在雪下隔绝上面的冷空气。北方森林主要由季节性的游客和北极专家组成。但是却远不止此。他们一起构成了一个绵延七千英里的不可侵犯的森林,包含我们这个星球所有的树木的1/3。

1 complexity   

n.复杂(性)，复杂的事物

参考例句：

• Only now did he understand the full complexity of the problem.直到现在他才明白这一问题的全部复杂性。
• The complexity of the road map puzzled me.错综复杂的公路图把我搞糊涂了。

2 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

3 phantoms   

n.鬼怪，幽灵( phantom的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They vanished down the stairs like two phantoms. 他们像两个幽灵似的消失在了楼下。 来自辞典例句
• The horrible night that he had passed had left phantoms behind it. 他刚才度过的恐布之夜留下了种种错觉。 来自辞典例句

4 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

5 seasonal   

adj.季节的，季节性的

参考例句：

• The town relies on the seasonal tourist industry for jobs.这个城镇依靠季节性旅游业提供就业机会。
• The hors d'oeuvre is seasonal vegetables.餐前小吃是应时蔬菜。