世界最干沙漠开花了！粉色海洋浪漫至极

 　　Chile’s Atacama Desert is one of the driest places on the planet. But recently, it’s turned into something totally unexpected: an oasis¹ of pink flowers.

　　智利的阿塔卡马沙漠是地球上最干燥的地方之一，但最近却也出人意料地变为一片粉色的花海。

　　After almost 7 years of having no rain throughout the region, massive downpours in March caused pink mallow flowers and 200 other plant species to bloom. The phenomenon, in which dormant² seeds come to life after rainfall events, is called ‘desierto florido’ or translated as ‘flowering desert’.

　　这一地区将近七年没有雨水，三月的瓢泼大雨开出了一片锦葵花海，还有其它200百多种花卉一同绽放。雨水过后，沉睡的种子焕发生机，这一现象被称为“沙漠之花”，亦译作“开花的沙漠”。

　　图：世界最干沙漠开花了！粉色海洋浪漫至极

　　The vast fields of flowers are expected to bring in about 20,000 tourists until they start wilting³ in November. It’s a sight so rare, only two other places have deserts that can transform into lush landscapes: the US and Australia.

　　这一片片广袤的花海预计会引来2万游客，直到11月花朵开始凋谢。这一鲜见的景象，世界仅其它两处沙漠之所可以变为如此花木繁盛的景观，分别在美国与澳大利亚。

　　‘The intensity⁴ of blooms this year has no precedent’, said Daniel Diaz, National Tourism Service director in Atacama. ’And the fact that it has happened twice in the same year has never been recorded in the country’s history. We are surprised’.

　　“鲜花如此竞相开放，其密度之高前所未有”，阿塔卡马全国旅游服务总监丹尼尔·狄亚兹如是道。“一年间，鲜花已这般盛开两次，在本国也是史无前例，我们都颇感意外。”

1 oasis   

n.（沙漠中的）绿洲，宜人的地方

参考例句：

• They stopped for the night at an oasis.他们在沙漠中的绿洲停下来过夜。
• The town was an oasis of prosperity in a desert of poverty.该镇是贫穷荒漠中的一块繁荣的“绿洲”。

2 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

3 wilting   

萎蔫

参考例句：

• The spectators were wilting visibly in the hot sun. 看得出观众在炎热的阳光下快支撑不住了。
• The petunias were already wilting in the hot sun. 在烈日下矮牵牛花已经开始枯萎了。

4 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。