纪录片《冰冻星球》 第53期 最后的边疆（1）

This town was built here in Svalbard,

这座小镇建在斯瓦尔巴特群岛上

only 700 miles from the North Pole,

与北极点相距仅1130公里

to support a mine.

为矿区而建

The Arctic¹ is rich in coal, oil and minerals.

北极储有丰富的煤炭 石油和矿物

In Siberia, the Russian Arctic,

在俄罗斯的北极 西伯利亚

the mineral wealth has given rise to large cities.

丰富的矿物质推动了大城市的发展

This is Norilsk, the coldest city on Earth.

这里是地球上最寒冷的城市 诺里尔斯克

Temperatures regularly drop to below minus 50 degrees Centigrade.

气温一般维持在零下50摄氏度

Fuel freezes in the tanks of the trucks,

卡车油箱里的燃料结了冰

and has to be melted in a rather alarming way.

只能用一种令人胆寒的方式解冻

Ships are frozen² into the rivers

一年中有九个月

for nine months of the year.

船舶被冻在河里

The ice must be cut away from their hulls³

船身上的冰层必须被切掉

because steel becomes brittle⁴

因为随着积冰变厚

and vulnerable⁵ to the thickening ice.

钢铁会变得脆弱易碎

Like all Arctic cities,

与其它北极城市一样

Norilsk depends on a power plant

诺里尔斯克依靠发电站

which heats everybody's home.

向各家各户送暖

Waste heat from the plant

发电站的废热

even keeps a lake ice-free all winter.

甚至可使一片湖整冬不结冰

Even at air temperatures of minus 50,

即便是在零下50度的气温下

the Norilsk Walrus⁶ Club come here every day.

诺里尔斯克海象俱乐部仍每天前来冬泳

1 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

2 frozen   

adj.冻结的，冰冻的

参考例句：

• He was frozen to death on a snowing night.在一个风雪的晚上，他被冻死了。
• The weather is cold and the ground is frozen.天寒地冻。

3 hulls   

船体( hull的名词复数 )； 船身； 外壳； 豆荚

参考例句：

• Hulls may be removed by aspiration on screens. 脱下的种皮，可由筛子上的气吸装置吸除。
• When their object is attained they fall off like empty hulls from the kernel. 当他们的目的达到以后，他们便凋谢零落，就象脱却果实的空壳一样。

4 brittle   

adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的

参考例句：

• The pond was covered in a brittle layer of ice.池塘覆盖了一层易碎的冰。
• She gave a brittle laugh.她冷淡地笑了笑。

5 vulnerable   

adj.易受伤的，脆弱的，易受攻击的

参考例句：

• He volunteered to protect her as she looked so vulnerable.她看上去很脆弱，他就主动去保护她。
• The company is in an economically vulnerable position.该公司目前经济状况不稳定。

6 walrus   

n.海象

参考例句：

• He is the queer old duck with the knee-length gaiters and walrus mustache.他穿着高及膝盖的皮护腿，留着海象般的八字胡，真是个古怪的老家伙。
• He seemed hardly to notice the big walrus.他几乎没有注意到那只大海象。