纪录片《冰冻星球》 第70期 履于薄冰（2）

As the weather warms,

随着天气变暖

the ice beneath the bears' feet starts to break up and then melt.

北极熊脚下的冰层开始分裂融化

And as the ice dwindles¹,

冰层消逝

so do the bears' chances of a successful hunt.

北极熊狩猎的成功率也随之骤降

Most of the ice is lost over these shallow coastal² waters,

近海浅水表面的大部分冰层都已融化

where most of the seals live.

大多数海豹生活在这里

It's now summer and these bears have a choice-

现在处于夏季 北极熊们有两种选择

take their chances on the shrinking ice floes,

前往正在消融的浮冰上冒险觅食

or make for the safety of the land.

或留在陆地上确保安全

It's a case of sink or swim.

不想被淹没 就得游走

Bears have always gone hungry in the summer,

在夏季 北极熊容易饥饿

but the length of time when there's enough ice

但北极大部分地区的冰层

for them to go hunting

正在迅速消融

is getting shorter and shorter, across much of the Arctic.

所以它们的狩猎时间也越来越短

This is hitting cubs³ particularly hard,

这对熊宝宝的打击尤其大

because they can't survive for as long

因为如果像母亲那样长时间不进食

without feeding as their mother.

它们就无法生存

Cubs that were born underweight are at the greatest risk.

出生时体重过轻的熊宝宝 危险最大

1 dwindles   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Her husband grows rich in crime, her significance dwindles. 她的丈夫罪恶累累，她的形象也受到损害。 来自辞典例句
• The voice died away and ceased, as an insect's tiny trumpet dwindles swiftly into silence. 这声音逐渐消失，就象昆虫的小喇叭嘎然而止。 来自辞典例句

2 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

3 cubs   

n.幼小的兽，不懂规矩的年轻人( cub的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lioness guarding her cubs 守护幼崽的母狮
• Lion cubs depend on their mother to feed them. 狮子的幼仔依靠母狮喂养。 来自《简明英汉词典》