纪录片《我们的地球》 第02期 从南极到北极（2）

It's March, and light returns to the high Arctic, sweeping¹ away four months of darkness.

现在是三月，阳光重返北极腹地，驱走了4个月的黑暗

A polar bear stirs. She has been in her den² the whole winter.

一只北极熊苏醒了。整个冬天，它都在洞穴里度过

Her emergence³ marks the beginning of spring.

它的出现标志着春天的到来

After months of confinement⁴ underground she toboggans down the slope.

长达数月的地下闭居已经结束，它从斜坡上一滑而下

Perhaps to clean her fur, perhaps for sheer joy.

也许是为了清洁皮毛，也许只是因为高兴

Her cubs⁵ gaze out of their bright new world for the very first time.

它的幼熊们第一次注视着这个明亮的新世界

The female calls them, but this steep slope is not the easiest place to take your first steps.

母熊召唤着熊崽，但在这个陡峭的斜坡上踏出第一步可不太容易

But they are hungry and eager to reach their mother,

可是它们太饿了，急切盼着来到母亲身旁

who's delayed feeding them on this special day.

在这个特别的日子里，母熊已经推迟了喂奶的时间

Now she lures⁶ them with the promise of milk,

现在该是履行承诺的时候了，乳汁是巨大的诱惑

the only food the cubs have known since they were born deaf and blind beneath the snow some two months ago.

自从熊崽们两个多月前又聋又瞎地在雪下出生以来，母乳就是它们唯一的食物

1 sweeping   

adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的

参考例句：

• The citizens voted for sweeping reforms.公民投票支持全面的改革。
• Can you hear the wind sweeping through the branches?你能听到风掠过树枝的声音吗？

2 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

3 emergence   

n.浮现，显现，出现，（植物）突出体

参考例句：

• The last decade saw the emergence of a dynamic economy.最近10年见证了经济增长的姿态。
• Language emerges and develops with the emergence and development of society.语言是随着社会的产生而产生，随着社会的发展而发展的。

4 confinement   

n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限

参考例句：

• He spent eleven years in solitary confinement.他度过了11年的单独监禁。
• The date for my wife's confinement was approaching closer and closer.妻子分娩的日子越来越近了。

5 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》

6 lures   

吸引力，魅力（lure的复数形式）

参考例句：

• He left home because of the lures of life in the city. 他离家是由于都市生活的诱惑。
• Perhaps it is the desire for solitude or the chance of making an unexpected discovery that lures men down to the depths of the earth. 可能正是寻觅幽静的去处，或者找个猎奇的机会的欲望引诱着人们进入地球的深处。