纪录片《我们的地球》 第86期 奇幻沙漠(03)

Winter is the time for breeding.

冬季是交配时节

This extraordinary performance is a male Bactrian camel's way of attracting the attention of a passing female.

这种奇怪的表演是公双峰驼吸引路过的母骆驼的一种方式

In summer, the camels can't stray far from waterholes.

在夏天，骆驼不能远离水坑

But now, with mouthfuls of snow lying everywhere, they can travel widely in search of mates.

可是现在，遍地都是唾手可得的雪，它们便能长途跋涉寻找配偶。

Today, less than 1 ,000 of these desert specialists remain in the wild.

今天，这些沙漠专家的野生数量已不足1000只

The Gobi, hostile though it is, is their last stronghold.

戈壁尽管环境险恶，却是它们最后的据点

There is no other desert quite like the Gobi. But why is this place a desert?

别的沙漠都和戈壁不太一样。为什么这里会成为沙漠呢

There is one simple and massive cause. The Himalayas.

这里有一个简单而又重要的原因。喜马拉雅山脉。

Clouds blowing from the south hit this gigantic barrier.

从南方过来的暖湿气流撞上了这面巨大的屏障

As they're forced upwards¹, so they empty their moisture on the mountain slopes,

在被迫抬升的过程中，水汽在山坡上逐渐凝结，

leaving little for the land on the other side.

只有一小部分到达另一边的土地

From space, deserts are very conspicuous².

从太空中看，沙漠非常显眼

Dunes³ of sand hundreds of miles long streak⁴ their surface.

绵延数百英里的沙丘像是一条条皱边花纹

With no cloak of vegetation to conceal⁵ them, strange formations are exposed in the naked rock.

由于没有植被覆盖，赤裸的岩石显露出奇特的造型。

1 upwards   

adv.向上，在更高处...以上

参考例句：

• The trend of prices is still upwards.物价的趋向是仍在上涨。
• The smoke rose straight upwards.烟一直向上升。

2 conspicuous   

adj.明眼的，惹人注目的；炫耀的，摆阔气的

参考例句：

• It is conspicuous that smoking is harmful to health.很明显，抽烟对健康有害。
• Its colouring makes it highly conspicuous.它的色彩使它非常惹人注目。

3 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

4 streak   

n.条理，斑纹，倾向，少许，痕迹；v.加条纹，变成条纹，奔驰，快速移动

参考例句：

• The Indians used to streak their faces with paint.印第安人过去常用颜料在脸上涂条纹。
• Why did you streak the tree?你为什么在树上刻条纹？

5 conceal   

v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽

参考例句：

• He had to conceal his identity to escape the police.为了躲避警方，他只好隐瞒身份。
• He could hardly conceal his joy at his departure.他几乎掩饰不住临行时的喜悦。