纪录片《我们的地球》 第87期 奇幻沙漠(04)

Africa's Sahara is the largest desert of all.

非洲的撒哈拉沙漠是世界上最大的沙漠

It's the size of the United States, and the biggest source of sand and dust in the entire world.

它的面积相当于美国，也是全世界最大的沙尘源

Sandstorms like these appear without warning

如此巨大的沙暴出现时毫无征兆

and reduce visibility for days over areas the size of Britain.

所到之处能见度骤降为零，几天内横扫的地区比英国还大

Dromedaries, single-humped camels, take these storms in their stride.

单峰驼--只有一个肉峰的骆驼，顶着沙暴大步行走。

The heavy sand rises only a few metres above the ground.

最重的沙子只能离开地面几米

But the dust can be blown 5,000 metres up into the sky.

但是尘埃却能被吹上5000多米高的天空

The ferocious¹ wind, armed with grains of sand, is the agent that shapes all deserts.

夹杂着沙粒的强风，塑造了各种沙漠地形。

Reptiles² have armoured, scaly³ skins that protect them from the stinging grains.

爬行动物的皮肤覆盖着鳞甲，能抵御刺痛的沙粒。

For insects, the bombardment can be very severe indeed.

而昆虫则得遭受猛烈“炮火”的轰击

The only escape is below the surface.

唯一的藏身之处当然是在沙子下面

1 ferocious   

adj.凶猛的，残暴的，极度的，十分强烈的

参考例句：

• The ferocious winds seemed about to tear the ship to pieces.狂风仿佛要把船撕成碎片似的。
• The ferocious panther is chasing a rabbit.那只凶猛的豹子正追赶一只兔子。

2 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 scaly   

adj.鱼鳞状的；干燥粗糙的

参考例句：

• Reptiles possess a scaly,dry skin.爬行类具有覆盖着鳞片的干燥皮肤。
• The iron pipe is scaly with rust.铁管子因为生锈一片片剥落了。