纪录片《我们的地球》 第92期 奇幻沙漠(09)

In fact, most small desert creatures are nocturnal.

事实上，大多数小型沙漠动物都是夜行动物

So it's only now that you can judge just how much life there can be in a desert.

所以只有此时你才能判断沙漠中究竟有多少生物

But moisture lost, even at night, has to be replaced sometime, somehow.

可是水分在晚上也会损耗，必须在什么时候想办法补充

And that problem dominates the lives of all desert dwellers¹.

这一问题支配着所有沙漠动物的生活

The Atacama in Chile. This is the driest desert in the world.

智利的阿塔卡马沙漠，这里是世界上最干旱的沙漠。

Some parts may not see rain for 50 years, and with such a record,

有的地方可能连续5年不会下一滴雨，既然有了这一纪录，

you would expect the place to be completely barren.

不难想象这个地方定是彻底的荒芜。

These are South America's camels, guanacos.

这些是南美洲的骆驼——原驼

They are very good at conserving² moisture, but they, nonetheless, need a regular supply of water.

它们非常善于保存水分，但它们仍须定期补充水。

They get it partly from cactus³ flowers.

其中一部分水取自仙人掌花

But that explanation raises another question.

但这里又牵扯出另一个问题

How do the cacti⁴ survive without rain?

仙人掌为何能在这个无雨地带生存

Hot winds suck all the moisture from the surface of the land.

热浪抽干了地面上所有的水分

Clearly, there must be something else that takes the place of rain.

显然，这里必须有其它东西能代替雨水的作用

The secret is a cold sea current that runs parallel to the land.

答案就是一股与陆地平行的寒冷洋流

The cold water cools the moist, warm air above it and that produces banks of fog.

冷水使得上方的暖湿气流冷却形成一团团的雾霾。

1 dwellers   

n.居民，居住者( dweller的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City dwellers think country folk have provincial attitudes. 城里人以为乡下人思想迂腐。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• They have transformed themselves into permanent city dwellers. 他们已成为永久的城市居民。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 conserving   

v.保护，保藏，保存( conserve的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Contour planning with or without terracing is effective in conserving both soil and moisture. 顺等高线栽植，无论做或不做梯田对于保持水土都能有效。 来自辞典例句
• Economic savings, consistent with a conserving society and the public philosophy. 经济节约，符合创建节约型社会的公共理念。 来自互联网

3 cactus   

n.仙人掌

参考例句：

• It was the first year that the cactus had produced flowers.这是这棵仙人掌第一年开花。
• The giant cactus is the vegetable skycraper.高大的仙人掌是植物界巨人。

4 cacti   

n.（复）仙人掌

参考例句：

• There we could see nothing but cacti.那里除了仙人掌我们什么也看不到。
• Cacti can survive the lack of rainfall in the desert.仙人掌在降水稀少的沙漠中也能生存下去。