纪录片《我们的地球》 第103期 奇幻沙漠(20)

A single shower can enable seeds that have lain dormant¹ for 30 years or more to burst into life.

一场大雨使得在地下沉睡了30多年的种子迸发出生命的活力

And there hasn't been a bloom like this one for a century.

这里已有一个世纪没有像现在这样开满鲜花

The periods of boom in Death Valley are short

死亡谷中的花期很短

but they're just frequent enough to keep life ticking over.

但它们发生的次数足以保证生命长盛不衰

A sudden flush of vegetation is what every desert dweller² waits for

植物的突然兴盛是所有沙漠动物都盼望的事

and when it happens, they must make the most of it.

一旦发生，它们必须尽可能地利用它

There is no other species on the planet that responds as quickly and as dramatically to the good times as the desert locust³.

当好日子到来时，地球上再也没有其它物种能像沙漠蝗那样迅速而又戏剧性地作出反应。

Eggs that have remained in the ground for 20 years begin to hatch.

在地下埋藏了20年的虫卵开始孵化

The young locusts⁴ are known as hoppers, for at this stage they're flightless.

沙漠蝗的若虫是跳跃能手，在这一阶段，它们还不能飞。

They find new feeding grounds by following the smell of sprouting⁵ grass.

它们循着萌发的草香寻找新的用餐场所

Normally it takes four weeks for hoppers to become adults.

一般说来，若虫需要经过4周才能变成成虫

But when the conditions are right, as now, their development switches to the fast track.

但如果条件允许，譬如现在，它们的生长过程就会切换到快车道。

As the vegetation in one place begins to run out,

当一个地方的植物即将吃光时

the winged adults release pheromones, scent⁶ messages,

长着翅膀的成虫便释放出信息素，即一些气味信号

which tell others in the group that they must move on.

提醒蝗群中的其它成员它们应该动身了

And when groups merge⁷, they form a swarm⁸.

蝗群合并之后形成了一团蝗虫云。

1 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

2 dweller   

n.居住者，住客

参考例句：

• Both city and town dweller should pay tax.城镇居民都需要纳税。
• The city dweller never experiences anxieties of this sort.城市居民从未经历过这种担忧。

3 locust   

n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐

参考例句：

• A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
• This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。

4 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 sprouting   

v.发芽( sprout的现在分词 )；抽芽；出现；（使）涌现出

参考例句：

• new leaves sprouting from the trees 树上长出的新叶
• They were putting fresh earth around sprouting potato stalks. 他们在往绽出新芽的土豆秧周围培新土。 来自名作英译部分

6 scent   

n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the scent of lilac.空气中弥漫着丁香花的芬芳。
• The flowers give off a heady scent at night.这些花晚上散发出醉人的芳香。

7 merge   

v.(使)结合，(使)合并，(使)合为一体

参考例句：

• I can merge my two small businesses into a large one.我可以将我的两家小商店合并为一家大商行。
• The directors have decided to merge the two small firms together.董事们已决定把这两家小商号归并起来。

8 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。