纪录片《我们的地球》 第257期 壮丽山脉(02)

The sunbaked mountains of the Arabian Peninsula.

阿拉伯半岛上的山地被阳光炙烤得发烫。

They may only be a fraction of the height of the Himalayas,

它们的海拔也许只是喜马拉雅山脉的零头，

but they are still so dizzyingly steep that in many places it's almost impossible to get a foothold.

但却异常险峻，很多地方几乎无法立足。

Yet Nubian ibex have made this their home.

而努比亚羱羊还是栖息于此。

The ibex choose the steepest cliffs to raise their young, in safety, beyond the reach of predators¹.

羱羊选择在最陡峭的绝壁上养育幼仔，环境安全，没有天敌。

But living in this sanctuary² comes with a cost.

在生活在这里也要付出代价。

These nursery slopes are so steep, there is almost no standing³ water up here.

山崖过于陡峭，几乎没有任何积水。

So to drink, an ibex family must descend⁴ into the valley... 1,000 feet below.

为了饮水，羱羊必须下到三百米下的峡谷之中。

The mothers pick out the safest way down.

母羊选出一条最安全的下山路径。

With soft cloven hooves that grip better than any climbing shoe, they are the most accomplished⁵ mountaineers.

四只柔软的分趾蹄胜过最好用的登山鞋，让他们成为最高超的登山者。

But the newborn kids are still having to find their feet.

但新生的雏羊还在蹒跚学步。

This is their first descent. One mistake could make it their last.

这是他们第一次下山。一次失蹄就可能一命呜呼。

Following the adults, the kids finally reach the valley.

跟着成年羱羊，小羊们终于到达山谷。

But once on level ground, they're vulnerable.

但回到平地上，他们就很容易遭到攻击。

1 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

3 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

4 descend   

vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降

参考例句：

• I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
• We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。

5 accomplished   

adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的

参考例句：

• Thanks to your help,we accomplished the task ahead of schedule.亏得你们帮忙,我们才提前完成了任务。
• Removal of excess heat is accomplished by means of a radiator.通过散热器完成多余热量的排出。