纪录片《我们的地球》 第314期 极端沙漠(5)

The rain may be long gone, but there is water here...

雨季也许早已过去，但沙漠里还是有水...

locked away within the tissues of specialist desert plants.

只是储存在沙生植物特化的组织当中。

Cacti¹ are unique to American deserts.

仙人掌是美国沙漠中独一无二的植物。

They all hoard² water,

它们肥硕的茎干，

storing it in swollen³ stems and protecting it behind a barricade⁴ of spines⁵.

有储水功能，叶片特化成刺以防止水分散失。

They're so successful that they dominate these deserts.

这套策略成功地让它们主宰着这片沙漠。

But this forest of spikes⁶ can cause problems for the animals that live here.

但这片尖刺丛林也给居住在此的动物们带来了很多麻烦。

A Harris' Hawk⁷. It has developed special techniques for hunting amongst the cacti.

一只栗翅鹰。它练就了在仙人掌林捕食的特殊技能。

Ground squirrels. Prey⁸.

这是地松鼠。栗翅鹰的猎物。

At the first sign of danger, they bolt for the safety of the thorns.

当发现危险信号时，地松鼠们迅速躲进刺丛中避险。

But the hawks⁹ have a tactic¹⁰ to flush them out.

但栗翅鹰有法子逼它们出来

These are the only birds of prey that hunt in packs.

栗翅鹰是唯一成群捕食的猛禽。

Flying in formation, they try to drive their quarry¹¹ into the open.

它们编队飞行，将猎物驱赶到开阔地带。

But this squirrel is staying put.

但这只地松鼠按兵不动。

So now the hawks continue the hunt... on foot.

栗翅鹰开始改变策略，转为地面追击。

They're closing in from all sides.

它们从四面八方逐渐逼近。

Soon, all escape routes are cut off. The squirrel is trapped.

很快封锁了所有的逃跑路线。地松鼠陷入绝境。

1 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。

2 hoard   

n./v.窖藏，贮存，囤积

参考例句：

• They have a hoard of food in the basement.地下室里有他们贮藏的食物。
• How many curios do you hoard in your study?你在你书房里聚藏了多少古玩？

3 swollen   

adj.肿大的，水涨的；v.使变大，肿胀

参考例句：

• Her legs had got swollen from standing up all day.因为整天站着，她的双腿已经肿了。
• A mosquito had bitten her and her arm had swollen up.蚊子叮了她，她的手臂肿起来了。

4 barricade   

n.路障，栅栏，障碍；vt.设路障挡住

参考例句：

• The soldiers make a barricade across the road.士兵在路上设路障。
• It is difficult to break through a steel barricade.冲破钢铁障碍很难。

5 spines   

n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊

参考例句：

• Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
• The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 spikes   

n.穗( spike的名词复数 )；跑鞋；（防滑）鞋钉；尖状物v.加烈酒于( spike的第三人称单数 )；偷偷地给某人的饮料加入（更多）酒精（ 或药物）；把尖状物钉入；打乱某人的计划

参考例句：

• a row of iron spikes on a wall 墙头的一排尖铁
• There is a row of spikes on top of the prison wall to prevent the prisoners escaping. 监狱墙头装有一排尖钉，以防犯人逃跑。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 hawk   

n.鹰，骗子；鹰派成员

参考例句：

• The hawk swooped down on the rabbit and killed it.鹰猛地朝兔子扑下来,并把它杀死。
• The hawk snatched the chicken and flew away.老鹰叼了小鸡就飞走了。

8 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

9 hawks   

鹰( hawk的名词复数 )； 鹰派人物，主战派人物

参考例句：

• Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
• Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

10 tactic   

n.战略，策略；adj.战术的，有策略的

参考例句：

• Reducing prices is a common sales tactic.降价是常用的销售策略。
• She had often used the tactic of threatening to resign.她惯用以辞职相威胁的手法。

11 quarry   

n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找

参考例句：

• Michelangelo obtained his marble from a quarry.米开朗基罗从采石场获得他的大理石。
• This mountain was the site for a quarry.这座山曾经有一个采石场。