纪录片《我们的地球》 第316期 极端沙漠(7)

Some deserts are so arid¹, they appear totally devoid² of all vegetation.

有的荒漠十分贫瘠，看似寸草不生。

Yet even these landscapes can be transformed in a matter of days.

但即使是这种地方也能在几天之内焕然新生。

The deserts of Peru are amongst the driest in the world,

秘鲁荒漠是世界上最干燥的地方之一，

but just add a little water and plants that have lain dormant³ for months will burst into life.

休眠了几个月的植被，只要遇到一点点水便可立即恢复生机。

And when a desert suddenly turns green,

当沙漠突然变为绿洲，

even the most seemingly desolate⁴ can become a land of opportunity.

即使看似最荒凉的地方也能变得生机勃勃。

No creature exploits the greening of a desert more quickly or more dramatically than a locust⁵.

没有什么生物能比蝗虫更早或更轰动地发现这抹绿意。

Madagascar's arid south-west has received its highest rainfall in years.

马达加斯加干旱的西南部迎来了近几年最大的降雨。

Now, an army is on the march, attracted by the smell of newly sprouting⁶ grass.

蝗虫大军正大步行进，追寻着新生嫩芽的香气。

Locusts⁷ are normally solitary⁸ creatures, but when food becomes suddenly plentiful⁹,

蝗虫通常独居，但当食物突然充足之时，

they come together into an unstoppable force that devours¹⁰ everything in its path.

它们便聚集成群，以势不可挡的气势吞噬沿途所有的植物。

But this devastation¹¹ is about to get a lot worse.

而这巨大的灾难正愈演愈烈。

1 arid   

adj.干旱的；(土地)贫瘠的

参考例句：

• These trees will shield off arid winds and protect the fields.这些树能挡住旱风,保护农田。
• There are serious problems of land degradation in some arid zones.在一些干旱地带存在严重的土地退化问题。

2 devoid   

adj.全无的，缺乏的

参考例句：

• He is completely devoid of humour.他十分缺乏幽默。
• The house is totally devoid of furniture.这所房子里什么家具都没有。

3 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。

4 desolate   

adj.荒凉的，荒芜的；孤独的，凄凉的；v.使荒芜，使孤寂

参考例句：

• The city was burned into a desolate waste.那座城市被烧成一片废墟。
• We all felt absolutely desolate when she left.她走后，我们都觉得万分孤寂。

5 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。

6 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

7 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》

8 solitary   

adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士

参考例句：

• I am rather fond of a solitary stroll in the country.我颇喜欢在乡间独自徜徉。
• The castle rises in solitary splendour on the fringe of the desert.这座城堡巍然耸立在沙漠的边际，显得十分壮美。

9 plentiful   

adj.富裕的，丰富的

参考例句：

• Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
• Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。

10 devours   

吞没( devour的第三人称单数 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. 若有人想要害他们，就有火从他们口中出来，烧灭仇敌。
• It eats away parts of his skin; death's firstborn devours his limbs. 他本身的肢体要被吞吃，死亡的长子要吞吃他的肢体。

11 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》