纪录片《我们的地球》 第86期 奇幻沙漠(03)（在线收听）

Winter is the time for breeding.

冬季是交配时节

This extraordinary performance is a male Bactrian camel's way of attracting the attention of a passing female.

这种奇怪的表演是公双峰驼吸引路过的母骆驼的一种方式

In summer, the camels can't stray far from waterholes.

在夏天，骆驼不能远离水坑

But now, with mouthfuls of snow lying everywhere, they can travel widely in search of mates.

可是现在，遍地都是唾手可得的雪，它们便能长途跋涉寻找配偶。

Today, less than 1 ,000 of these desert specialists remain in the wild.

今天，这些沙漠专家的野生数量已不足1000只

The Gobi, hostile though it is, is their last stronghold.

戈壁尽管环境险恶，却是它们最后的据点

There is no other desert quite like the Gobi. But why is this place a desert?

别的沙漠都和戈壁不太一样。为什么这里会成为沙漠呢

There is one simple and massive cause. The Himalayas.

这里有一个简单而又重要的原因。喜马拉雅山脉。

Clouds blowing from the south hit this gigantic barrier.

从南方过来的暖湿气流撞上了这面巨大的屏障

As they're forced upwards, so they empty their moisture on the mountain slopes,

在被迫抬升的过程中，水汽在山坡上逐渐凝结，

leaving little for the land on the other side.

只有一小部分到达另一边的土地

From space, deserts are very conspicuous.

从太空中看，沙漠非常显眼

Dunes of sand hundreds of miles long streak their surface.

绵延数百英里的沙丘像是一条条皱边花纹

With no cloak of vegetation to conceal them, strange formations are exposed in the naked rock.

由于没有植被覆盖，赤裸的岩石显露出奇特的造型。