评论
打印
This is Earth. Maybe you've heard of it? I sure hope so, because you live on one of its seven continents!
这是地球。也许你听说过？我当然希望如此，因为你就生活在它的七大洲之一！
This one is the coldest, the windiest, and the driest. You better buddle up, because we're headed to Antarctica.
这是最冷的，风最大的，也是最干燥的大洲。你最好快点，因为我们要去南极洲了。
It's the fifth largest continent, and it's full of snow and ice.
它是世界第五大洲，到处都是冰雪。
Antarctica is also the world's biggest desert. Deserts aren't just hot sand and sun.
南极洲也是世界上最大的荒漠。荒漠不仅仅是指炙热的沙子和阳光。
Any climate that has little to no precipitation, better known as rain, is considered a desert.
任何很少或没有降水的气候区，都可以被认为是荒漠。
For example, the famous Sahara Desert in Africa gets about 3 inches of rain a year, while Antarctica averages just 2 inches.
例如，非洲著名的撒哈拉沙漠每年的降雨量约为3英寸，而南极洲的平均降雨量只有2英寸。
Instead of the rain soaking into the ground, artic rain turns into snow and piles up.
雨水没有渗入地面，而是变成了雪并堆积起来。
Winter temperatures can drop to between 14 and negative 22 degrees.
冬季气温可降至14至零下22度之间。
But don't worry, summer temperatures can warm up to highs around 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
但别担心，夏天的气温可以升至32华氏度左右。
Thousands of tourists travel to Antarctica every year to see amazing animals and more.
每年都有成千上万的游客到南极洲去看神奇的动物。
Let's start with the Antarctic ice sheet. It's massive, the largest single piece of ice in the world, covering more than 5 million square miles.
让我们从南极冰盖开始。它非常巨大，是世界上最大的一块冰，覆盖面积超过500万平方英里。
Rising above the ice is the southernmost active volcano in the world, Mount Erebus.
冰盖之上是世界上最南端的活火山--埃里伯斯火山。
Swirling inside the volcano is one of the world's only molten lakes made of lava.
埃里伯斯火山内部，是世界上仅存的几个熔岩湖中的一个。
Antarctica is a cold and icy place, making it the perfect home for wildlife.
南极洲是一个寒冷、冰冷的地方，这使它成为野生动物的完美家园。
Vegetation like lichen, moss, and algae have adapted to life above the ice, along with a few different types of seabirds, including one of the most popular in Antarctica, the penguin.
像地衣、苔藓和藻类这样的植被已经适应了冰上的生活，此外还有几种不同类型的海鸟，包括南极洲最受欢迎的企鹅。
And below the ice are some of the most amazing and diverse marine wildlife on the planet, including seals, octopus, and whales, making Antarctica one of the best places for scientific research.
冰面之下则是生活着地球上最神奇、最多样化的海洋野生动物，包括海豹、章鱼和鲸鱼，这使得南极洲成为科学研究的最佳地点之一。
Dozens of countries from around the world have set up their own research stations here, studying everything from climate change to meteors from outer space.
来自世界各地的几十个国家在这里建立了自己的科考站，研究从气候变化到外太空流星的一切。
It's the harshest environment on the planet, cold, dry, and barren, but scientists and explorers have been braving this continent since the early 1900s, and there's still more to discover under the ice and snow of Antarctica.
这里拥有地球上最恶劣的环境，寒冷、干燥、贫瘠，但自20世纪初以来，科学家和探险家一直在勇敢地探索这片大陆，在南极洲的冰雪下，还有更多的东西有待发现。
