2007-10-09, Death Valley - 死亡谷

It's been called the land that God had forsaken¹, long considered one of the harshest environments on Earth and for good reason.

Summer time, ah, we start to hit 100 usually in mid² April, ah, and usually (don't) continue with that through, through mid October, in the middle of July, June, July and August, 120 easily. (Don't miss that. Ok. That's a wonderful...)

Alan Van Volkenburg knows. He's been a park ranger³ in Death Valley for over a decade.

The hottest I felt was 129. The day it hit 129 I went out and sat in the, in the, a shaded area that was outside. Just, kind of, think about what it felt like. And there was a slight breeze blowing and like, you know, you think a slight breeze would cool you down 'coz it was in the shade. That side of me, it felt, if I thought I was gonna come away, it being red burns. It felt that hot on that side.

The vast expanses of sand and rock are seemingly devoid⁴ of life. In the valley's most hostile spot, the miles and miles of salt flats are completely parched⁵. On average, the valley gets less than two inches of rain each year. Some years they don't get any at all.

In this extreme, desolate⁶ landscape life is often hidden. Of course, there are common creatures - bighorn sheep that live up in the mountains, coyotes, snakes, spiders, and other desert denizens⁷. They all have one thing in common - the ability to sniff⁸ out water in a place that looks bone-dry.

There is water, I mean, surrounding the hills and canyons⁹ of this park, there are over 500 different small seeps¹⁰ and springs. We are at the largest collection of springs.

Ranger Charlie Callaghan knows that where there is water, there is life. And in Death Valley, there is more water than meets the eye.

It's that ability for both fauna¹¹ and flora¹² to survive here that Callaghan finds so remarkable¹³.

There is, amazing, there is over a thousand different species of plants found in Death Valley. There, there is several dozen of them that are endemics, so they are found nowhere else in the world.

And although most of Death Valley looks exactly as it did thousands of years ago, the seeming desolation can be full of surprises.

1 Forsaken   

adj. 被遗忘的, 被抛弃的 动词forsake的过去分词

参考例句：

• He was forsaken by his friends. 他被朋友们背弃了。
• He has forsaken his wife and children. 他遗弃了他的妻子和孩子。

2 mid   

adj.中央的，中间的

参考例句：

• Our mid-term exam is pending.我们就要期中考试了。
• He switched over to teaching in mid-career.他在而立之年转入教学工作。

3 ranger   

n.国家公园管理员，护林员；骑兵巡逻队员

参考例句：

• He was the head ranger of the national park.他曾是国家公园的首席看守员。
• He loved working as a ranger.他喜欢做护林人。

4 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。

5 parched   

adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干

参考例句：

• Hot winds parched the crops.热风使庄稼干透了。
• The land in this region is rather dry and parched.这片土地十分干燥。

6 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。

7 denizens   

n.居民，住户( denizen的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• polar bears, denizens of the frozen north 北极熊，在冰天雪地的北方生活的动物
• At length these denizens of the swamps disappeared in their turn. 到了后来，连这些沼泽国的居民们也不见了。 来自辞典例句

8 sniff   

vi.嗅…味道；抽鼻涕；对嗤之以鼻，蔑视

参考例句：

• The police used dogs to sniff out the criminals in their hiding - place.警察使用警犬查出了罪犯的藏身地点。
• When Munchie meets a dog on the beach, they sniff each other for a while.当麦奇在海滩上碰到另一条狗的时候，他们会彼此嗅一会儿。

9 canyons   

n.峡谷( canyon的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This mountain range has many high peaks and deep canyons. 这条山脉有许多高峰和深谷。 来自辞典例句
• Do you use canyons or do we preserve them all? 是使用峡谷呢还是全封闭保存？ 来自互联网

10 seeps   

n.（液体）渗( seep的名词复数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出v.（液体）渗( seep的第三人称单数 )；渗透；渗出；漏出

参考例句：

• Water seeps through sand. 水渗入沙中。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Water seeps out of the wall. 水从墙里沁出。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

11 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

12 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

13 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。