英语听力：自然百科 神奇水世界 Water-2

 The center of the Sahara Desert in North Africa, one of the driest places on earth. 

 

I'm over six hours drive from civilization. Temperatures here regularly reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit¹, but there's less than half an inch of rainfall each year.

 

Ah,the whole things are moving. It's like walking on water.

 

Yet, hidden amongst these dry dunes² are clues that point to the dramatic influence the planet has had on human lives.

I've come here because although you’ll never know it, the story of this place is all about water. The clues are etched into that rock face there. Prehistoric³ rock outdating about 6,000 years in the pattern of the almost unlikely characteristics you've ever seen.

 

Whoa, what is that? Is it a giraffe? It's a giraffe. Look at that, here is a neck, here is its ear. Look at that, it's an eye, isn't it? That's really natural, isn't it? And that looks like a giraffe, dipping its head/ and drinking some water. We've got a herd⁴ of giraffes here. 

 

Looks like two cats. They are fighting. That, what is that? Looks like a figure of, a figure of a man who’s wearing a burqa. And that's clearly a crocodile which is especially odd here, that's an aquatic⁵ animal. It doesn't just paddle around. It needs a lot of water to live in. I find all the creatures that are depicted⁶ on these rocks are not desert animals. They need wet conditions.

 

In such a parched⁷ wilderness⁸, how can this be? The only explanation is that 6,000 years ago, this place was wet. Once you know what to look for, the evidence is all around.

1 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

2 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 prehistoric   

adj.（有记载的）历史以前的，史前的，古老的

参考例句：

• They have found prehistoric remains.他们发现了史前遗迹。
• It was rather like an exhibition of prehistoric electronic equipment.这儿倒像是在展览古老的电子设备。

4 herd   

n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• He had no opinions of his own but simply follow the herd.他从无主见，只是人云亦云。

5 aquatic   

adj.水生的，水栖的

参考例句：

• Aquatic sports include swimming and rowing.水上运动包括游泳和划船。
• We visited an aquatic city in Italy.我们在意大利访问过一个水上城市。

6 depicted   

描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述

参考例句：

• Other animals were depicted on the periphery of the group. 其他动物在群像的外围加以修饰。
• They depicted the thrilling situation to us in great detail. 他们向我们详细地描述了那激动人心的场面。

7 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。

8 wilderness   

n.杳无人烟的一片陆地、水等，荒漠

参考例句：

• She drove the herd of cattle through the wilderness.她赶着牛群穿过荒野。
• Education in the wilderness is not a matter of monetary means.荒凉地区的教育不是钱财问题。