难以琢磨

The problem is while the mountains make this area stormy,

问题是山上发生暴风雨时

they don't make it easy to catch up with the storm.

我们很难赶上

Right now, all I see is a black sky in front of me.

现在我看到的是阴沉的天空

It's just a wall of dark cloud and dust.

乌云和尘土漫布天空

Look at that!

看！

The lightning is just the by-product of the extreme air movements

闪电是空气团相互作用产生暴风云

within the storm clouds.

时同时产生的

As the moist air rises, it cools and water particles freeze.

湿气上升的时候冷却，小水珠凝固

Some become small ice crystals, others larger, slushy ice.

有一些变成了小的冰晶，有一些变成了大一点的冰块

These two different types of ice collide and become electrically charged.

两种不同的冰相互碰撞 产生了电

An electric field builds up until it becomes so strong

达到一定程度以后 产生了电场

it reaches for the Earth below.

接下来就会和地面接触

But far higher in the atmosphere is a much more elusive,

不过雷电在大气层中越高就越难以琢磨

much more exotic form of lightning

越壮观

that's been caught on film.

这些被拍到底片上的

They're called sprites.

它们被称为鬼神

重点讲解

1、catch up with

捕获;擒获;捉拿到

The law caught up with him yesterday.

昨天，他被捉拿归案。

和…算旧账；使…最终尝到苦果

Although he subsequently became a successful businessman, his criminal past caught up with him.

尽管后来他成了事业有成的生意人，以前的犯罪前科终究让他尝到了苦果。

2、build up

（使）积聚；（使）逐渐增加

The regime built up the largest army in Africa.

该政权逐渐建立起一支非洲规模最大的军队。

The collection has been built up over the last seventeen years.

在过去的17年中，收藏的规模不断扩大。

增强…的体质；建立…的信心

Build her up with kindness and a sympathetic ear.

用友善和富有同情心的倾听来重拾她的信心。

Dr. Johnson and I have been trying to build him up physically.

约翰逊医生和我一直试图增强他的体质。

吹捧；抬举

The media will report on it and the tabloids will build it up.

媒体会报道此事，小报则会大肆吹捧。

Historians built him up as the champion of parliament.

历史学家把他誉为议会的捍卫者。

3、catch on

明白;认识到

He got what he could out of me before I caught on to the kind of person he'd turned into.

我还没有意识到他已经变成了那样的人，他就已经从我这儿把能套走的都套走了。

Wait a minute! I'm beginning to catch on.

等一下！我开始有点懂了。

时兴;流行

The idea has been around for ages without catching on.

这个观点已经提出来有年头了，可是一直没被广泛接受。