原文视听

The poles are permanently capped with ice.
冰天雪地是两极永恒的主题
Nowhere is colder,
对于生命
windier or more hostile to life.
那里的酷寒 狂风是最严苛的挑战
I'm standing at the North Pole -
我的脚下就是北极点
the very top of the Earth.
世界之巅
Up here, it's easy to see
为何极地地区如此寒冷
why the polar regions are so cold.
身临其境时 体会更加深刻
The sun never rises high enough in the sky to warm my back
太阳的直射角度很小 鲜有阳光照射下来
and those rays that do strike the surface
而即使光线到达了地表
are mostly reflected back from this great whiteness.
大部分也会被这白茫茫的冰雪反射回去
But the fundamental problem is that there's no sun here at all
但最重要的问题是 这里有半年的时间
for half the year.
完全没有阳光照射
The polar winter is unrivalled in its harshness.
极地冬季的严酷 无与伦比
A night that lasts for months.
一个夜晚可持续数月之久
Only the toughest stay, as temperatures plunge
随着温度骤降到零下70摄氏度
to minus 70 degrees centigrade.
只有最顽强的生命才能存活下来
And yet, the greatest challenge to life here is not the cold,
然而对于生命来说 最大的挑战并非寒冷
but the extreme swings between the seasons.
而是剧烈的四季更迭
When the sun finally returns,
当太阳再次升起时
an extraordinary transformation begins.
一次翻天覆地的转变开始了
This frozen world begins to melt away.
这个冰冻的世界开始融化

重点解释

妙语佳句:

The poles are permanently capped with ice.冰天雪地是两极永恒的主题

cap with:覆盖

Her teeth were capped with silver.

她的牙齿是包了银的。

Her umbrella is capped with a glass knob.

她的伞的顶端装有一个玻璃圆头。

those rays that do strike the surface are mostly reflected back from this great whiteness.即使光线到达了地表大部分也会被这白茫茫的冰雪反射回去

reflect from:从...反射

The heat reflect from the white sand forme a mirage.

热气经白色的沙面反射形成了蜃景。

The light is reflected from the moon.

光从月球反射出来。

This frozen world begins to melt away.这个冰冻的世界开始融化

melt away:(使)融化, (使)消散

the sorrow that you know will melt away.

你所知的悲伤將会融化。

The beautiful actress made my heart melt away.

那位漂亮的女演员使我神魂颠倒。

考考你:

冰天雪地是两极永恒的主题。

太阳的直射角度很小，鲜有阳光照射下来。

上期答案:

and yet, the icy worlds of the Arctic and Antarctic are as alien to most of us as the surface of another planet.

These are places that feed our imaginations,places that seem to be borrowed from fairy tales.