我们生活在太阳系中最多样化的行星上 We live on the most diverse planet in the solar system.
当我们探索世界景观的多样性时，它的丰富多彩 Its vast richness is revealed when we explore the variety
就显露出来了 of our world's landscapes.
这是一次探索之旅 This is an adventure of discovery
探索地球上7个最引人注目的景观 to seven of the planet's most dramatic landscapes
和自然奇观 and natural wonders.
也许这些是最壮观的地方 Perhaps these are the greatest places.
【 胜 地 】
大约50亿年前，我们的太阳系形成了 Some five billion years ago, our solar system took form.
超过2亿年前 More than 200 million years ago
地球的超级大陆盘古大陆开始分裂 Earth's supercontinent, Pangaea, began to separate.
新的海岸线、大陆、岛屿和山脉 New coastlines, continents, islands and mountain ranges
都是在巨大的裂变中形成的 were formed in massive upheaval.
最壮观的地方开始成形 The greatest places began to take shape.
格陵兰岛成为世界上最大的岛屿 Greenland became the largest island in the world.
非洲变成了一个独立的大陆 Africa became a separate continent.
奥卡万戈三角洲和纳米布沙漠地区形成 The Okavango Delta and the Namib Desert Regions were formed.
从非洲脱离出来后，南美洲 Severed from Africa, South America was carved in part
又被亚马逊河和伊瓜苏河分割 by the rivers Amazon and Iguazu.
印度与亚洲碰撞 India collided with Asia
使西藏高原隆起 uplifting the great plateau of Tibet.
马达加斯加与非洲分离 Madagascar separated from Africa
成为一个岛屿 - and became an island -
最壮观的地方之一 one of the greatest places.
在地质力量的推动下 Set adrift by the forces of geology
马达加斯加变成了一个时间胶囊 Madagascar became a time capsule
在那里，生命在4000万年中与世隔绝地进化 where, for 40 million years, life evolved in isolation.
这个岛屿方舟承载着其它地方找不到的生命... This island ark carries life found nowhere else...
是时间与地点鲜活的 Living treasures of place
珍藏 and time.
这是狐猴的王国 This is the kingdom of the lemur.
马达加斯加是地球上唯一发现狐猴的地方 Madagascar is the only place on earth where lemurs are found.
在大陆，狐猴的祖先在竞争中败给了 On the mainland, the lemur's ancestors were out-competed
较晚进化的猴子 by later-evolving monkeys.
但在独处的马达加斯加岛上， 这些古老的灵长类动物却繁衍生息 But left alone on Madagascar, these ancient primates thrived.
这里生长着一种倒立的树 - Here grow the most species of the upside-down tree-
看起来它的根好像悬在空中 - Looking like its roots are in the air-
猴面包树 the baobab.
这只巨型变色龙在岛上生活了1000年 This giant lives for a thousand years
世界上近三分之二的 on the island where nearly two-thirds
变色龙都在岛上追踪它们的猎物 of the world's species of chameleons stalk their prey.
在世界上所有岛屿中 Of all the world's islands
马达加斯加拥有最多的本土物种 Madagascar has the most native species.
在这里，仙人掌可以长到树那么高 Here, where a cactus may grow as tall as a tree
环尾狐猴已经从以森林树叶为食变成了 the ring-tailed lemur has adapted from forest leaf eater
仙人掌的行家 to connoisseur of cactus.
数百万年的风吹雨打 Millions of years of rain and wind
使石灰岩尖峰显露出来 have exposed limestone pinnacles-
无声地提醒着塑造马达加斯加的力量 silent reminders of the forces that shaped Madagascar
从它被从非洲的基岩上被撕裂时就形成了 from the time it was torn from the bedrock of Africa.
马达加斯加的与世隔绝 Madagascar's isolation
使狐猴得以繁荣地繁衍和多样化 allowed the lemurs to flourish and to diversify.
许多物种都存在，包括黑狐猴 Numerous species exist, including the black lemur
它的雄性是深黑色的 whose males are jet black.
这个物种的雌性是锈棕色的 But the females of the species are rusty brown.
环尾狐猴是最具社会性的 And the ring-tailed lemur, the most social.
而“思法卡”，被称为森林的幽灵 And the shifaka, called the ghost of the forest.
它是为数不多的 It's one of the few lemurs
有时会从树上下来的狐猴之一 that sometimes comes down from the trees.
变色龙用和身体一样长的舌头捕食 With a tongue as long as its body, the chameleon dines.
马达加斯加方舟岛 - The island ark of Madagascar-
是最壮观的地方之一 one of the greatest places.
在印度和亚洲碰撞的地方 Where India and Asia collided
世界上最高的山峰，喜马拉雅山 the world's tallest mountains, the Himalayas
与世界上最高的高原西藏一起隆起 were uplifted with the highest plateau in the world, Tibet.
西藏高原与西欧一样大 As large as Western Europe
比落基山脉的最高山峰 the plateau is higher than the tallest peaks
还要高 of the Rocky Mountains.
然而，人们在这里生活了几千年 Yet people have lived for thousands of years here
他们称之为“昌都”的地方 in the place they call the Chong-Tong
孤寂之地 the Lonely Place.
西藏的佛教徒相信人与自然世界之间 The Buddhists of Tibet believe in the sacred connection
具有神圣的联系 between people and the world of nature.
祈祷被写在旗帜上 Prayers are written on flags
山风将旗子带走 to be carried by the mountain wind.
作为游牧民族，人们为了保护土地 Living as nomads, people conserve the land
不断地迁徙，喂养他们的牦牛、绵羊和山羊 by constantly moving to feed their yaks, sheep and goats.
他们的生存与他们的动物息息相关 Their very survival is closely bound to their animals.
人们买卖大麦 People trade for barley
但他们的生活靠牦牛维持 but their lives are sustained by the yak.
牦牛驮着他们所有的财产 The yak carries all their belongings
提供牛奶、黄油和肉类 - and gives milk, butter and meat-
几乎是他们生存所需的 almost everything they need
一切 to survive.
在气温一天可以下降 In the land where temperatures can drop
80华氏度的土地上 80 degrees Fahrenheit in one day
牦牛皮甚至可以提供毛织物和庇护所 yak hides even provide wool and shelter.
对于一个濒危的民族来说 For an endangered people
他们是最后的游牧民族 who are among the last of the nomads
他们的庇护所意味着生存和家园 their shelter means survival and home.
他们的祷告被写在祈祷轮里 Their prayers are written inside prayer wheels
旋转到天堂 to spin to the heavens.
作为他们与土地和宗教联系的一部分 As part of their connection to the land and their religion
朝圣者要徒步数百英里 pilgrims travel hundreds of miles
在步行冥想中前往寺院和圣地 in walking meditation to monasteries and holy sites.
西藏的一些湖泊被认为是神圣的 Some lakes in Tibet are considered holy
是亚洲河流的源头，这些河流灌溉着土地 and are headwaters to Asian rivers that irrigate land
养活了四分之一的人类 to feed a quarter of humanity.
许多朝圣之旅在大喇嘛寺结束 - Many pilgrimages end at great monasteries-
喇嘛寺是学习的中心 monasteries that serve as centers of learning.
作为一种虔诚的行为 As an act of devotion
西藏人在圣地周围虔诚地行走 Tibetans walk around holy sites as faithfully
就像地球绕着太阳转一样 as the earth moves around the sun.
所有人都通过他们的文化与他们生活的地方 All people are linked to the place they live
联系在一起 through their culture
但是对于我们每个地方的人来说 but for all of us everywhere, the natural landscape
自然景观是维系生命之舞的力量 is what sustains the dance of life.
西藏，世界上最高的高原 Tibet, the world's highest plaeau.
横贯世界的 Across the world
地球上最强大的地貌特征之一 flows one of the Earth's most powerful features-
河流 - the river-
而最壮观的河流是亚马逊河 and the greatest river of all is the Amazon.
它跨越了南美洲大陆三分之二以上的地区 It crosses more than two-thirds of the South American continent
并与其它一千多条河流汇合 and is joined by a thousand other rivers
为这条河的人民带来了一种生活方式 as it brings a way of life to the people of the river.
所有地方的河流都是生命的动脉 Rivers everywhere are arteries of life
无论是大城市还是小村庄 for great cities as well as small villages
为人们带来食物、饮用水、种植农作物 bringing food, water to drink and to grow crops
和运输工具 and for transportation.
亚马逊河流域是一片广阔的 The Amazon River Basin is a vast landscape
河流和森林景观 of river and forest
几乎和美国大陆一样大 almost as large as the continental United States
包含9个国家 encompassing nine nations.
这里的人们跟随这条大河的潮涨潮落 People here follow the ebb and flow of the river
在一生的旅途中学习 learned in the journey of a lifetime.
在亚马逊河，人类只是与地球上最大的分水岭 In the Amazon, people are only one of millions of species
相连的数百万物种中的一种 linked to the greatest watershed on Earth.
拳头大小的甲虫 Beetles the size of a person's fist
微型壁虎 miniature geckos
有毒的毛毛虫 venomous caterpillars
和在水上行走的蜘蛛 and spiders that walk on water.
亚马逊河流域位于赤道纬度几度的范围内 Located within a few degrees latitude of the equator
全年几乎都能得到阳光的直射 the Amazon basin receives nearly direct sun all year.
早晨太阳的热量蒸发水分 Heat from the morning sun evaporates moisture
导致潮湿的空气上升 and causes humid air to rise.
在上午晚些时候，它凝结成云 By late morning, it condenses into clouds.
云滴聚集成团，然后以雨的形式落下 Cloud droplets gather mass and then fall as rain.
每天有节奏的雨水为河流补充了水分 The daily rhythm of the rain replenishes the river.
随波逐流的是漂浮的草地 - Moving with the currents are floating meadows-
季节性的大量植物和残骸 - a seasonal mass of plants and debris-
生命的岛屿 islands of life.
一些草地成为景观的一部分 Some meadows become part of the landscape
在这片郁郁葱葱的环境中 and support even trees
甚至还支撑着树木和最具生态的生命 and the most colouful life in this lush environment.
在这条强大的河流露出粘土堤岸的地方 Where the powerful river exposes clay banks
金刚鹦鹉和鹦鹉飞来觅食 macaws and parrots fly in for a meal.
它们吞食泥土来消除食物中某些种子的毒性 They eat the clay as an antidote to toxic seeds in their diet
并且获得维持生命的矿物质 and for its life-sustaining minerals.
巨大的河流在地球上流动 Great rivers flow across the planet
亚马逊是其中最壮观的 and the Amazon is the greatest.
各地的河流都有腐蚀作用 Rivers everywhere meet disruptions to their flow.
当它们冲刷坚硬或者柔软岩石的边缘时 When they flow across a boundary of hard and softer rock
可能会造成巨大的破坏 there can be great disruptions.
世界上最大的瀑布是伊瓜苏瀑布 - The world's greatest waterfall is Iguazu-
比尼亚加拉瀑布宽4倍 four times wider than Niagara.
位于巴西和阿根廷边界的 South of the Amazon basin
亚马逊河盆地南部 at the border of Brazil and Argentina
熔岩曾经从古代的火山中流出 Lava once flowed from ancient volcanoes.
当坚硬的熔岩凝聚后，较软的岩石就会被侵蚀 When the hard lava ends, less-resistant rock has eroded.
在这里，伊瓜苏河沿着非洲西南海岸倾泻而下 Here, the Iguazu River plunges into more than 200 waterfalls
形成200多个瀑布 Along the southwest coast of Africa.
纳米布是一个流动中的沙漠 the Namib is a desert in motion
在这片有8000万年历史的沙漠上 Across this 80 million-year-old desert
盛行的风 prevailing winds build
筑起了地球上最高的沙丘 the earth's tallest sand dunes
这些超过1000英尺高的沙丘 dunes over a thousand feet tall
一次只移动一粒沙子 that migrate a grain of sand at a time.
在所有的沙漠中 Of all the deserts
纳米布蕴藏着种类最多的生命: the Namib contains the greatest variety of life:
在沙丘顶部通过背部 Beetles that collect moisture on their backs
收集水分的甲虫 at the top of the dunes.
在鳞片之间储存水分的蝰蛇 Adders that store water between their scales.
有毒的蝎子 And venomous scorpions.
纳米布甚至有着像大羚羊这样的 The Namib is even graced with large mammals
大型哺乳动物 like the gemsbok.
在地球上的任何地方 Everywhere on earth
相同的基本元素的相互作用 the interaction of the same basic elements-
土地、空气、水和生命 - Land, air, water and life-
创造了具有戏剧性、多样性的景观 has created landscapes of dramatic diversity.
纳米布沙漠是世界西海岸的5个沙漠之一 The Namib is one of the world's five west coast deserts
一直延伸到冰冷的海洋 that stretch to a cold sea.
当暖风吹过冷水时，就会形成雾 As warm wind passes over cold water, fog forms
带来生命所需的水分，这些水分永远不会以雨的形式落下 bringing life-giving moisture that never falls as rain.
但纳米布的雾也带来了死亡 But the fog of Namib also brings death
尸骨散落在危险的骷髅海岸 scattering bones along the treacherous Skeleton Coast.
来自南极的寒冷的南洋流 A cold southern current from Antarctica
和温暖的大西洋相汇，形成了一片肥沃的海洋 and the warmer Atlantic Ocean mix to create a fertile sea
带来了丰富的生命 and bring abundant life.
在这片海洋绿洲，海豹常年进食 At this ocean oasis, fur seals feed all year
在炎热沙漠边缘的冰冷的水里 and warm themselves from the frigid water
温暖自己 at the edge of the hot desert.
纳米布 The Namib
大沙丘的沙漠 desert of the great dunes.
在北极圈，世界上最大的岛屿 At the Arctic Circle, the largest island in the world
被永久性的冰原覆盖着 lies covered by a permanent landscape of ice.
在格陵兰岛冰盖的巨大重量下 Beneath the enormous weight of the Greenland ice cap
世界上最古老的景观已经下沉到海平面以下 the world's oldest landscape has sunk below sea level.
在海洋中，冰川崩裂成冰山 - At the sea, glaciers calve into icebergs-
漂浮在水面下的冰山 floating mountains of ice
是漂浮在水面上的冰山的5倍 that are five times more massive under water than above water.
只有狭窄的无冰海岸才能维持生命 Only the narrow ice-free coast supports life.
在这里，麝牛披着大自然最温暖的外衣 Here, the musk ox is cloaked in one of nature's warmest coats
即使是在盛夏时节 even in summer's bloom.
格陵兰岛的说书人，鼓舞者 Greenland's storyteller, the drum dancer
讲述了几千年来 celdbrates the thousands of years
人们在这个冰冷的边缘幸存下来的故事 people have survived at this icy edge.
这是接近人类生存寒冷极限的生命 This is life near the coldest limit of human existence.
这里的生存取决于人们发明他们需要的东西 Survival here is dependent on people inventing what they need
比如鱼叉，狗拉雪橇和皮艇 like the harpoon, the dogsled and the kayak.
即使在零下40度 Even at 40 degrees below zero
人们也成功地适应了 people have successfully adapted.
格陵兰岛是地球生物多样性最寒冷的地方 Greenland a cold extreme of earth's diversity.
在非洲南部的博茨瓦纳 In Botswana, southern Africa
奥卡万戈河三角洲是非洲最大的绿洲 the Okavango River Delta is Africa's greatest oasis.
从北方流下，奥卡万戈河 Flowing from the north, the Okavango River
携带了数以百万吨计的沙子和残骸 has carried millions of tons of sand and debris
形成了世界上最大的内陆河三角洲 to create one of the largest inland river deltas
之一 in the world.
它形成了一个陆地和水的迷宫 It forms a maze of land and water.
这条河从不流入大海 This river never flows to the sea.
相反，它在喀拉哈里沙漠蔓延 Instead, it spreads across the Kalahari Desert
使沙漠中生机勃勃 and the desert blooms with life.
这个巨大的内陆河三角洲 This massive, landlocked river delta
依赖于几百英里外的水 depends on water hundreds of miles away
这些水要奔流半年之久才能到达干涸的下游三角洲 that travels half the year to reach the dry, lower delta.
在任何地方，水都能恢复生命 Everywhere, water restores life.
在奥卡万戈的伊甸园里 In this Eden of Okavango
像其它地方一样 as in all places
生命的多样性与土地、空气和水 diversity of life is linked to the land, air and water
以及它们形成的景观格局息息相关 and the patterns of landscape they form.
每件事都是相互关联的 Every thing is interrelated.
甚至奥卡万戈的野狗也从出生起就连在一起了 Even the wild dogs of Okavango are linked together from birth.
只有一个雄性和雌性交配繁育出一窝幼崽 Only one male and female mate to produce a litter of pups
整个狗群都会抚养 the entire pack will raise.
在动态平衡中，一代接一代 In dynamic equilibrium, one generation follows another.
在奥卡万戈，无论在哪里 In the Okavango, and everywhere
生命的进程都是风景的倒影 the procession of life is a reflection of the landscape.
只有在这个星球上，各种元素结合在一起 Only on this planet have elemental processes combined
才能创造出这么多壮观的地方，土地上的无生命特征 to create so many great places, inanimate features of land
使生命的戏剧化成为可能 which make possible the drama of life.
在捕食者和猎物无休止的伙伴关系中 In the unending partnership of predator and prey
一条生命让位于许多其它生命 one life gives way to many others.
在这里，在非洲的摇篮里，在任何地方 Here, in the cradle of Africa, and everywhere
我们既是见证人又是参与者 we are both witness and participant
在地球上错综复杂的的大地和生命 in the Earth's most intricate patterns
模式中 of the land and life.
这种丰富多样的景观只在一个星球上被发现 This rich variety of landscapes is found only on one planet.
探索这些最壮观的地方 To explore these greatest places
就是要认识到我们共同的纽带： is to recognize our common bond
我们共享一个神奇的家园 that we share a miraculous home
太阳系中最具多样性的行星 the most diverse planet in the solar system
也许是宇宙中最具多样性的行星 perhaps the most diverse in the universe.
地球 Earth
最壮观的地方 the greatest place of all.
胜地
马达加斯加
西藏
亚马逊
伊瓜苏瀑布
纳米布沙漠
格陵兰
奥卡万戈三角洲
北京老刘，2020.11.19