《Earth, one amazing day!》中英文旁白赏析（上）

张吉华

从人类起源的那一天，我们一直仰望奥妙的天空，夜空中浩瀚的星辰，让仰望的人类惊叹不已。在这无限的宇宙中有一颗与众不同的星球，一颗小小的蓝色星球，身边还绕行着一颗山川崎岖的月球，它围绕太阳旋转，和太阳的距离刚好获得足够的能量，又不会被它的烈焰吞噬。它自身的运转，使它半天沐浴阳光，半天享受阴凉，也许你会说 这是一颗幸运的星球，因为在这光明与黑暗轮回的舞蹈中，孕育了生命本身。地球，我们的家园，迄今为止，我们所知道的地球是独一无二的，而地球上的每一天，也都是宇宙中无与伦比的一天。

For as long as humans have existed on earth, we have looked to the heavens in wonder, fascinated by the countless stars in the night sky. But in all the unimaginable vastness of space, we found only one place like this. It's a small blue planet, with a rocky moon, travelling around a star. It's just close enough to be fed by its sun's energy, but not blasted by its heat. Spins on its axis, so that for half a day its surface basks in light, then for half it cools in shade. You might say, it's the lucky planet, because its rhythm of light and shade, turns out to be a vital ingredient, for life itself. Earth, our home , as far as we know, our planet is unique, as far as we know, one day spent here is the most amazing thing in the whole universe.

是地球与太阳的共舞, 孕育了地球上的千万种动物和植物，有些很常见，有些却是稀世珍宝，但所有的生命都有一个共同点，是日夜更替点亮了万物生灵的生命之光。清晨的第一缕阳光,我们用各自的方式回应，一些小家伙迫不及待，一些避之不及，大多数都为之欣喜，更有些用歌声迎接它的到来。无论我们如何迎接它，日出都是驱动整个世界的原力。

The magical dance of earth and sun has created millions of different kinds of plants and animals, alive on our earth today. Some, you see every day. Others are very rare. But we all have one thing in common, our lives are driven by the rhythm of night and day. One hint of morning sunlight, and we respond in so many different ways. Some animals need it, others hide from it. Most of us love it. Some even greet it with song. Whatever way we choose to meet it, sunrise is the power that brings our world to life.

非洲，在这里 清晨的时间不仅属于早起者，也同样属于那些刷夜的家伙。这只薮猫忙了一整夜，还想再碰碰运气，它夜出捕食就是为了最后再饱餐一顿。在非洲大草原上，它的跳高技术最适合在草丛打猎，它在寻找猎物, 但大部分情况下是在聆听猎物，它这双大耳朵连根针掉在地下都听得一清二楚，更不用说非洲南部沼鼠不小心发出的脚步声了。好吧 太阳已经升起来了，洗洗睡吧。

Africa. Here, the first hours of the day belong not just to those who rise early, but to those who stayed up late. This serval has been hunting during the night. But now he's pushing his luck. He's out late, trying for a final mouthful. His high jumping technique is perfect, for hunting among the long grass of the African Savanna .He's looking for prey, but mostly listening for it. His enormous radar ears can hear a pin \ drop, or a careless step from a Southern vlei rat. Now the sunlight's growing stronger, maybe it's time for bed.

在地球另一边的太平洋深处有一片隐蔽的群岛，岛上生活着一种动物，它们在早晨一动都不能动，在阳光赐予它们能量之前它们只会这么傻傻地待着。加拉帕格斯群岛上居住着一些地球上最奇特的动物，海鬣蜥每天清晨它们都会进行很庄严的仪式。当阳光照耀在它们的岛国，它们便簇拥在礁石上，开始享受日光浴。爬行动物差不多都靠太阳来充电，在太阳把它们晒暖之前它们一动都不能动。

On the other side of the world, on an isolated group of pacific islands, there are animals who can't even think about running around so early in the day. They can't do anything until they've been warmed up by the sun's power. The Galapagos islands are home for some of the most unusual animals on earth, Marine iguana. Their morning ritual is always the same. As the sun comes up on their island home, they simply sprawl on the rocks, lapping it up. Reptiles are pretty much solar-powered. They need the sun's heat before they can move a muscle.

可是它们并不是岛上唯一需要日光浴的动物，加拉帕戈斯锦蛇从体型上看并不足以去招惹成年的海鬣蜥，如果是个小家伙呢？在岩石边的沙滩里，鬣蜥宝宝们正在被孵化着，它们被埋在沙子下面已经三个多月了，它们就要诞生了，此刻， 这个小家伙钻出蛋壳。如果动身过早太阳还没给它充足电，它就跑不快，要是动身太晚它的天敌可就能量满满了。这是它一生之中最重要的选择，生死攸关。

And they're not the only creatures soaking up the sun. Galapagos racer snakes aren't big enough to trouble an adult iguana. But, something smaller?  Away from the rocks where grown-ups live, buried in the sand, baby iguanas have been incubating underground for over three months. Today when the sun has warmed the sand, they will emerge. It's time for this one to crawl out into the rest of life. If she starts too early, before she's warm enough, she won't have the energy to run very fast. If she leaves too late, then her enemies may be supercharged. It's the biggest decision she'll ever make. She made it.

锦蛇错过了哺食的机会，不过还有好多海鬣蜥宝宝正在孵化，锦蛇此时更加警觉了，它们绝不会错过这一年中最佳的饱餐机会。在平地上一只刚出生的小鬣蜥比锦蛇跑得快，但锦蛇正准备着打伏击，这个小宝宝第一眼看到的就是危机四伏的世界。蛇的眼睛不好，但是它们能侦测到运动，如果鬣蜥宝宝淡定也许能躲过这一劫，一场精彩大逃亡，任何年幼生命的最大成就，都依赖于我们临近的恒星所赎予的能量。

The snakes missed their chance, but more babies are hatching. And now the snakes are on . It's the best opportunity they will get to eat all year. On flat ground a baby iguana can outrun a racer snake. But others are waiting in ambush. Another hatchling has his first glimpse of a dangerous world. The snake's eyes aren't very good, but they can detect movement. So, if the hatchling keeps its nerve, it may just be okay. An amazing escape,  the biggest achievement of any young animal's life, powered by our local star .

临近中午，随着太阳的升起， 阳光所及之处，皆有妙不可言的奇观。植物从阳光中幻化出生命，它们将稀薄的空气和太阳的能量通过光合作用孕育出新的生长，将能量在一片片绿叶中聚合，使整个森林开始生长。万物生灵皆仰仗这神奇的魔法，它关乎一切物种的生存和毁灭。

Mid-morning, as the sun climbs higher, its rays reach further, bringing magic wherever they touch. Plants turn the light into life. They take thin air and the sun's energy and with photosynthesis make new growth. Conjuring up tangled forest worlds, leaf by leaf. It's the alchemy upon which everything else on earth depends. A matter of life, and death.

有一种植物在一天之内将这魔法用到极致，这是竹子，它一分钟就长高约0.1厘米，它们是地球上长得最快的植物。现在仍然还是上午，它们从天亮前已经开始生长，也是从天亮开始这只大熊猫就在吃竹子了，问题是竹子并没有什么营养，可大熊猫呢又太挑食了，它们最爱吃的几乎只有竹子，为了得到足够的能量，大熊猫今天要啃14个小时的竹子，也许时间更长因为它还得给熊猫宝宝哺乳。不过熊猫宝宝就不同了，它还在吃妈妈的奶竹子嘛， 它只是嚼着玩玩，根本不是什么主业。这个小家伙今天早上拥有了动物界珍贵的东西，闲暇时光，世界这么大， 宝宝要出去看看了。因为生活方式太独特，大熊猫绝对是地球上最稀有的动物之一，这只熊猫宝宝更是稀有中的稀有，全世界仅有几百只，一只稀有的动物，享受着奢侈的闲暇时光。

One plant can weave its particular spell in a single day. This is bamboo. It can grow almost a millimeter a minute, the fastest growing plant in the world. It's still only mid-morning, most of this has grown since dawn. And since dawn, this giant panda has been eating it. The trouble with bamboo, is that it's not very nutritious. The trouble with pandas, is that they're very fussy. Bamboo is almost the only thing they'll eat. To get enough energy to feed herself, this panda will need to eat up to 14 hours today. Longer probably, because she's nursing. But for her cub, it's different. She lives mostly on her mother's milk, so chewing is only really her hobby. Not yet a full-time job.This morning, she has something rare in the natural world. Time to spare. And, to explore. Because of their specialised way of life, giant pandas are amongst the rarest animals in the world. Cubs like her are more precious still. There are only a few hundred alive. A rare animal with the rarest luxury time.

上午的阳光越来越强，另一种魔法开始发挥威力。太阳把热能灌进大气层将其加热，陆地上和海洋里的水分不断被蒸发，凝结成云彩。在非洲, 云彩总是在旅行天气也在不断变化，把雨水和肥美的草地在不同的时间里带到不同的地方。每天上午， 数以百万的动物开始长征，前往下一个下雨的地方，那里将会水草丰美，无论路有多难走。

As the morning sun grows in strength, it begins to brew a spell of a different kind. The sun is pouring energy into our atmosphere, heating it up. It evaporates water from land and sea, and builds clouds. Across Africa, clouds and weather are constantly on the move, bringing rain and fresh grass to different places at different times. For millions of animals, the job of every morning is to move to where the rain will make the grass grow next, whatever stands in their way.

迁徙给小斑马出了个大难题。这个上午，这只斑马宝宝出生后不到一小时就能走路，其他的活动也没有问题，不过它可还没有遇到过这样的困难，高原的雨水让河水猛涨水流凶猛而湍急，水里危机四伏，如果没有妈妈的帮助，小斑马是完全不知所措。最可怕的并不是这些猛兽，而是眼前湍急的河水，斑马妈妈想把斑马宝宝带到河水最浅的地方，可是它太小了，激流又太凶猛，小斑马的体力就快消耗殆尽，斑马妈妈不肯放弃，其它的同伴都离开了， 斑马妈妈却留在河边不停地给小斑马加油。终于， 它做到了。非洲有句谚语“一人走得快，众人走得远”。 有过这次的经验，再也没有什么能难住小斑马和妈妈了。

This morning, the need to keep moving will present a particular challenge for one young zebra. This foal could walk less than an hour after birth. She can handle almost anything. But she's never faced an obstacle like this. Swollen by highland rain, the river is fast and furious. And full of dangers. The young zebra is going to need every bit of her mother's help, if she's going to make it.

It turns out the biggest threat isn't attack by other animals, it's the river itself. Her mother tries to lead the foal to the shallowest waters, but she's just too small. And the current's just too strong. The foal is on the verge of exhaustion, but her mother will not give up. While others are escaping, she calls for her foal to keep going.  And finally, a way out. There is a saying in Africa, "lf you wanna go quickly, go alone. If you wanna go far, go together." After this, the zebra foal and her mother can surely handle anything.

太阳正在接近它的最高点也是它最强的时刻，在遥远的北极，陆地和海洋被冰川封锁了数月之久，极点附近的阳光比地球上任何地方都弱，即便如此，太阳依然能施展它的威力。独角鲸，是地球上最神秘的动物之一，现在它们还无法远游，冰层上的裂缝只允许它们浮上水面吸几口新鲜空气，然而太阳的能量正在解救它们。许多天来，阳光持续啃噬着陆地和海面上的坚冰，现在太阳到达了最高最强的时刻，发起了最后胜利的总攻，在这场与热量的战斗中冰层开始溃败了，大地复苏 江河再次奔流。

The sun is approaching its highest and most powerful. In the far north, in the Arctic, ice has held land and ocean in its grip for months. The sun near the poles is always lower and weaker than anywhere else. But still, its energy will transform. Narwhal, one of the most mysterious animals on the planet. For the moment they can't travel far, only small openings in the ice allow them to surface and breathe. But the power of the sun is coming to their rescue. For many days the sun's heat has been gnawing away at the ice's hold on sea and land. Now, approaching its highest and strongest, the sun begins to triumph. And the battle of heat against cold, becomes a rout. On land, rivers flow again.

海洋上的冰层开始消融，阳光的热能终于使它龟裂，而裂缝又被拓宽成渠道，水路纵横相连， 独角鲸们总算能开心地漫游在它们的冰雪王国了。因纽特人有个传说，从前独角鲸是一位勇敢的女猎手，在跟鲸垂死扭打的时候，她的发辫甩了出去，拧成了独角鲸的利角，.对于这些独角鲸来说，这是多么神奇的一天，独角鲸们重获自由,畅游在海洋的怀抱中。

In the oceans, where the ice is now weak, the sun's warmth opens cracks, and the cracks become channels. Roadways along, which the narwhal can traverse their icy kingdom. In Inuit legend, the first narwhal was a brave female hunter, caught up in a deadly embrace with a whale she hunted, her braided hair flung out, becoming the twisted tusk. For these narwhal, what an amazing day! They are free again, to roam their ocean home. 

越往南走，太阳的能量就越发强烈。在北美洲的山上，春天的阳光给刚刚解冻的大地带来了生机。如果你还穿着过冬的大衣，中午的温度可没这么舒服了，你得找一裸大树然后在树干上好好地蹭蹭痒。蹭树皮不光只是止痒，还能脱掉身上的过冬毛衣，蹭蹭以后呢 还能在这片领地上留下一点你自己的味道。让别人知道这是自己的地盘。

The strength of the sun becomes greater and greater, the further south you go. In the mountains of north America, the sunlight of a spring day, brings the freshly thawed world to life. If you're still wearing your winter coat, the heat during the middle-of-the-day can get a bit uncomfortable. You need to find a tree and give yourself a good scratch. Rubbing against the bark not only gets to the itch, it helps a hot bear shed its winter fur. It's also a chance to mark the territory with your personal scent, so everyone knows exactly who's in town.

正午时分，大地正感受着我们邻居星球最高的能量，太阳到达一天中的最高点。阳光甚至能透进地球表面最深的褶皱里。在非洲接近赤道的地方，太阳的神力把这里烤得像火炉一样。小斑马和马群还需要继续地跋涉，在如此猛烈的阳光下，每前进一步都是挣扎，每一片树荫，都是绿洲天堂。在所有阳光的照射下，狩猎者很容易发现兽群，但正午的太阳也会带来一种赐福，对于狮子狩猎来说简直太热。

  

It's now midday, and the world feels the full force of our friendly neighborhood star. The sun is now at its highest in the sky. Its light penetrates even the deep hidden folds of the earth. In Africa, near the equator, its energy creates a furnace. This zebra foal and her herd still need to move on. But every step is tough in heat like this. Any scrap of shade is an oasis. In full sunlight, the herd are easy for hunters to see. But there is one blessing about the midday sun. It's simply too hot for lions to hunt.

但是在这样的酷热里，仍然有某些活动依然照旧，那就是争夺权利。为了获得生存的领地和雌性的青睐，好战是雄性最强大的基因,能让最温和的动物展开生死决斗。在沙漠酷热的正午，一只年轻的雄性长颈鹿向旧领主发起挑战，它要争夺领地，当然还有这里的雌性长颈鹿。一开始 它们互相撞击身体试图吓退对方。一般来说 对决也就到此为止了，但今天发起挑战的小伙子信心十足再一次发起攻击，双方互不相让，旧领主被打倒了，它知道致命一击的时刻来临了。它躲了过去…并发动反击，决斗结束了，王还是那个王，而失败者被放逐进茫茫的沙漠，

There is something, however, that doesn't take a break, even in the heat of the day, the struggle for power. Rivalry between males for territory and for the attentions of females is so overpowering, it drives even the most placid of creatures to combat. At high noon in the desert heat, a young male giraffe is challenging the resident bull for prime territory and the females that go with it. At first they just push and shove, trying to intimidate each other. Normally, this would be an end to it, but the young rival seems to think he has a chance and attacks. Neither will back down. The old bull is down, he knows the final blow is coming. So, he ducks...and hits back. It is over. The day still belongs to the old master. For the loser, it's exile in the desert.

正午的烈日炙烤着大地和这里所有的生命，就算现在地球上还是能找得到一处凉爽的栖居之地，此时的阳光已经是一天中最强的了，但也奈何不了辽阔的海洋。世界上体积最大的生物之一就住在这里，它们的生命跟我们人类一样长或许也一样复杂。这是抹香鲸一家，在这一大家子中间还有一只难得一见的小鲸宝宝。别看小鲸宝宝已经四米多长了,可它才一岁多，而且是一个十足好奇的小宝宝。在两三岁之前，它只吃母乳，妈妈的乳汁饱含脂肪，稠得像奶酪一样，能够一口吞下，在海水里也不会溶解。鲸类是地球上存在过的最大的猎手，但这些大块头对自己的孩子却是百般地呵护，而且十分健谈，用一种卡嗒卡嗒的语言交谈，它们是地球上叫声最响亮的动物。它们的声音吵的时候比飞机引擎还要响，但此刻它们该是安静的时候了。抹香鲸一家垂直悬在大海中，享受它们的午休时间。抹香鲸大脑的体积是现存动物中最大的，谁能想象它们的梦里有什么丰富的内容呢？

The land and the creatures that live on it, toast under the noonday sun, but one habitat remains cool, even now. Over the course of a single day, even the enormous power of the sun isn't strong enough to warm the great oceans by much. Here, some of the largest creatures on earth, their lives as long, and perhaps as complex as our own. This is a family of sperm whales. And at its heart, a rare sight, a calf. Already 15ft long, she's about a year old, and very inquisitive. For two or three years, she will feed on her mother's milk. It's so rich in fat, it has the consistency of cottage cheese, so it doesn't dissolve in the seawater as it's being gulped down. The great whales are the biggest predators that have ever existed. Yet, they make the most protective parents, and very talkative ones, chatting in a language of clicks. They're the loudest creatures on the planet, capable of sounds, far louder than a jet engine. But right now, it's time for silence. Hanging vertically, the giants of the sea take an afternoon nap. These whales have brains larger than any other animal. Who can guess with what richness they dream away the day.

编辑整理：赵 显 张吉华