Wild Africa - Deserts 浩瀚沙漠 - 6
On certain nights, the secret is revealed. Warm, damp air moving in from the mid-Atlantic is transformed to fog as it crosses the cold coastal 1 current.
A vast blanket of moisture steadily 2 rolls across the desert.
This veil of mist is the saving grace of the Namib. Just a few precious drops but enough to allow life to flourish. A tiny bit of moisture, a tiny bit of food and tens of millions of years of evolution are the secrets to success in this harshest of African deserts.
Where else but the Namib would an ingenious little beetle 3 stagger up the highest dunes 4 on cold mornings, put its back to breeze, and then stand on its head to collect a life-giving drink?Impressive sand dunes dominate the Namib, but to the south and east is a very different kind of desert , an expanse of rocky scrub known as the karoo.
This desert is as old as the Namib, but here it is mainly rain, not fog that drives life. In the karoo, up to 30 centimeters of rain may fall during winter and this extra sprinkle of moisture makes the world of difference.
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words and expression:
1.saving grace: a sancification from God 恩惠
2.life-giving:giving or having the power to give life and spirit给予生命的，挽救生命的
3.srcub: n. bush,shrub,shrubland dominated by shrubs灌木丛，丛林地
4.where else but: here "but" means "except",it is a common grammatical use.
- The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
- This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。
- The scope of man's use of natural resources will steadily grow.人类利用自然资源的广度将日益扩大。
- Our educational reform was steadily led onto the correct path.我们的教学改革慢慢上轨道了。