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The wind brought other hazards to travellers in these deserts
风还会给沙漠中的商旅带来其他危险
Marco Polo wrote
马可·波罗写到
sometimes the stray travelers will hear the tramp and hum
有时迷途的商旅会听到远离正途处传来
of a great cavalcade of people away from the real line of march
宛如大型马队般嘈杂的行旅声
and taking this to be their own company
并误以为是他们的同伴
they will follow the sound
而跟随着声音的踪迹前去寻找
And when day breaks ,they find that a cheat has been put on them
当破晓降临 他们会发现一切不过是个骗局
and that they are in an ill plight
自己仍深陷困境
To this day
至今为止
no one knows what causes the sands in some parts of the desert
没有人知道缘何沙漠中的小片沙地会
to sink
意外下陷
No wonder travellers call this place
无怪乎商旅们称此地为
fury of God
神怒
and sea of death
与死海
But the most severe problem was lack of water
但最严重的问题莫过于水源匮乏
The reason this place is so intensely dry
这个地方如此干涸的原因
can best be appreciated from a satellite view
从卫星上得以一目了然
China's deserts are the farthest place on Earth from any ocean
中国的沙漠是地球上最为远离海洋的地方
This lack of water is what created the Taklamakan
水的缺乏造就了塔克拉玛干沙漠
an area the size of Germany covered in sand dunes through which the Silk Road traversed
这片几乎与德国等大的区域是世界上最大的流沙沙漠
This is the world's largest shifting sand desert
这里遍布沙丘 丝绸之路贯穿其中
Most living would die here
大多数生物在此难以存活
but the camel is uniquely equipped for desert survival
但骆驼却对适应沙漠环境得天独厚
Its nose humidifies the dry desert air as it breathe in
它的鼻子可在吸入时加湿
then dehumidifies it in the way out
呼出时除湿
conserving precious water
锁住珍贵水分
The camel's thick fur keeps it warm at night
浓密的驼毛在夜间可以保暖
while reflecting sunlight by day
在白天可以反射阳光
And its body temperature can rise by 6 degree Celsius
它的身体在增温6°以内
before it even begins to sweat
不会出汗
With these adaptations they can go for days without drinking
靠着这些调节 他们可以不喝水前行数日
