特别广播英语第 112 课：Life on the Tundra 接近北冰洋的冻土带上的生活情景-1

Tundra is the name given to the low, marshy plains of Europe, Siberia, and North America that border on the Arctic Ocean. 欧洲、西伯利亚和北美洲接近北冰洋的低洼沼泽平原名之为冻土带。

In Alaska, the vast, cold region known as the "Northern Slope" is part of the tundra. 在美国阿拉斯加洲，那块广阔寒冷通称为"北边坡地"的地区就是冻土带的一部分。

Nature sets harsh terms for survival in this land. 大自然为这片土地设置的自下而上条件十分恶劣。

Only those plants and animals that are adapted to the hostile environment can survive in it. 只有那些能适应在逆境中生存的植物和动物才能在这种环境中生存下来。

Long periods of darkness and bitter cold are the major threats to life on the tundra. 长期的黑暗和刺骨的严寒对在冻土带上生活是两大最主要的威胁。

At the Arctic Circle, the sun cannot be seen above the horizon in December. 北极圈在12月份，在地平地线之上是看不到太阳的。

North of the Circle, the darkness lasts even longer. 从北极圈往北黑暗的时间通常会持续得更长些。

Over the northern reaches of the tundra, no sunlight can be seen at all for several months of the year. 在冻土带北部边缘的上空，一年中有好几个月根本见不到阳光。

The darkness is balanced, to some degree, by continuous daylight during the summer months. 持续的黑暗，在某种意义上来说，同夏季几个月连续不断的的白昼达到了平衡。

But even in the warmest month, the temperature only averages about 50 degree F (10 degrees C). 但即使是在最暖和的月份里，平均温度刚刚能达到华氏约50度。