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24. The Hometown of the Red Pine Tree 红松的故乡
原文字幕
In the northeast China, a dense forest grows in the low mountains and hills, known as the Xiaoxing’an Mountains. People call it the hometown for the red pine tree. The Xiaoxing’an Mountains cover a vast area and have a long geological history of about 600 million years. Trilobite and dinosaur fossils have been unearthed in many places. Archaeological research shows that it was originally an ocean, and formed by sea and land changes over hundreds of millions of years. When it comes to the Xiaoxing’an Mountains, we have to mention the red pine tree. Its pine nuts are edible and can be used to make oil. It’s wood is light, soft, delicate and rot-resistant. However, its economic value is far less than its ecological value. Every hectare of the red pine forest can absorb 13 tons of carbon dioxide and emit 9.5 tons of oxygen every year. It can also fix the soil and prevent soil erosion. Wild animals such as black bears, wild boars and squirrels in the forest often eat the pine nuts. Squirrels like to store their pine nuts in different places as they prepare for the winter. But they have poor memory and often forget where they have put these nuts. These forgotten pine nuts sprout in the spring, helping the red pine tree expand its territory. In addition to the red pine tree, there are many different kinds of trees in the Xiaoxing’an Mountains. Every autumn, these trees display the beautiful colors of nature.
Words
trilobite 三叶虫
edible 可食用的
hectare 公顷（一万平方米）
erosion 腐蚀
soil erosion 水土流失；土壤侵蚀
wild boars 野猪
25. The Most Loyal Partner in the Desert 巴丹吉林沙漠里最忠实的伙伴
原文字幕
Badain Jaran Desert, is located in northern China’s Inner Mongolia. Mountains are formed through sand accumulation. The winds keep blowing the fine sand away, continually eroding them. Although only about 500 meters higher than the land around, it’s enough to merit the title ‘The highest sand mountain in the world’. The desert environment keeps most creatures away but it is a perfect for camels. After thousands of years of evolution, they are not only resistant to hunger and thirst, but also to high temperature and cold. In desert storms, they can even walk with their eyes closed. China is one of the main habitats for Bactrian camels in the world, but the ancestral home of camels is in North America, far away. Millions of years ago, they migrated all the way across the Bering Strait into Eurasia and started to settle and thrive in their new home. About 4.000 years ago, Bactrian camels were domesticated. Since then, becoming mankind’s most loyal partners in the desert.
Words
the Bering Strait 白令海峡
Eurasia 亚欧大陆
Bactrian camels 双峰骆驼
26. Sinkholes and Floor Drains in the Magnetic Mountains 磁铁山脉里的天坑与地漏
原文字幕
In southwest China, there is a rift zone with a length of more than 300 kilometers and a width of tens to hundreds of kilometers, which is called the Panxi Rift Valley 攀西大裂谷. With untouched forests, mountains, sinkholes and floor drains and other geological wonders, this place is known as the “natural geological museum”. And the most amazing thing is the mountains are magnetic. It is said that an ancient Silk Road once crossed the Panxi Rift Vally. At that time, when some peddlers of pig-iron passed through the mountains in Panxi, they occasionally reported that the load was getting much heavier, and found it harder to walk. After leaving the area, they suddenly felt relaxed again. What they didn’t know at the time was they had passed by a succession of magnet mines. Even more secrets are hidden on the western edge of the Panxi Rift Valley, where there’s a place called Gesala 格萨拉. According to a popular local legend, Gesala was built by fairies from heaven, and it is the nearest mysterious place to the sun. Due to erosion and large fractures the unique karst landform of Gesala has been created. Within tens of square kilometers, there are more than 600 sinkholes and floor drains, a huge underground river, and rolling mountain meadows, which combine to form a primitive and beautiful natural scenery. It is also a beautiful paradise where people live in harmony with nature.
Words
rift 裂缝；分歧
sinkhole 污水坑；天坑；陷坑
drain 排出；流出；耗尽
-- The rainwater drained away slowly because the drain was blocked.
untouched forest 原始森林
peddler 不法商贩
succession 连续的
-- The peasants are reaping good harvests in succession.
erosion 侵蚀
meadow 草地；牧场
primitive 原始的；简单粗糙的；原始人
-- Gold was the unit of exchange from primitive times.
-- These primitive weapons, though crude, are fatal.
