BBC Earth｜球藻历险记

The Adventures of Marimo
BBC Earth｜Water Worlds｜The Green Planet

The frozen water world of Lake Akan in northern Japan. Home to one of the strangest and most primitive of plants. It's an alga, like those that appear so mysteriously in our ponds.
日本北部的阿寒湖是一个冰冻的水世界，一种最奇特最原始的植物的家园。这是一种海藻，就像那些神秘地出现在我们池塘里的海藻一样。

But this one is truly extraordinary. Each spring, the melting ice releases soft, velvety balls of interwoven threads called Marimos. This one is small. No bigger than a walnut. But there are lots of them here.
但这种藻类实在很特别。每年春天，融化的冰释放出柔软、丝绒般的交织线团，被称为球藻。这一个很小，不比核桃大。但这里有很多。

They attract the attention of visiting whooper swans. But there is one way for the Marimo to escape from the danger, and it depends on a change in the weather. Fortunately, in the spring, winds sweep across the lake, creating currents that carry some of the Marimos beyond the reach of hungry swans. It's the start of a remarkable journey.
它们吸引了来访的大天鹅的注意。但球藻有一种逃脱危险的方法，这取决于天气的变化。幸运的是，在春天，风掠过湖面，产生水流，将一些球藻带到饥饿的天鹅触及不到的地方。这是一段非凡旅程的开始。

They are gently carried back and forth by the currents so that the Marimos become more and more spherical. And, slowly, they travel into deeper water. Here, there are great numbers of them, certainly many millions. Some are the size of basketballs.
它们被水流轻轻地来回携带，使得球藻变得越来接近球形。慢慢地，它们游向更深的水域。在这里，有大量的球藻，肯定有数百万之多。有些有篮球那么大。

They're safe from swans, and the water is still shallow enough for some sunlight to reach them. It seems a perfect home. And so it is, almost. The snag is that these waters also carry a fine sediment that can clog the Marimo's surface, cutting off the all-important light.
它们远离了天鹅的威胁，而且水还不够深，足以让一些阳光照射到它们。这似乎是一个完美的家。差不多就是这样。问题是，这些水域还携带着一种细小的沉积物，会堵塞球藻的表面，切断了至关重要的光线。

But the Marimos are not entirely immobile. They dance. The winds blowing over the lake's surface create currents beneath that are sufficiently strong to move the Marimos. They rub against each other. And in just a couple of hours of gentle movement, they're all clean once more. As they spin, every part of their surface gets enough time in the sunlight to keep growing.
但球藻并非完全不动。它们会跳舞。湖面上吹过的风在水下产生足够的水流，足以移动球藻。它们相互摩擦。在几个小时的轻柔运动中，它们就又恢复了洁净。当它们旋转时，它们的每一个表面都有足够的时间在阳光下继续生长。

词汇表
Lake Akan [ˈɑ:ˌkɑ:n] 阿寒湖（位于日本北海道钏路市阿寒町，是阿寒摩周国立公园内的淡水湖泊，以球藻和鳟鱼闻名）
primitive ['prɪmətɪv] 原始的，远古的，早期的
alga [ˈælɡə] 藻类，海藻
mysteriously [mɪ'stɪərɪəslɪ] 神秘地，不可思议地
pond [pɒnd] 池塘；水池
melting ice 融冰
velvety ['velvəti] 丝绒般的，柔和的
interwoven threads [ˌɪntə(r)ˈwiːvd] 交织在一起的线
Marimo [məˈriːmoʊ] 球藻，海藻球（一种淡水藻类，是由无数藻丝聚集形成的球形的绿藻）
walnut [ˈwɔːlnʌt] 核桃，胡桃
whooper swan [huːpə(r) swɒn] 大天鹅，黄嘴天鹅（一种大型的天鹅，以发出类似呼啸的叫声而闻名）
sweep across [swiːp] 掠过，席卷，横扫
current ['kʌrənt] 水流；气流；电流
spherical ['sferɪk(ə)l] 球形的，球状的
shallow [ˈʃæləʊ] 浅的，不深的
snag  [snæɡ] 障碍，问题，麻烦
fine sediment  [ˈsedɪmənt] 细小的沉积物
clog  [klɒɡ] 堵塞，阻塞，妨碍
cut off 切断，中断，隔绝
all-important  极重要的，至关紧要的
immobile [ɪˈməʊbaɪl] 不动的，静止的，不能移动的
sufficiently [sə'fɪʃ(ə)ntlɪ] 足以，充分地
rub against [rʌb] 摩擦
spin [spɪn]（快速地）旋转

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