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The wind brought other hazards to travellers in these deserts
風還會給沙漠中的商旅帶來其他危險
Marco Polo wrote
馬可·波羅寫到
sometimes the stray travelers will hear the tramp and hum
有時迷途的商旅會聽到遠離正途處傳來
of a great cavalcade of people away from the real line of march
宛如大型馬隊般嘈雜的行旅聲
and taking this to be their own company
并誤以為是他們的同伴
they will follow the sound
而跟隨著聲音的蹤跡前去尋找
And when day breaks ,they find that a cheat has been put on them
當破曉降臨 他們會發現一切不過是個騙局
and that they are in an ill plight
自己仍深陷困境
To this day
至今為止
no one knows what causes the sands in some parts of the desert
沒有人知道緣何沙漠中的小片沙地會
to sink
意外下陷
No wonder travellers call this place
無怪乎商旅們稱此地為
fury of God
神怒
and sea of death
與死海
But the most severe problem was lack of water
但最嚴重的問題莫過于水源匱乏
The reason this place is so intensely dry
這個地方如此干涸的原因
can best be appreciated from a satellite view
從衛星上得以一目了然
China's deserts are the farthest place on Earth from any ocean
中國的沙漠是地球上最為遠離海洋的地方
This lack of water is what created the Taklamakan
水的缺乏造就了塔克拉瑪干沙漠
an area the size of Germany covered in sand dunes through which the Silk Road traversed
這片幾乎與德國等大的區域是世界上最大的流沙沙漠
This is the world's largest shifting sand desert
這里遍布沙丘 絲綢之路貫穿其中
Most living would die here
大多數生物在此難以存活
but the camel is uniquely equipped for desert survival
但駱駝卻對適應沙漠環境得天獨厚
Its nose humidifies the dry desert air as it breathe in
它的鼻子可在吸入時加濕
then dehumidifies it in the way out
呼出時除濕
conserving precious water
鎖住珍貴水分
The camel's thick fur keeps it warm at night
濃密的駝毛在夜間可以保暖
while reflecting sunlight by day
在白天可以反射陽光
And its body temperature can rise by 6 degree Celsius
它的身體在增溫6°以內
before it even begins to sweat
不會出汗
With these adaptations they can go for days without drinking
靠著這些調節 他們可以不喝水前行數日
