水稻生长需要大量的水
Growing rice needs lots of water
但即便是在多雨的南方
but even in the rainy south, there are landscapes where water is surprisingly scarce
相当于法国和西班牙国土加起来那么大
This vast area of southwest China
的中国西南的广阔土地
the size of France and Spain combined
因为宛如被干燥中空的谷地隔离开来的巨大蛋盒般
is famous for its clusters of conical hills
连绵的锥形山脉而闻名于世
like giant upturned egg carton
seperated by dry empty valleys
这就是喀斯特地貌
This is the karst
石灰石地貌俨然成为南部中国的标志性特征
a limestone terrain which has become the defining image of southern China
喀斯特地貌通常以突起的裸岩状态分布
Karst landscapes are often
studded with rocky outcrops
这迫使当地农民只得在破碎的小块土地上耕作
forcing local farmers to cultivate tiny fields
当地人是中国最贫穷的居民之一
The people who live here
are among the poorest in China
在毗邻的云南省
In neighboring Yunnan province
遍布着石灰石
limestone rocks have taken over entirely
这就是xx的石林
This is the famous Stone Forest
无数年侵蚀作用的产物
the product of countless years of erosion
造就了无数的狭道与{df}
producing a maze of deep gullets and sharp-edged pinnacles
石灰石有一个独性
Limestone has a strange property that is dissolves in rain water
在数千年的漫长光阴中
Over many thousands of years, water has corrode its way deep into the heart of the bedrock itself
这一自然奇观成为了xx的旅游景点
This natural wonder has a famous tourist spot
每年的访客数量多达200万人
receiving close to 2 million visitors each year
中国人特别喜好奇形怪状的岩石
The Chinese are fond of curiously shaped rocks
并以为嶙峋怪石冠上千奇百怪的名字为乐
and many have been given fanciful names
但没人来猜测这个块怪石的名字
No prices for guessing what this one is called
但百闻不如置身这片奇妙山地亲身一见
But there is more to this landscape
than meets the eye
在中国醒目的喀斯特地貌下
China has literally thousands of mysterious caverns
隐匿着无数的神秘洞穴
concealed beneath the visible landscape of the karst
这些隐秘世界大多不为世人所知
Much of this hidden world has never been seen by human eyes
而现在他们将被展现在世人眼前
And it's only just now being explored
奇险洞穴中再现了一场{zj2}的探险
For a growing band of intrepid young Chinese explorers
主角是一群日渐成长 初生牛犊般的年轻探险家
caves represent the ultimate adventure
探索一个洞穴
Exploring a cave is like taking the journey through time
常年积水叮咚伴随着无止境般的旅途
a journey which endless raindrops would have followed over countless centuries
水滴潺潺落下
Fed by countless drips and trickles
地下河流深切入岩
the subterranean river carves ever deeper into the rock
石灰岩河床将洞穴的河道分割成千沟万壑
The cave river's course is channeled by the beds of limestone
石灰岩薄弱处被河水冲刷差距的陡坡处水量激增
A weakness in the rock can not allow the river to increase its gradient flowrate
为洞穴探险带来相当的挑战
providing a real challenge for the cave explorers
水流到达地下水位后便停止下流
The downward rushes halted when the water table is reached
这里缓缓流动的河流切割出一条圆形隧道
Here the slow flowing river carves tunnels with a more rounded profile
这静谧的世界是穴居鱼的家
This tranquil world is home to specialized cave fishes
比如无目金鲃
like the eye-less Golden Barb
中国或许拥有地球上种类最为繁多的
China may have unique kinds of cave evolved fishes
洞穴进化鱼
than anywhere else on Earth
在地下水位线
Above the water table
远古洞穴溢满的河水中充斥着石笋和钟乳石
ancient caverns abandoned by the river slowly fill up with stalactites and stalagmites
含有沉积物的水流
Stalactites form as trickling water deposites tiny quantities of rock
在千万年间“滴水成石”
over hundreds or thousands of years
含有石灰质的水滴落石床形成石笋
Stalagmites grow up where lime laid and drips hit the cave floor
迄今为止被探索发掘的中国洞穴是中国大地上的九牛一毛
So far, only a fraction of China's caves have been thoroughly prospected
而被发掘的洞穴不断为我们展现地底奇观
and caves are constantly discovering new subterranean marvels
许多在后来被开发成了商业景点
many of which are subsequently developed into commercial show caves
探索者沿着洞穴河流出山谷的轨迹逃离了黑暗
Finally escaping the darkness
在远离出发地的河谷
the cave river and its human explorers emerge in a valley far from where their journey began
这场冒险拉上了帷幕
or now the adventure is over
源自洞穴河流
Rivers which issue from caves
为喀斯特地区提供了生命之泉
are the key to survival in the karst country
