死亡谷　

　   A hot, dry desert may be the last place you’d think of to see colorful flowers.

　　你也许从来不会考虑去一个炎热且无比干燥的沙漠赏花。

　　But thanks to last autumn’s above-average rainfall, California’s Death Valley National Park?is experiencing a “super bloom” of wildflowers—a rare occurrence that happens just once every 10 years.

　　然而由于去年秋季降水量相对较多，美国加利福尼亚的死亡谷国家公园居然开出了漫山的花朵，景象实属罕见，可能每十年才有幸见到一次。

　　Death Valley holds the world record for hottest temperature ever recorded—a whopping 134 degrees Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913. Temperatures peak in the summer, and cool off slightly in the winter, which also coincides with the “rainy” season. The Valley’s annual rainfall is just two inches—sometimes it gets no rain at all.

　　死亡谷向来以天气炎热见称，1913年7月10日，当地温度曾达到134华氏度(约57摄氏度)，并一度成为世界最高温度纪录的保持者。当地气温在夏季达到峰值，在冬季有所降低，因为正值当地雨季(虽然降水量也十分有限)。死亡谷的年降雨量仅在两英寸(约合50毫米)左右，有时甚至终年干旱。

　　But this year, the park got over three inches of rain during the first two weeks in October. The above-average rainfall was enough to trigger the growth of millions of wildflower seeds that have been dormant for years. The last time there was a bloom of this magnitude was in 2005, and the time before that was in 1998.

　　然而，死亡谷国家公园在去年10月份前两周降水量就达到了3英寸(约75毫米)。这些难得一见的雨水滋润了干旱的土地，也唤醒了沉睡多年的花种，使得千万朵野花在当地盛然绽放。据说死亡谷上一次鲜花开放是在2005年，在这之前一次是1998年。

　　What kind of flowers can you seen in the desert?

　　你在这片荒漠中能欣赏到什么种类的花?

　　The most abundant and eye-catching wildflower is the aptly named desert gold, a large, bright yellow bloom that looks like a daisy. The stems this year are growing to waist height, and the flowers cover entire hillsides and vast areas of the valley floor in the southern section of the park. These flowers are easily enjoyed from the car.

　　其中数量最多，也最吸引游客注意的野花有一个恰如其分的名字——沙漠黄金，这种花花瓣较大，花色明亮，呈金黄色，看起来像雏菊。它的茎干部分有齐腰那么高，花朵开满整片山坡以及公园南部的谷底部分。游客们透过车窗就可以欣赏到这漫山美景。

　　Some of the other more common flowers include the deep purple phacelia; the desert five-spot, a delicate pink flower with five burgundy spots around its center; the gravel ghost, a delicate white flower that appears to be floating aboveground like a ghost because its stem is so thin it’s almost invisible; and various types of desert primrose.

　　此外，死亡谷中还开有其他较常见的野花。例如深紫色的钟穗花;沙漠五点花，其花朵粉嫩，花瓣上有五个酒红色的点分布在花心周围;还有一种名为“沙地鬼魂”的花，花朵呈白色，仿佛漂浮在地表之上，由于它茎干较细，基本上很难看到，整朵花看起来就像漂浮不定的鬼魂。此外，还有沙漠中常见的樱草花。

　　How long will I be able to see the wildflowers bloom?

　　野花盛开的景象可以观赏多久?

　　The show won’t last forever. Most of the flowers will wither in the next few weeks as temperatures start to rise.

　　这片景象并不会持续多久。几周之后，温度会随之上升，大部分花朵也会逐渐凋谢。

　　Some flowers may be around as late as June at higher elevations, but those won’t be as easy to see from a car and could require hiking.

　　一些开放在高海拔地区的花朵大概在6月份左右凋谢，但是这些花朵并不容易在开车途中被发现，需要游客长途跋涉一段时间之后才能看到。

　　What part of the park has the best blooms?

　　花开最盛的地点在公园哪个部分?

　　Now, the best flower show is at the south end of Death Valley National Park along Badwater Road, south of Furnace Creek. As the temperature rises, those flowers will fade, and the bloom will move north and to higher elevations.

　　花开最盛的地点位于死亡谷国家公园的南端，沿着火炉溪南部的恶水路一直走就可以走到。随着未来气温不断升高，这些花朵将会逐渐凋零，花开的地点将会向北移动到较高海拔地区。

（编辑：何莹莹）