30 Life At The Poles

LIFE AT THE POLES by LISA JO RUDY With the Editors of TIME FOR KIDS

《极地生活》作者:丽莎·乔·鲁迪，《儿童时代》编辑

CHAPTER 1 The Coldest Places on Earth The areas around the North Pole and the South Pole are the coldest places on Earth. They are very cold and far away. We are starting to learn more about them. One fact we do know is that some animals can live and grow in these two very cold places. Picture the Poles What are Earth's poles? They are places on the surface of Earth. Imagine a long rod, or stick, that goes through the middle of Earth. One end sticks out at the top of Earth. The other end sticks out at the bottom. When Earth rotates, it spins around the rod. The imaginary rod sticks out of Earth at the North Pole and the South Pole. The North Pole is at the "top" of Earth. The South Pole is at the "bottom" of Earth. This is because of the way Earth spins in space.

第一章地球上最冷的地方北极和南极周围的地区是地球上最冷的地方。 它们又冷又远。 我们开始更多地了解它们。 我们知道的一个事实是，一些动物可以在这两个非常寒冷的地方生活和生长。 地球的两极是什么? 它们是地球表面上的一些地方。 想象一下，有一根长长的杆子穿过地球的中心。 一端伸向地球的顶端。 另一端在底部伸出来。 当地球旋转时，它绕着杆子旋转。 想象中的杆子分别从地球的北极和南极伸出来。 北极位于地球的“顶端”。 南极位于地球的“底部”。 这是因为地球在太空中旋转的方式。

The Arctic The Arctic is the area around the North Pole. The Arctic is an ocean covered with ice. There is land around it, too. The salty seawater of the Arctic Ocean keeps some of the land warm. Forests can grow. There are lakes, and rivers. But most of the land is frozen and empty. In the middle of the Arctic Ocean is the North Pole. Antarctica Antarctica is the continent around the South Pole. There is frozen water around this land. Antarctica is a cold, dry, high, and windy place. Antarctica has big icebergs and giant mountain ranges, too. There is almost no life there. No humans live in Antarctica, but scientists spend time there. They study the area and the weather. They do many experiments. The South Pole is in the middle of Antarctica. Amazing Antarctica • Antarctica is the biggest desert in the world! It rains less than 5.08 centimeters (2 inches) a year in Antarctica. • About 90 percent of the ice in the world is in Antarctica. • The only animals that live in Antarctica all year are small insects, krill, other tiny living things, and penguins. • Whales, seals, and birds return to Antarctica in summer. • Antarctica is the only continent where human beings do not have communities.

北极是北极周围的地区。 北极是一片被冰覆盖的海洋。 它周围也有陆地。 北冰洋的咸海水使部分陆地保持温暖。 森林可以生长。那里有湖泊和河流。 但大部分土地都是冰封的，空空如也。 在北冰洋的中央是北极。 南极洲是围绕南极的大陆。 这片土地周围都是结冰的水。 南极洲是一个寒冷、干燥、高海拔、多风的地方。 南极洲也有巨大的冰山和山脉。 那里几乎没有生命。 南极洲没有人类居住，但科学家们在那里度过了一段时间。 他们研究地区和天气。 他们做了很多实验。南极在南极洲的中部。 •南极洲是世界上最大的沙漠!南极洲每年的降雨量不到5.08厘米(2英寸)。 •世界上大约90%的冰在南极洲。 •唯一全年生活在南极洲的动物是小昆虫、磷虾、其他微小生物和企鹅。 鲸鱼、海豹和鸟类在夏天返回南极洲。 •南极洲是唯一一个人类没有社区的大陆。

CHAPTER 2 Adapting to Very Cold Weather The Sun never rises during the polar winter. It is cold and dark twenty-four hours a day. How do animals live through this cold, dark winter? Some mammals, insects, birds, and fish can adapt to the very cold weather in the Arctic. Penguins are the only animals that can live in Antarctica in the winter. Reptiles (snakes and lizards) and other animals do not live at the poles. They need a lot of sunlight to stay warm. Animals on the Move Some animals leave the Arctic in winter. They migrate. These animals return when there is food and sunlight. The Sun never sets at the poles in the summer. The Sun stays low in the sky. The air does not get very warm. The gray whale migrates from the Arctic. It swims south to Baja California to spend the winters. The arctic tern is a bird that migrates from the Arctic, too. It flies all the way around the world. Some caribou and reindeer migrate to the Arctic during the spring. These animals have hairs that trap air and protect them from the cold. These hairs also help them float when they move in water.

第二章适应非常寒冷的天气在极地的冬天太阳从不升起。 一天24小时又冷又黑。 动物们是如何度过寒冷黑暗的冬天的? 一些哺乳动物、昆虫、鸟类和鱼类可以适应北极非常寒冷的天气。 企鹅是唯一能在南极洲过冬的动物。 爬行动物(蛇和蜥蜴)和其他动物不生活在两极。 它们需要大量的阳光来保持温暖。 一些动物在冬天离开北极。 他们迁移。当有食物和阳光时，这些动物会回来。 在夏天，太阳从不在两极落下。 太阳低低地挂在天上。 空气不会变得很热。 灰鲸从北极迁徙而来。 它向南游到下加利福尼亚过冬。 北极燕鸥也是一种从北极迁徙过来的鸟。 它可以绕地球飞一圈。 一些北美驯鹿和驯鹿在春天迁徙到北极。 这些动物的毛发可以困住空气，保护它们免受寒冷。 当它们在水中移动时，这些毛发也能帮助它们漂浮。

Sleeping Through the Winter Some animals find a warm place to curl up during the cold polar winter. Polar bears are deep sleepers. They hibernate. Arctic ground squirrels are hibernators. They sleep all winter long. Polar bears sleep for most of the winter. But they do not really hibernate. Sometimes polar bears wake from their sleep for a snack! Living with the Cold Whales and birds that live at the poles have a thick layer of fat, called blubber. This layer of fat keeps them warm. They have warm, waterproof feathers, or fur on top of their fat. Blubber, feathers, and fur allow these animals to survive at the poles. Some animals have other special traits that help them survive at the poles. Arctic and Antarctic insects and fish have special chemicals in their blood. These chemicals keep them from freezing. Antarctic krill are tiny shrimp-like animals that live in the cold Antarctic seas. These krill are food for whales, fish, squid, and other sea animals.

冬眠过冬在寒冷的极地冬天，一些动物会找一个温暖的地方蜷缩起来。 北极熊是深度睡眠者。 他们冬眠。北极地松鼠是冬眠动物。 它们整个冬天都在睡觉。 北极熊在冬天的大部分时间里都在睡觉。 但它们并不真正冬眠。 有时北极熊会从睡梦中醒来吃点零食!生活在极地的鲸鱼和鸟类有一层厚厚的脂肪，叫做鲸脂。 这层脂肪使它们保持温暖。 它们有温暖、防水的羽毛，或者在脂肪上面的皮毛。 鲸脂、羽毛和皮毛使这些动物得以在两极生存。 一些动物还有其他特殊的特征来帮助它们在两极生存。 北极和南极的昆虫和鱼类的血液中有特殊的化学物质。 这些化学物质可以防止它们结冰。 南极磷虾是一种像虾一样的小动物，生活在寒冷的南极海域。 这些磷虾是鲸鱼、鱼类、鱿鱼和其他海洋动物的食物。