In 1849 a small group of pioneers struggled for three months to get across the rough land. They suffered great hardships as they and their wagons traveled slowly across the salt flats in the baking sun. They ran out of food and had to eat the oxen and leave their possessions behind. They ran out of water and became so thirsty that they could not swallow the meat. They found a lake and, being wild with joy, fell on their knees only to discover it was heavily salted. Finally, weak and reduced to almost skeletons, they came across a spring of fresh water and their lives were saved. When they finally reached the foot of mountains, they slowly climbed up the rocky slopes. One of them looked back and said, “Goodbye, Death Valley.”That has been its name ever since.
1849年，一小群拓荒者奋斗了三个月才穿过这片崎岖不平的土地。当他们和他们的马车在烈日下缓慢地穿过盐滩时，他们遭受了极大的困难。他们没有食物了，只好吃牛，把他们的东西留在家里。他们没有水了，口渴得吃不下肉。他们找到一个湖，欣喜若狂，双膝跪地，却发现湖水被盐腌得很深。最后，他们身体虚弱，几乎只剩下骨骼，他们遇到了一个淡水泉，他们的生命得救了。当他们终于到达山脚时，他们慢慢地爬上了岩石坡。其中一个人回头说：“再见，死亡谷。”从那时起，这就是它的名字。
In Death Valley, pioneers and explorers faced death from thirst and the searing heat. Yet despite its name and bad reputation, Death Valley is not just an empty wildness of sand and rock. It is a place of spectacular scenic beauty and home to plants, animals, and even humans.
在死亡谷，开拓者和探险者面临着干渴和酷热的死亡。然而，尽管它的名字和坏名声，死亡谷不仅仅是一个空旷的荒野的沙子和岩石。这是一个风景优美的地方，是植物，动物，甚至人类的家园。
Death Valley doesn’t sound like a very inviting place. It is one of the hottest places in the world. The highest temperature ever recorded there was 134 degrees Fahrenheit, and that was in the shade! Death Valley in California covers nearly 3000 square miles, from which approximately 555 square miles are below the surface of the sea. One point is 282 feet below sea level — the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere.
死亡谷听起来不像是一个很有吸引力的地方。它是世界上最热的地方之一。有记录以来的最高温度是华氏134度，而且是在阴凉处！加利福尼亚州的死亡谷占地近3000平方英里，其中约555平方英里位于海平面以下。其中一点位于海平面以下282英尺，西半球的最低点。
Death Valley is the driest place in North America. Yet far from being dead, it is alive with plants and animals. They have adapted to this harsh region. In the salt flats on the valley floor, there are no plants to be seen. But near the edge, there are grasses. Farther away, there are some small bushes and cactus. Finally, high on the mountainside, there are pine trees.
死亡谷是北美最干旱的地方。然而，它远非死亡，而是与植物和动物一起活着。它们已经适应了这个严酷的地区。在谷底的盐滩上，没有植物可见。但是在边缘附近，有草。在更远的地方，有一些小灌木和仙人掌。最后，在高高的山坡上，有松树。
What is not visible are the seeds lodged in the soil, waiting for rain. When it does come, a brilliant display of wild flowers carpets the once barren flatlands. Even the cactuses blossom. As the water dries up and the hot summer nears, the flowers die. But first they produce seeds that will wait for the rains of another year.
隐藏在土壤中的种子等待着雨水的到来。当它真的来临时，野花的灿烂展示铺满了曾经贫瘠的平原。连仙人掌也开花了。水干了，炎热的夏天临近，花儿死了。但是首先，他们生产的种子将等待下一年的雨水。
At noon on a summer day, Death Valley looks truly devoid of wildlife. But in reality, there are 55 species of mammals, 32 kinds of birds, 36 kinds of reptiles, and 3 kinds of amphibians. During the day many seek shelter under rocks and in burrows. As night approaches, however, the land cools, and the desert becomes a center of animal activity. Owls hunt for mice. Bats gather insects as they fly. The little kid fox is out looking for food, accompanied by snakes, hawks, and bobcats. Many of these animals, like the desert plants, have adapted to the dry desert. They use water very efficiently. They can often survive on poor water supplies that would leave similar animals elsewhere dying of thirst.
在夏日的中午，死亡谷看起来完全没有野生动物。但实际上，有55种哺乳动物、32种鸟类、36种爬行动物和3种两栖动物。白天，许多人在岩石下和洞穴里寻求庇护。然而，随着夜幕降临，陆地变得凉爽，沙漠成为动物活动的中心。猫头鹰捕捉老鼠。蝙蝠在飞行时捕捉昆虫。小狐狸在蛇、鹰和山猫的陪伴下出去觅食。许多这样的动物，像沙漠植物一样，已经适应了干燥的沙漠。它们非常有效地利用水资源。它们往往可以依靠贫乏的水源生存，而这些水源会使其他地方的同类动物死于干渴。
The early prospectors didn’t know the desert as well as the natives. Many died looking for gold and silver in Death Valley; others did find the precious metals. Then a “boomtown” was born. First it consisted of miners living in tents. Then permanent buildings were built. But when the mine failed, the town that was built up around it did too. Today the remains of these “ghost towns” are scattered about Death Valley.
早期的勘探者不像当地人那样了解这片沙漠。许多人为了寻找黄金和白银而死在死亡之谷；其他人的确找到了贵重金属。然后一个“新兴城市”诞生了。首先是由住在帐篷里的矿工组成。然后建起了永久性的建筑。但是当矿井倒塌时，在它周围建立起来的城镇也倒塌了。今天，这些“鬼城”的遗迹散布在死亡谷。
Humans have also learned how to survive in this land. The natives knew where every hidden spring was. They also knew the habits of the desert animals, which they hunted. The natives, and later even the prospectors, ate every imaginable desert animal. They ate everything from the big horn sheep to snakes, rats and lizards. They were often on the edge of starvation, In autumn they gathered nuts from the pine trees. Other foods they ate included roots, cactus plants, leaves, and sometimes insects.
人类也学会了如何在这片土地上生存。当地人知道每一个隐藏的泉水在哪里。他们也知道沙漠动物的习性，他们捕猎这些动物。当地人，甚至后来的勘探者，吃所有你能想象到的沙漠动物。他们什么都吃，从大角羊到蛇、老鼠和蜥蜴。他们常常处于饥饿的边缘，秋天他们从松树上采集坚果。他们吃的其他食物包括根、仙人掌植物、叶子，有时还有昆虫。
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