A high-altitude desert plateau(高原) traverse(横跨，穿过)s Argentina, Bolivia and Chile. I am on the Chilean side, sitting in a Jeep along with two other researchers. The afternoon air is thin and brisk(清冽的，凉爽的) but the sun is piercing – a combination I am familiar with(我熟悉的组合) from years of living and travelling in South America’s Andean range(安第斯山脉).
一片高海拔沙漠高原横跨阿根廷、玻利维亚和智利。我身处智利一侧，和另外两名研究人员坐在一辆吉普车里。午后的空气稀薄而清冽，阳光却刺得人睁不开眼——这种组合，我多年来在南美安第斯山脉生活和旅行时早已熟悉。
The landscape is a study in(……的典范/范本) contrasts and contour(轮廓，地形起伏)s: broad basins suddenly cut off by sweeping curves; flat expanses sliced by near vertical ascents. The Licancabur volcano loom(赫然耸现，逼近)s large above us. Vegetation and humidity levels change rapidly with the rising altitude, bringing cooler temperatures, wetter air and denser plant life.
这片风景堪称对比与轮廓的范本：宽阔的盆地突然被绵延的曲线截断；平坦的旷野被近乎垂直的陡坡劈开。利坎卡布尔火山巍然耸立在我们上方。随着海拔升高，植被和湿度迅速变化，带来更凉爽的气温、更湿润的空气和更茂密的植物。
We are driving to the Salar de Atacama(阿塔卡马盐滩) – the Atacama salt flats – the largest of several dozen salt flats in northern Chile, and the third largest in the world. The brilliant white flat lies in a high basin(盆地) 7,500ft above sea level, enclosed by(被……环绕) the even higher Andean mountains to the east and the Domeyko mountains(多梅伊科山脉) to the west.
我们正驱车前往阿塔卡马盐滩——智利北部数十个盐滩中最大的一个，也是世界第三大盐滩。这片耀眼的白色平地坐落在一个海拔7500英尺的高原盆地中，东边是更高的安第斯山脉，西边是多梅伊科山脉，将其环抱其中。