DEEP DIVES

Minecraft’s deserts are largely barren and lifeless, with only the occasional cacti or dead bush breaking the sandy monotony. But there’s a special sub-biome that adds a few extra ingredients to the mix. It’s called Desert Lakes.
Minecraft中的沙漠基本是一片荒凉的死寂之地，在无尽黄沙之中唯有零星散布的仙人掌和枯死灌木点缀着这一成不变的景色。然而，一种特殊的生物群系却为这单调的世界增添了几分生机。它就是沙漠湖泊。

Deserts were added to Minecraft very early on in the game’s history, and for a long time, lakes could actually spawn inside them. That possibility was removed in the Horse Update in early 2013, but The Update that Changed the World – released later the same year – added a special “Desert M” biome that contained lakes. In the Update Aquatic, this biome was renamed to “desert lakes”.
沙漠在很久之前便被加入了Minecraft中，而湖泊在之后的很长一段时间里一直有可能在沙漠中生成。虽然这种可能性在2013年的“马匹更新”中被移除，但就在同一年发布的“改变世界的更新”中，一种叫做“沙漠M”的，包含着湖泊的沙漠群系变种被加入了游戏。在后来发布的“水域更新”中，这种群系又被更名为“沙漠湖泊”。

The Lakes variant of the desert is not easy to find amidst the regular desert and desert hills biomes. You might think that it would be easy to spot them because they have lakes in – but not all desert lakes biomes contain lakes. They only contain the possibility for a lake to generate. So don’t come crying to us if your local desert lakes biome turns out to be dry as a bone. Better to cry in the desert instead – your tears might form a lake.
在大片普通的沙漠群系和沙漠丘陵群系中很难找到这种带有湖泊的沙漠群系变种。你也许会觉得这种群系含有湖泊所以应该很容易被发现 – 但问题是：不是每一个沙漠湖泊群系中都有湖泊生成。这种群系只是代表着有生成湖泊的可能性而已。所以如果你找到了沙漠湖泊群系却发现是一片干枯的不毛之地也请不要向我们哭诉。你要是真要哭的话还不如在沙漠里哭 – 也许你的眼泪能汇成一片湖泊呢。

A better way to identify a desert lakes biome is to look for terrain that’s a little bit more hilly than the regular desert biome, but not as hilly as the desert hills. There are no structures that spawn in desert lakes except for ancient fossils and desert wells, but you will sometimes find sugarcane growing alongside the water, as well as rabbits hopping around in the dust.
寻找沙漠湖泊群系真正的好方法是着力于寻找山丘比普通沙漠群系多，但比沙漠丘陵群系少的区域。此外除了沙漠水井和化石以外沙漠湖泊群系不会生成任何结构，但你可能会发现有甘蔗在水边生长，沙子中还有兔子在蹦跳。

At night, you’ll want to watch out because deserts are home to many dangerous creatures – spiders, skeletons, creepers, zombies, and husks. You might also find the occasional slime, enderman, or witch too. But deserts have good sight-lines, so it’ll be rare that something will be able to sneak up if you’ve got your wits about you.
到了晚上你要小心，因为沙漠是许多危险生物生存的家园 – 蜘蛛，骷髅，苦力怕，僵尸，以及尸壳都在这里游荡。你偶尔也可能会发现史莱姆，末影人，以及女巫。不过在沙漠中你的视野将会非常开阔，所以只要你足够聪明，怪物们就很难靠近并偷袭你。

In the real world, a desert lake is more commonly called an “oasis”. It’s a Latin term, which was borrowed from Ancient Greek, which in turn was borrowed from one of the Ancient Egyptian languages. It actually means “dwelling place” – because oases are one of the few places in the desert where it’s possible for humans to comfortably live.
在现实世界中，沙漠湖泊更经常被叫做“绿洲”。这是个从古希腊语中借用来的拉丁语术语，而古希腊语又是从古埃及的一种语言衍生而来的。它最初的意思直译便是“ 居住地 ” – 因为绿洲是沙漠中少有的适宜人类居住的地方。

In most of the world, lakes form when rivers fed by rainwater encounter a barrier. The level of the water rises until it can flow over the top of the barrier, and then the river continues leaving a lake behind. But there isn’t much rain in the desert, and therefore not much water either. Instead, oases tend to be fed by water that comes from underground – where the heat of the sun can’t evaporate it away as easily. When it does reach the surface, the water in an oasis attracts migrating birds, which then leave behind droppings that are full of seeds and fertilizer – allowing a rich plant ecosystem to grow.
在世界上的大多数地方，湖泊是由降水补给的河流遇到障碍物形成的。河流的水位会上升直到能够漫过障碍的顶部，然后继续流淌并在障碍物的后面留下一个湖泊。但是沙漠中很少降雨，因此也没有足够的水来形成湖泊。作为替代，绿洲的水分补给往往来自地下水 – 地下水很难被太阳蒸发掉。当地下水涌出地表时，绿洲中的水将会吸引候鸟前来，它们会留下包含着种子和肥料的粪便 – 这使得具有大量植物的生态系统有了出现的可能。

Historically, oases have been of critical importance for trade and transport. Merchants crossing deserts would need to arrange their routes to pass places where they could resupply their food and water. Military control of these oases, therefore, became useful for governments who wanted to control and tax that trade.
在历史上，绿洲对与贸易和运输有至关重要的意义。穿越沙漠的商人需要让他们的贸易路线尽可能经过能够补给食物和饮水的地方。因此，那些想要控制商业和税收的政府往往需要取得对绿洲区域的军事控制。

In many places, humans have even created artificial oases – using wells to bring up water from below ground. So next time you’re crossing a Minecraft desert and feel like you need a break, consider bringing some buckets and making an oasis of your own – enriching the local ecosystem, and yourself in the process.
在许多地方，人们甚至创造了人造绿洲 – 用水井来把地下水引出地表。所以下次当你在Minecraft中穿越沙漠时想要休息的话，可以考虑带上一些水桶来创造一片属于你的绿洲 – 在改良当地生态系统的同时，也能充实你自己。

https://www.bilibili.com/blackboard/newplayer.html?playlist=false&crossDomain=1&aid=630317542&page=1

【xiang_xge 译自官网 2021 年 03 月 30 日发布的 Around the Block: Desert Lakes；原作者 Duncan Geere】
【本文排版借助了：SPX】