Desolate: 荒凉的，无人烟的

7月24日，一名在夏威夷活火山附近熔岩地被困五天的美国男子成功获救。据悉，这名来自德克萨斯州的男子计划徒步穿越夏威夷火山国家公园附近荒无人烟的熔岩地，以便能够近距离观察活火山，不料中途迷路，差点把命丢掉。外电报道如下：A hiker lost for five days in a lava¹ field near a volcano says he survived by drinking water he squeezed from moss² in a mostly barren landscape.

Gilbert Dewey Gaedcke III, 41, was rescued Friday afternoon after a teenager on a helicopter tour spotted³ him stumbling across the rocky lava, trying to attract attention with a mirror from his camera.

Gaedcke had been missing since Sunday night, when he decided⁴ to take a hike across desolate⁵ lava fields near Hawaii Volcanoes National Park to get a closer look at an active volcano.

在这篇报道中，desolate用作形容词，意思是“荒凉的、 无人烟的”，也可以表示“孤独的、被遗弃的、凄凉的”。如例句：Streets, which were usually, so thronged⁶, now has grown desolate. (过去拥挤的街道现在荒芜了。) Desolate也可以用作动词，意思是“使荒芜；使凄凉、 使孤独、 使悲惨； 遗弃”，如例句：The invading army desolated⁷ the country. （入侵的军队使那个国家饱受蹂躏。）