Once it was believed that nature simply wiped the slate clean every winter, a kind of yearly apocalypse followed by a miracle rebirth each spring.

• 人们曾经相信，大自然每年冬季只不过是把大地打扫干净，这是一种每年一次的天启，它预示了一个神奇的万物复苏的春天紧接着要到来。