Half of Great Barrier Reef Coral Lost in Last 27 Years|大堡礁在过去27年间消失了一半

Half of Great Barrier Reef Coral Lost in Last 27 Years

　　When tourists go to Australia, one of the places they usually visit is the Great Barrier Reef. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is the largest single structure made by living organisms, and it can even be seen from outer space. There are huge problems there, though. The Great Barrier Reef has lost more than half its coral cover in the past 27 years. Researchers analyzed data on the condition of the 217 individual reefs that make up the Great Barrier Reef. The results show that coral cover declined from 28 percent to 13.8 percent between 1985 and 2012. They attribute the decline to storms, coral-eating starfish, and bleaching linked to climate change.

　　Glen De'ath from the Australian Institute of Marine Science and colleagues determined that tropical cyclones, 34 in total since 1985, were responsible for 48 percent of the damage, while outbreaks of the coral-eating crown-of-thorns starfish

(棘冠海星) accounted for 42 percent. Two severe coral bleaching events in 1998 and 2002 due to ocean warming also had a detrimental impact on the central and northern parts of the reef.

　　A different government report found that nearly one-quarter of horticulture producers and 12 percent of pastoral farmers were using practices that harmed the coral reefs. There have been calls from conservationists to limit the use of pesticides and to ban certain weed killers. Sugar cane producers have argued that there are no alternatives to protecting their crops adequately. If Australia wants to continue attracting tourists to one of its most beautiful places, then it needs to find a solution to the disappearing coral reef.

 1.      What was NOT mentioned as a reason for the decline in coral reef cover?

(A) Huge storms around the Great Barrier Reef.

(B) Sea creatures that eat coral.

(C) Sugar cane pesticides.

(D) Chlorine bleach keeps seeping into the water supply.

     2.     Why don't producers of sugar cane want to change their ways?

(A) It's too expensive to change the chemicals.

(B) There's nothing better to protect crops than pesticides.

(C) Tourists love sugar cane.

(D) They don't believe the government's study.

     3.     What is the main idea of this passage?

(A) The Great Barrier Reef may be gone soon.

(B) If pollution doesn't stop, the Great Barrier Reef will be gone forever.

(C) The reasons for the decline of the Great Barrier Reef.

(D) Coral-eating starfish should be taken out of the Great Barrier Reef's ecosystem.

大堡礁在过去27年间消失了一半

　　游客前往澳洲时，其中一处他们通常会去参观的景点就是大堡礁。这个被联合国教科文组织列为世界遗产的景点是全世界最大由活体组成的单体结构，甚至从外层空间都可以看见大堡礁。但这里现在有很大的问题。大堡礁已在过去 27 年间失去了超过一半的珊瑚被覆率。研究人员分析了组成大堡礁的 217 种不同礁类。研究结果显示珊瑚被覆率由 1985 年的百分之二十八下降至 2012 年的百分之十三点八。研究人员把珊瑚的减少归因于暴风雨、以珊瑚为食的海星以及因气候变迁而产生的白化现象等原因。

　　澳洲海洋科学研究所的格伦．迪亚斯博士及他的同事认定自 1985 年以来出现的 34 个热带气旋造成了百分之四十八的损害，而另外百分之四十二的比例则是由于以珊瑚为食的棘冠海星突然爆增。发生在 1998 年及 2002 年的两起因海水暖化而造成的珊瑚白化事件，也对大堡礁中心地带及北方的礁类带来有害的影响。

　　另一份政府报告发现有将近四分之一的园艺生产者以及百分之十二的畜牧业者采用对珊瑚礁有害的做法。环保人士一再呼吁限制农药的使用及禁止使用某些除草剂。甘蔗业者认为并没有其他的替代方案可以有效地保护农作物。如果澳洲政府还想继续用这些美丽景点来吸引观光客，那它就必须为这些消失中的珊瑚礁寻求解决之道。

答案： 1.   D   2.   B   3.   C

 

　　大堡礁是全世界最大最长的珊瑚礁群，位于南半球，它分布于澳洲东北部昆士兰省沿海，绵延伸展约有 2 千 6 百公里左右，自然景观非常特殊，在退潮时，部分的珊瑚礁会露出水面形成珊瑚岛。而风平浪静时，游船在此间通过，船下连绵不断的各种珊瑚景色，成为吸引世界各地游客来此观赏的最佳海底奇观。

　　大堡礁是由数十亿只微小的珊瑚虫建构而成，它也因其丰富的生物多样性，而在 1981 年被列入世界自然遗产，也曾被 CNN 票选为世界 7 大自然奇观。观光业是这里最重要的经济活动，每年约有 10 亿美金的产值。（数据源：维基百科）