英语听力：自然百科 澳大利亚大堡礁 Great Barrier Reef—16
时间：2019-01-22 作者：英语课 分类：自然百科2011年
英语课
The pearl luggers then turned their attention to something else, a much bigger target. The reef has always provided a great haven 1 for large animals, like turtles who nest on the coral piece.
Whole populations of turtles were brought to the verge 2 of extinction 3 by hunting them down for their valuable shells and meat. But despite now being protected, a new threat has begun to surface. The site of baby turtles hatching and raising for the sea may soon be a distant memory. Over the last few decades, evidence of our influence on the reef has become all too real.
Marine 4 biologist, Ove Hoegh-Guldberg, is on the frontline to protect it. Today he’s come to look for one of its greatest enemies, a single creature with the power to destroy the largest reef in the world.
"Relatively 5, small changes in the conditions can cause some species to actually expire, and one of those is the Crown-of-thorns Starfish."
This evil-looking animal grows up to 3 feet across. It’s covered in sharp, venomous spines 6, and its favorite food is coral. They can descend 7 on the reef in their millions, swarming 8 over it and eating it alive.
"Like all starfish, it has the amazing ability to exude 9 its stomach, trys feeding at this hole here, digest the coral and then suck up all the goodies, leaving essentially 10 just the skeleton."
This starfish is capable of producing 6 million children every year. Normally very few survive. But now man has tipped the odds 11 in their favor. Fertilizers from inland farms have washed down from the rivers onto the reef. They made the perfect nutrient 12 for the baby starfish, and their numbers go through the roof. The population can explode to 2000 times its normal level.
n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所
- It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
- The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。
n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临
- The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
- She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。
n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种
- The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
- The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。
adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵
- Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
- When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
adv.比较...地，相对地
- The rabbit is a relatively recent introduction in Australia.兔子是相对较新引入澳大利亚的物种。
- The operation was relatively painless.手术相对来说不痛。
n.脊柱( spine的名词复数 )；脊椎；（动植物的）刺；书脊
- Porcupines use their spines to protect themselves. 豪猪用身上的刺毛来自卫。
- The cactus has spines. 仙人掌有刺。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
vt./vi.传下来，下来，下降
- I hope the grace of God would descend on me.我期望上帝的恩惠。
- We're not going to descend to such methods.我们不会沦落到使用这种手段。
密集( swarm的现在分词 )； 云集； 成群地移动； 蜜蜂或其他飞行昆虫成群地飞来飞去
- The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。
- The beach is swarming with bathers. 海滩满是海水浴的人。
v.(使)流出，(使)渗出
- Some successful men exude self-confidence.有些成功的人流露出自信。
- The sun made him exude sweat.烈日晒得他汗流浃背。
adv.本质上，实质上，基本上
- Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
- She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。
n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别
- The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
- Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？