科学美国人60秒 3D打印可以保护珊瑚礁

 

• Coral reefs are among the most productive ecosystems¹ in the world.

• 珊瑚礁是世界上生产力最强的生态系统之一。

• They're also in serious danger—climate change and other threats are killing² them off.

• 但珊瑚礁也处于严重危险之中——气候变化和其他威胁可能会使其灭绝。

• But researchers have come up with an invention they think could help the reefs: 3-D-printed corals.

• 但是研究人员想出了他们认为可以帮助珊瑚礁的发明：3D打印珊瑚。

• At the heart of reef ecosystems lies a symbiosis³ between corals and algae⁴.

• 珊瑚礁生态系统的核心是珊瑚虫和藻类的共生关系。

• "Corals use light, they're photosynthesizing, so they have microscopic⁵ algae inside their tissues.

• “珊瑚虫利用光进行光合作用，因此微型藻类会进入它们的组织内。

• And these use light to generate energy, and that energy is then transferred to the coral animal host.

• 这些藻类用光产生能量，之后能量被转移到珊瑚虫宿主身上。

1 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 symbiosis   

n.共生（关系），共栖

参考例句：

• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing.他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。
• The symbiosis between social values and political structure has produced extraordinary achievement.社会价值观念和政治结构的共生现象带来了非凡的成就。

4 algae   

n.水藻，海藻

参考例句：

• Most algae live in water.多数藻类生长在水中。
• Algae grow and spread quickly in the lake.湖中水藻滋蔓。

5 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。