VOA慢速英语2020 大堡礁今年最大规模珊瑚白化（在线收听）

Scientists say Australia's Great Barrier Reef suffered its most severe coral bleaching event in March.

科学家表示，澳大利亚大堡礁在3月份遭遇了最严重的珊瑚白化现象。

Coral are small marine animals that live together and form large hard structures called reefs. Bleaching usually happens when ocean water gets too warm causing corals to release the healthy algae living in their tissues. The process turns coral white and makes them sick, sometimes killing them.

珊瑚是一种小型海洋动物，它们群居在一起，形成了巨大的坚硬结构，称为珊瑚礁。白化通常发生在海水温度过高时，导致珊瑚释放出生长在其组织里的健康藻类。这一过程会使珊瑚变白，使它们生病，有时甚至会杀死它们。

Reefs are critically important to the health of the ocean and all the life it holds.

珊瑚礁对海洋健康以及海洋里所有的生命都至关重要。

The latest finding about coral bleaching came from researchers at James Cook University in Queensland, Australia. The Great Barrier Reef covers about 348,000 square kilometers. It contains the world's largest collection of coral reefs and is home to thousands of different kinds of sea life.

澳大利亚昆士兰詹姆斯库克大学的研究人员发现了珊瑚白化的最新情况。大堡礁全长约34.8万平方公里。这里拥有世界上最大的珊瑚礁群，是数千种不同海洋生物的家园。

Researchers say the most recent coral bleaching event is the result of extremely hot temperatures in the area over the past few months.

研究人员表示，近期的珊瑚白化现象是过去几个月该地区极端高温的结果。

Terry Hughes is director of the ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies at James Cook University. He told the Reuters news agency that February had the highest temperatures since 1900, when record keeping began.

特里·休斯（Terry Hughes）是詹姆斯·库克大学珊瑚礁卓越研究中心的主任。他对路透社表示，今年2月出现了自1900年开始记录以来的最高气温。

"We saw record-breaking temperatures all along the length of the Great Barrier Reef, there wasn't a cool portion in the north, or a cool portion in the south this time around," Hughes said.

休斯表示：“整个大堡礁都受到了破纪录的温度带来的影响，这一次，连北部和南部的区域都变暖了。”

"The whole Barrier Reef was hot so the bleaching we have seen this year is the most extensive so far." Hughes added that he is now almost sure that the reef cannot recover to what it looked like even five years ago, let alone thirty years ago.

“整个大堡礁温度都很高，所以今年我们看到的白化现象是迄今为止最严重的。”休斯补充说，他现在几乎可以肯定，珊瑚礁无法恢复到五年前的样子，更不用说三十年前的了。

Hughes warned that if global warming activity continues at the present rate, the Great Barrier Reef faces the possibility of becoming completely destroyed.

休斯警告称，如果全球变暖活动继续以目前的速度发展，大堡礁将面临彻底毁灭的可能性。

"We will have some sort of tropical ecosystem, but it won't look like coral reef - there might be more seaweed, more sponges, a lot less coral - but it will be a very different ecosystem."

“我们将拥有某种热带生态系统，但不会像珊瑚礁这样——可能会出现更多的海藻、更多的海绵，但珊瑚会少很多——但这将是一个非常不同的生态系统。”

I'm Bryan Lynn.

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Words in This Story

algae – n. a simple plant that grows in or near water

portion – n. a part of something

extensive – adj. large in amount or size

ecosystem – n. a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment