2006年VOA标准英语-Sex in the Sea

By Paul Sisco
Key Largo¹, Florida
23 August 2006
 
watch Coral report

It may not be romantic, but it really is quite fascinating.  Generally a few days after the full moon in August, an amazing event takes place off the Florida Keys. 

Coral growing off the coast of Key Largo, Florida   
  
It's a late-night annual event, triggered in part by the August full moon.

Coral spawning³ is described by some scientists as an explosion of eggs and sperm⁴.  This year researchers at the Florida Keys National Marine⁵ Sanctuary⁶ are collecting coral spawn² to study and reproduce coral in the laboratory.  Test tube baby coral will then be used to restore damaged reef in the shallow waters near Key Largo, Florida.

 
Margaret Miller⁷
  
Ecologist Margaret Miller explains. "We are working to develop ways to grow new corals; to settle onto reefs where most of them have been lost, particularly focusing on species of corals that don't recruit well on their own."

Miller says scientists are learning more about the coral spawning, fertilization, and development each year.  After collection, embryos⁸ are cultured in the lab for about a week, developing from fertilized⁹ eggs to full-fledged larvae¹⁰. 

Coral growing in culture dishes at the lab  
  
"Then in about a week we hopefully will have lots of healthy larvae that are ready to settle on to the reef. And we'll take them back out into the field and sort of temporarily enclose them, actually at a reef restoration structure, and hopefully they'll be able to settle and make their home there to  provide new home colonies for that restoration site."

The researchers are experimenting with mesh¹¹ tents over the seeded coral to help them survive. 

Coral colonies die each year from human disturbances¹² and natural causes such as hurricanes and disease.  More than 1500 square meters of reef were destroyed when a freighter grounded nearby. 

 
Nets are being used as a means to protect the fragile seeded coral
  
"There has been a huge decline in live coral cover and the number of corals that are on the coral reefs over the past several decades," says Miller. "Corals are the animals that build the structure of a coral reef.  Without corals that structure and habitat gradually is lost, and so the habitat for fishes and other important organisms.  A huge component¹³ of biodiversity is lost gradually if the corals are not continuing to construct that habitat, and so we are aiming to bring those live corals back."

Researchers say they have a lot to learn about coral and its life cycle.  They hope their work will improve the coral's ability to survive and thrive.

1 largo   

n.广板乐章；adj.缓慢的，宽广的；adv.缓慢地，宽广地

参考例句：

• The tempo marking in most cases is andante,adagio,or largo.大多数第一乐章的速度标记是行板、柔板或广板。
• The second movement is a largo.第二乐章是广板乐章。

2 spawn   

n.卵，产物，后代，结果；vt.产卵，种菌丝于，产生，造成；vi.产卵，大量生产

参考例句：

• The fish were madly pushing their way upstream to spawn.鱼群为产卵而疯狂地向上游挤进。
• These fish will lay spawn in about one month from now.这些鱼大约一个月内会产卵。

3 spawning   

产卵

参考例句：

• Encounter sites have a small chance of spawning a "Commander" NPC. 遭遇战地区有很小的几率遇到NPC指挥官。
• Instantly revives your Champion at your Spawning Pool, 9 minute cooldown. 立即在出生地复活你的英雄，冷却时间9分钟。

4 sperm   

n.精子，精液

参考例句：

• Only one sperm fertilises an egg.只有一个精子使卵子受精。
• In human reproduction,one female egg is usually fertilized by one sperm.在人体生殖过程中，一个精子使一个卵子受精。

5 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• 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。

6 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

7 miller   

n.磨坊主

参考例句：

• Every miller draws water to his own mill.磨坊主都往自己磨里注水。
• The skilful miller killed millions of lions with his ski.技术娴熟的磨坊主用雪橇杀死了上百万头狮子。

8 embryos   

n.晶胚；胚，胚胎( embryo的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Somatic cells of angiosperms enter a regenerative phase and behave like embryos. 被子植物体细胞进入一个生殖阶段，而且其行为象胚。 来自辞典例句
• Evolution can explain why human embryos look like gilled fishes. 进化论能够解释为什么人类的胚胎看起来象除去了内脏的鱼一样。 来自辞典例句

9 Fertilized   

v.施肥( fertilize的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The study of psychology has recently been widely cross-fertilized by new discoveries in genetics. 心理学研究最近从遗传学的新发现中受益匪浅。
• Flowers are often fertilized by bees as they gather nectar. 花常在蜜蜂采蜜时受粉。

10 larvae   

n.幼虫

参考例句：

• Larvae are parasitic on sheep.幼虫寄生在绵羊的身上。
• The larvae prey upon small aphids.这种幼虫以小蚜虫为食。

11 mesh   

n.网孔，网丝，陷阱；vt.以网捕捉，啮合，匹配；vi.适合； [计算机]网络

参考例句：

• Their characters just don't mesh.他们的性格就是合不来。
• This is the net having half inch mesh.这是有半英寸网眼的网。

12 disturbances   

n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍

参考例句：

• The government has set up a commission of inquiry into the disturbances at the prison. 政府成立了一个委员会来调查监狱骚乱事件。
• Extra police were called in to quell the disturbances. 已调集了增援警力来平定骚乱。

13 component   

n.组成部分，成分，元件；adj.组成的，合成的

参考例句：

• Each component is carefully checked before assembly.每个零件在装配前都经过仔细检查。
• Blade and handle are the component parts of a knife.刀身和刀柄是一把刀的组成部分。