英语听力：自然百科 澳大利亚大堡礁 Great Barrier Reef—5

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In order to bring back a piece of this mystery, his team of divers¹ will be risking their lives. 

 

"Diving problems, you got currents, tides, waves. We haven’t been here before. We haven't been this deep, though."

 

"One of those cylinders² lasts a lot less than it does near the surface. One breath of air down there is equivalent to six breaths up here."

 

They've only got 25 minutes' dive time. And it's going to take them 10 minutes just to get down there.

 

"You are Ok. Chico?"

 

"Yeah. Roger that. Descending⁴ now. Just passing through 10 meters, over."

 

Marine⁵ life is concentrated at the very top of the ocean. The further down they descend³, the tougher conditions become. 

 

"Visibility's not that good, over."

 

At only 60 feet down, the amount of light is only a quarter of that at the surface. The warm colors of the sun's rays have all given up, leaving a world shot through with the coldest blue. For plants, it signals the start of the death zone.

 

"Chico, which way do you reckon it is?"

 

"This direction. 30 meters."

 

Coral needs a water temperature above 72 degrees Fahrenheit⁶ to live. The deeper they go, the cooler it gets.

 

"Hit the 40 meter mark."

 

"Halfway⁷ through a tank and we've still had a long way to go, over."

 

Finally, their target is within reach. 

 

"Just start to see the bottom now. It's the edge of the 50-meter feature. It’s a clear outcrop. It’s quite extensive."

 

"The wall's almost vertical⁸ at your left. "

 

"Chico is just going over the edge, now."

 

"Here we go, into the abyss."

 

At 150 feet down, they're entering a world where hard corals can't survive. Down here there are only specialized⁹ soft corals.

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