VOA慢速英语2014 AS IT IS 2014-05-08 Climate Change Destroys Coral Reefs 气候改变毁坏珊瑚礁

 

AS IT IS 2014-05-08 Climate Change Destroys Coral Reefs 气候改变毁坏珊瑚礁

Hello, my friends, and welcome back as we work together to improve your American English. 

I’m Jim Tedder¹ in Washington. 

Today we will learn more about our changing climate.  In two important stories, we will examine how the oceans are helping² in unusual ways to solve difficult problems.

As It Is …is coming to you from VOA in Washington.

Coral Reefs Are Dying

Coral reefs are home to about one-third of everything that lives in the ocean.  Reefs help protect coastal³ areas from storm damage.  They also provide food and jobs for about 1 billion people worldwide.  But rising ocean temperatures and increasing levels of acidity⁴ are killing⁵ many coral reefs. 

As much as 80 percent of the corals in the Caribbean Sea are dead. 

Mario Ritter tells about a new study of heat-resistant⁶ corals, and how they may be able to help protect reefs in a warmer world. 

Researchers have been studying a single coral species from the Pacific Ocean.  The corals live in two different, but neighboring ponds on the same reef in American Samoa.  The only difference is that water in one area is warmer than the other.  Researchers want to know how increasing temperatures affect the corals.

Corals from the cooler pond were put into the warmer water.  After about a year, those transplanted corals were tested in devices called laboratory heat stress tanks.  The transplants were about half as heat-tolerant, or resistant, as corals that had been living in the warmer water.

Stephen Palumbi is a marine⁷ biologist with Stanford University in California.  He says the newcomers reacted quickly to their new surroundings, compared to how the creatures would naturally evolve over time.  He spoke⁸ to VOA on Skype.

“We estimate that it would take about 50 to 100 years for evolution to generate this kind of change, mostly because corals are very long-lived animals and the generation time is quite long.  So evolution works fairly slowly in those cases, whereas the physiology¹⁰ seems to react very quickly to changes in the local environment and then buffer¹¹ these individual corals against heat stress.”       

But he says the coral species living in the warmer ocean water were more resistant to heat.

“They had the genes¹² to be able to live there.  And they also had the physiology to be able to adjust to it.  The corals from the cool pool had the physiology, too.  But they didn’t have the warm water genes.”

Stephen Palumbi says the study suggests that as the ocean warms, some corals can react in time, but not, he fears, as quickly as the planet heats up.

“But this ability to respond physiologically¹³ and evolutionarily might give them a few extra decades, might give them a little extra time to adjust to climate change.  It gives us a little extra time to fix the problem.” 

The American researcher says the study results could persuade decision makers¹⁴ to set goals to protect coral reefs with heat-resistant corals.  He adds that as ocean temperatures rise, these organisms could help damaged reefs re-build. 

I’m Mario Ritter.

Little Bugs¹⁵ Can Help Us

Four years ago, 11 people were killed in an explosion on an oil rig called the Deepwater Horizon.  The large drilling platform leaked an estimated five million barrels of oil into the Gulf¹⁶ of Mexico.  It was the largest environmental disaster at sea in American history, but it is not the only one.  About 14,000 oil spills are reported in the United States each year, says the Environmental Protection Agency.

Cleaning up the mess from these spills is usually a long and expensive process.  But scientists now say an extremely small organism can help clean up naturally occurring, or man-made leaks of natural gases.

They have identified some 100 microbes that feed on methane¹⁷, a byproduct of natural gas.  Methane has also been linked to rising temperatures on Earth’s surface.  It is a climate-changing gas that warms the atmosphere.

A report in the journal Nature examines the genetic¹⁸ structure of a single strain, or form, of bacteria.  It is called Methylocella Silvestris.  This microbe is found in forests and soils in northern Europe.  It was also found in the Gulf of Mexico after the Deepwater Horizon spill.

Colin Murrell is an environmental microbiologist with the University of East Anglia in England. 

 

“We tested for growth on propane and sure enough it grows very happily on propane as well as methane.  This is the uniqueness of the work that we’ve got one organism that seems to be able to acquire the ability to grow on these different gases together.”

But growth in a controlled laboratory experiment is from different from what happens in a natural environment.  That is why researchers want to understand how the microbes work, and what influences their behavior.

“…what enzymes¹⁹ and what genes are being used by that bacterium²⁰ to grow on either methane or propane.  And then we can start to build up a picture of whether they are going to be useful in a sort of commercial context in terms of cleanup of oil spills or cleanup of a whole variety of different compounds.”

Colin Murrell says he is sure that other microbes in the environment work in similar ways.  He believes that he has the tools to find them.

“We have specific gene⁹ and molecular²¹ probes that we can use to go back and interrogate²² environmental samples to see if these organisms are present there in the first place.”

He says the findings can help explain the possible use of microbes to decision-makers.

“In terms of cleanup of the environment or in context of different organisms, making useful chemicals in a biologically clean way rather than using a lot of hazardous²³ chemicals. So green chemistry, if you like.”

Colin Murrell says the effect of methane on climate change is more than 20 times greater than that of carbon dioxide. He says, ‘It is important to understand how it can be removed naturally in the environment before it is released into the atmosphere.’

An American History Lesson

We have just enough time to throw in a small American history lesson …for free!  On this date in 1942, the Battle of the Coral Sea took place.  The United States was fighting Japan during World War II.  It happens that all the fighting was done in this battle with airplanes.  That was a first in military history.  The U.S. won the battle, and it helped stop Japan from expanding that part of their war effort.

Today is also V-E Day, Victory in Europe day.  It was on this date in 1945 that Germany surrendered to Allied²⁴ forces.  At the time, the President of the United States was Harry²⁵ S. Truman.  And oddly enough, May 8th was his birthday.  Mr. Truman was known for his plain speaking, and was often called “Give ‘em hell Harry” by the people who liked his style.

Well, that is all the time we have for today. 

1 tedder   

n.（干草）翻晒者，翻晒机

参考例句：

• Jim Tedder has more. 吉姆？特德将给我们做更多的介绍。 来自互联网
• Jim Tedder tells us more. 吉姆？泰德给我们带来更详细的报道。 来自互联网

2 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

3 coastal   

adj.海岸的，沿海的，沿岸的

参考例句：

• The ocean waves are slowly eating away the coastal rocks.大海的波浪慢慢地侵蚀着岸边的岩石。
• This country will fortify the coastal areas.该国将加强沿海地区的防御。

4 acidity   

n.酸度，酸性

参考例句：

• This plant prefers alkaline soil,though it will readily tolerate some acidity.这种植物在酸性土壤中也能生存，但硷性土壤更加适宜。
• Gastric acidity would not prevent the organism from passing into the gut.胃的酸度不能防止细菌进入肠道。

5 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。

6 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。

7 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。

8 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

9 gene   

n.遗传因子，基因

参考例句：

• A single gene may have many effects.单一基因可能具有很多种效应。
• The targeting of gene therapy has been paid close attention.其中基因治疗的靶向性是值得密切关注的问题之一。

10 physiology   

n.生理学，生理机能

参考例句：

• He bought a book about physiology.他买了一本生理学方面的书。
• He was awarded the Nobel Prize for achievements in physiology.他因生理学方面的建树而被授予诺贝尔奖。

11 buffer   

n.起缓冲作用的人(或物)，缓冲器；vt.缓冲

参考例句：

• A little money can be a useful buffer in time of need.在急需时，很少一点钱就能解燃眉之急。
• Romantic love will buffer you against life's hardships.浪漫的爱会减轻生活的艰辛。

12 genes   

n.基因( gene的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• You have good genes from your parents, so you should live a long time. 你从父母那儿获得优良的基因，所以能够活得很长。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Differences will help to reveal the functions of the genes. 它们间的差异将会帮助我们揭开基因多种功能。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 生物技术的世纪

13 physiologically   

ad.生理上，在生理学上

参考例句：

• Therefore, the liver and gallbladder cannot be completely separated physiologically and pathologically. 因此，肝胆在生理和病理上不能完全分离。
• Therefore, the liver and gallbladder are closely related physiologically and pathologically. 因此，肝胆在生理和病理上紧密联系。

14 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

15 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

17 methane   

n.甲烷，沼气

参考例句：

• The blast was caused by pockets of methane gas that ignited.爆炸是由数袋甲烷气体着火引起的。
• Methane may have extraterrestrial significance.甲烷具有星际意义。

18 genetic   

adj.遗传的，遗传学的

参考例句：

• It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
• Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。

19 enzymes   

n. 酶，酵素

参考例句：

• It was said that washing powders containing enzymes remove stains more efficiently. 据说加酶洗衣粉除污更有效。
• Among the enzymes which are particularly effective are pepsin, papain. 在酶当中特别有效的是胃朊酶、木瓜酶。

20 bacterium   

n.(pl.)bacteria 细菌

参考例句：

• The bacterium possibly goes in the human body by the mouth.细菌可能通过口进入人体。
• A bacterium is identified as the cause for his duodenal ulcer.一种细菌被断定为造成他十二指肠溃疡的根源。

21 molecular   

adj.分子的；克分子的

参考例句：

• The research will provide direct insight into molecular mechanisms.这项研究将使人能够直接地了解分子的机理。
• For the pressure to become zero, molecular bombardment must cease.当压强趋近于零时，分子的碰撞就停止了。

22 interrogate   

vt.讯问，审问，盘问

参考例句：

• The lawyer took a long time to interrogate the witness fully.律师花了很长时间仔细询问目击者。
• We will interrogate the two suspects separately.我们要对这两个嫌疑人单独进行审讯。

23 hazardous   

adj.(有)危险的，冒险的；碰运气的

参考例句：

• These conditions are very hazardous for shipping.这些情况对航海非常不利。
• Everybody said that it was a hazardous investment.大家都说那是一次危险的投资。

24 allied   

adj.协约国的；同盟国的

参考例句：

• Britain was allied with the United States many times in history.历史上英国曾多次与美国结盟。
• Allied forces sustained heavy losses in the first few weeks of the campaign.同盟国在最初几周内遭受了巨大的损失。

25 harry   

vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼

参考例句：

• Today,people feel more hurried and harried.今天，人们感到更加忙碌和苦恼。
• Obama harried business by Healthcare Reform plan.奥巴马用医改掠夺了商界。