【英语趣味课堂】暗礁的世界-Reef World

Todd: So, Rebecca, in Australia you have the Great Barrier Reef. Now have you been to the Great Barrier Reef?

Rebecca: Yes, I have once, probably about two years ago. There's the main part of the Great Barrier Reef and then there's a little island, and we went to the island because I don't like scuba¹ diving, so I didn't go to the main part.

 

Todd: So, you don't like scuba diving. Why?

 

Rebecca: I think it's the unknown, under the water, and just being confined and having this breathing aparatus on you.

 

Todd: Right. Well, you know what, I can relate because I was certified² to be a diver because all my friends were divers³ and I didn't enjoy it that much either.

 

Rebecca: Yeah. Like, it looks great underwater when you see it on TV and it would be awesome⁴ to see it, but yeah, I just can't get past the going underwater and not being able breathe properly.

 

Todd: Right. Right. Actually, I think for me was I went with my friends and they were so excited about it and then when you would go under water, you're in pairs. You have a buddy⁵ and it seemed like you were kind of in line in an amusement park or something, you know.

 

Rebecca: Really.

 

Todd: Yeah, like everybody kind of has to go around and you look around and you see all these other divers and... but I was the only person that felt this way. Everybody else loves diving and the photography so. But actually, is it true the Barrier Reef is being damaged? It's actually not as beautiful as used to be?

 

Rebecca: Yeah. It's... The name of it is coral bleaching⁶, and the coral is actually turning white, now rather than having the colors it has, so that's been happening for a few years I think and it's getting worse and worse.

 

Todd: Oh, so basically the coral is losing it's beautiful color?

 

Rebecca: Yeah, yeah, basically, just dies and can't be brought back.

 

Todd: Well, what about, like you know, the marine⁷ life, like you know fish and stuff like that? Is that still abundant?

 

Rebecca: I assume that would probably go down as well once the coral starts to die off because that is the food source and their housing for the fish so with the loss of the Great Barrier Reef you also lose all the beautiful fish and marine life down there too.

 

Todd: That's too bad.

1 scuba   

n.水中呼吸器

参考例句：

• I first got hooked on scuba diving when I was twelve.12岁时我开始迷上了带水中呼吸器潜水。
• While on honeymoon in Bali,she learned to scuba dive.她在巴厘岛度蜜月时学会了带水肺潜水。

2 certified   

a.经证明合格的；具有证明文件的

参考例句：

• Doctors certified him as insane. 医生证明他精神失常。
• The planes were certified airworthy. 飞机被证明适于航行。

3 divers   

adj.不同的；种种的

参考例句：

• He chose divers of them,who were asked to accompany him.他选择他们当中的几个人，要他们和他作伴。
• Two divers work together while a standby diver remains on the surface.两名潜水员协同工作，同时有一名候补潜水员留在水面上。

4 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

5 buddy   

n.（美口）密友，伙伴

参考例句：

• Calm down,buddy.What's the trouble?压压气，老兄。有什么麻烦吗？
• Get out of my way,buddy!别挡道了，你这家伙！

6 bleaching   

漂白法，漂白

参考例句：

• Moderately weathered rock showed more intense bleaching and fissuring in the feldspars. 中等风化岩石则是指长石有更为强烈的变白现象和裂纹现象。
• Bleaching effects are very strong and show on air photos. 退色效应非常强烈，并且反映在航空象片上。

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。