英语听力：自然百科 大堡礁 珊瑚礁至雨林(23)

Bacteria break down the trapped sediment¹ and other organic material, helping² create tons and tons of sticky mud, a whole new home for wild life.

细菌分解掉这些沉积物和其他有机物质，最后一起变成成吨的淤泥，淤泥成就了又一个全新的栖息地。

In a perfect world mud should be thick and glutinous³ and as rich as dark chocolate, and it should also stink⁴ to high heaven, but this is extremely important stuff to the great barrier reef, one teaspoon⁵ full of this mud contains 10 million bacteria.

在正常情况下，这些淤泥极为粘稠，粘稠得就像黑巧克力一样，味道也臭得熏天。正是这些淤泥对大堡礁起着极其重要的作用。每茶勺的淤泥里都含有千万计的细菌。

All those bacteria are potential food, and although they are many species that eat mud directly, those that do operating in large numbers, legions of creatures perform the unglamorous but crucial task of breaking down the globe, mud welks and fiddler crabs⁶ both eat the mud, and their waste is the vital product and spoons an entire food chain.

而这些细菌正是一种潜在的食物。虽然地球上以泥为食的生物不是很多，而那些以泥为食的都以庞大的群体数量现身。这个生物军团的任务单调乏味，但却是分解粘土的关键步骤。泥螺和招潮蟹都是吃泥高手，它们的排泄物是形成整个食品链的重要产品。

Once it's in the water, clouds of shrimp⁷ devour⁸ it, the nutrients⁹ that start in the mud are now swimming around in small easy to catch parcels.

涨潮后，水中的粪便就成为虾群的食物。原本淤泥中的养分，现在变成四处游动的小且好抓的虾形养料包。

1 sediment   

n.沉淀，沉渣，沉积(物)

参考例句：

• The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后，水变清了。
• Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。

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 glutinous   

adj.粘的，胶状的

参考例句：

• The sauce was glutinous and tasted artificial.这种酱有些黏，尝起来不是非常地道。
• The coat covering the soft candies is made from glutinous rice.包裹软糖的江米纸是由糯米做成的。

4 stink   

vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭

参考例句：

• The stink of the rotten fish turned my stomach.腐烂的鱼臭味使我恶心。
• The room has awful stink.那个房间散发着难闻的臭气。

5 teaspoon   

n.茶匙

参考例句：

• Add one teaspoon of sugar.加一小茶匙糖。
• I need a teaspoon to stir my tea.我需要一把茶匙搅一搅茶。

6 crabs   

n.蟹( crab的名词复数 )；阴虱寄生病；蟹肉v.捕蟹( crab的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• As we walked along the seashore we saw lots of tiny crabs. 我们在海岸上散步时看到很多小蟹。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

8 devour   

v.吞没；贪婪地注视或谛听，贪读；使着迷

参考例句：

• Larger fish devour the smaller ones.大鱼吃小鱼。
• Beauty is but a flower which wrinkle will devour.美只不过是一朵，终会被皱纹所吞噬。

9 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》