VOA标准英语2015--Breakthrough Movie Reveals Wondrous Underwater World

Breakthrough Movie Reveals Wondrous¹ Underwater World

Like his father, world-renowned undersea explorer and filmmaker Jacques Cousteau, Jean-Michel Cousteau has spent a lifetime exploring the oceans.

Equipped with an IMAX camera, he and his crew filmed 100 hours of underwater footage to produce a spectacular 40-minute documentary that reveals how the smallest life in the sea is vital to the survival of all life on the planet.

Jean-Michel Cousteau said there is still much to discover in the world's oceans. Using new technology that allowed him to record microscopic² underwater creatures in slow motion 3-D, he was able to film 30 new species, many of which could not be seen with the naked eye.

“When you’re filming it, you bring it back to the boat where we are, and we have a 3-D screen and we can see, with glasses on, something we have never seen before. And sometimes we say, ‘We need to go back!’ " he said.

Sensational³ footage

The results are spectacular. His documentary, "Secret Ocean 3D," presents a beautiful but often deadly world where even the tiniest of creatures is part of an elaborate food chain that ultimately sustains humans.

In the ocean, natural resources are not wasted. But runoff from human activity such as chemicals, heavy metals and plastic threaten to destroy this life, Cousteau warned.

He said this runoff is either decomposing⁴ or sinking and is affecting the foundation of life in the ocean, from the plankton⁵ all the way up to the fish we catch and eat. Cousteau said people are bringing back on land a lot of that pollution.

Cousteau is also a fervent⁶ proponent⁷ of desalination⁸ to create clean water for drinking and irrigation. He said fresh water makes up just 1 percent of the planet's supply, while oceans cover 70 percent of the Earth. He views desalinization as the only way we can hydrate a growing population worldwide.

But that can happen on a large scale only if we clean the runoff before it flows into the ocean, he said.

Water shortages

Desalination is expensive, but Cousteau stresses how such an industry can create millions of jobs the world over. He said water shortages are being felt all over the planet.

“If you go to the Gulf⁹ in the Middle East,” he said,” the fresh water that these people consume is more expensive than the oil they put in their cars.” He also said 4,000 to 5,000 children on the planet under age 5 are dying every day because they have no access to clean water or enough water.

Cousteau reveres¹⁰ his father, Jacques Cousteau, who pioneered modern underwater exploration. Still, he said, a great part of the ocean remains¹¹ unexplored. He said there are thousands, maybe millions of species yet to be identified, and we have not determined¹² how much pollution is affecting them.

"My dad used to say, 'People protect what they love,' and I would say, ‘If you don’t understand, how you can protect it?' ” he said.

Jean-Michel Cousteau created the Ocean Futures¹³ Society for that purpose. It is a nonprofit organization that aims to educate people about the significance and fragility of ocean life. Cousteau said films like "Secret Ocean 3D" are part of his mission.

“We want it to be entertaining, fun, beautiful, spectacular, and the mission is that there is only one water system on the planet and every plant, or animal, including humans depends on the quality of that water for the quality of our lives,” he said.

1 wondrous   

adj.令人惊奇的，奇妙的；adv.惊人地；异乎寻常地；令人惊叹地

参考例句：

• The internal structure of the Department is wondrous to behold.看一下国务院的内部结构是很有意思的。
• We were driven across this wondrous vast land of lakes and forests.我们乘车穿越这片有着湖泊及森林的广袤而神奇的土地。

2 microscopic   

adj.微小的，细微的，极小的，显微的

参考例句：

• It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
• A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。

3 sensational   

adj.使人感动的，非常好的，轰动的，耸人听闻的

参考例句：

• Papers of this kind are full of sensational news reports.这类报纸满是耸人听闻的新闻报道。
• Their performance was sensational.他们的演出妙极了。

4 decomposing   

腐烂( decompose的现在分词 )； （使）分解； 分解（某物质、光线等）

参考例句：

• The air was filled with the overpowering stench of decomposing vegetation. 空气中充满了令人难以忍受的腐烂植物的恶臭。
• Heat was obtained from decomposing manures and hot air flues. 靠肥料分解和烟道为植物提供热量。

5 plankton   

n.浮游生物

参考例句：

• Plankton is at the bottom of the marine food chain.浮游生物处于海洋食物链的最底层。
• The plankton in the sea feeds many kinds of animals. 海的浮游生物成为很多种动物的食物。

6 fervent   

adj.热的，热烈的，热情的

参考例句：

• It was a debate which aroused fervent ethical arguments.那是一场引发强烈的伦理道德争论的辩论。
• Austria was among the most fervent supporters of adolf hitler.奥地利是阿道夫希特勒最狂热的支持者之一。

7 proponent   

n.建议者；支持者；adj.建议的

参考例句：

• Stapp became a strong early proponent of automobile seat belts.斯塔普是力主在汽车上采用座椅安全带的早期倡导者。
• Halsey was identified as a leading proponent of the values of progressive education.哈尔西被认为是进步教育价值观的主要支持者。

8 desalination   

n.脱盐(作用)

参考例句：

• Crops can be grown on this land after desalination. 这片土地经过脱盐就可以种植庄稼了。
• One source is by desalination-taking the salt out of salt water to make it drinkable. 淡水的来源之一是使水淡化--把含盐的水中的盐份去掉，使之能够饮用。

9 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。

10 reveres   

v.崇敬，尊崇，敬畏( revere的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• Confucian philosophy reveres the teacher above all. 儒家哲学最讲究尊重师长。 来自互联网
• Group's idea: Have in mind gratefully, the heart checks and reveres, sincerity serve, fulfil one's duty. 团队理念：胸怀感激、心存敬畏、诚信服务、尽职尽责。 来自互联网

11 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

12 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

13 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。