国家地理 岌岌可危的珊瑚礁（在线收听）

The waves of these azure seas hide an abundant treasure. Below the waves, coral reefs provide a habitat for teeming life, a life with a kaleidoscope of color. In oceans around the world, clear and well-circulating waters encourage corals to anchor and grow. Despite their plant or stone like appearance, corals are actually animals. They come in many colorful forms and textures. Starting as tiny cylindrical polyps just a couple of millimeters in diameter, they grow about half an inch a year and can become several feet in diameter.

这片蔚蓝的海下掩藏着无尽的宝藏。波涛之下生长着珊瑚礁，为无数生命提供了栖息环境，让它们的生活五彩缤纷。无论是世界上的哪片海洋，只要海水清澈并循环良好，珊瑚就会落地生根、茁壮生长。虽然珊瑚外表看起来像植物又像石头，但其实它们是动物。珊瑚可以多种颜色呈现，质地也五花八门。珊瑚小时候是圆柱形的小珊瑚虫，直径只有几毫米。然后每年可以长半英寸，最后直径可长到几英尺。

Corals form reefs as successive generations build on the skeletal remains of older generations. Reefs can be hundreds of feet wide and stretch for miles. The greatest collection of reefs is located off the northeast coast of Australia, the Great Barrier Reef. This collection of reefs encompasses 135,000 square miles. Thousands of species of reef fish, mollusks, sea stars and other creatures inhabit coral reefs. The reef system's spiny grottos offer refuge and feeding grounds for a variety of aquatic life.

珊瑚可以形成群礁，因为后代会在前辈的残骸上继续生长。珊瑚礁可达数百英尺宽，绵延数英里长。最大的珊瑚礁群位于澳大利亚海岸东北部——大堡礁。大堡礁面积达13.5万平方英里。珊瑚礁里可有无数岩礁鱼类、海星等生物生存。珊瑚礁自带细小的孔眼，可以提供为许多水族提供庇护和食物。

In spring, this Caribbean reef plays host to the fanatic mating of fish. A male yellow head garfish is left alone to tender fertilized eggs he carries in his mouth. He spits them out from time to time in order to aerate them over the 5-day gestation period. In this aquatic community, unusual relationships develop. A cleaning station thrives around this coral head, often patronized by the tiger grouper. Tiny gobies fearlessly enter the tiger's mouth to feed on dead tissue and parasites. But just as the reef fosters life, it can harbor danger.

春天的时候，这个加勒比珊瑚礁是鱼类交配的绝好地点。一只黄头雀鳝只能靠自己来照料嘴里的蛋。他要时不时地将蛋吐出来，让他们置于空气中，才能熬过5天的妊娠期。在水族之中，也会发展出不正常的关系。这个珊瑚岬附近出现了清洁站，这里是老虎斑经常出没的地方。小小的鰕虎鱼毫不畏惧地游入老虎斑口中，用死去的组织和寄生虫裹腹。不过，珊瑚礁不只能滋养生命，也会暗藏危险。

Lurking on the fringes of this Caribbean reef, the barracuda is a fierce predator equipped with razor-sharp teeth. Although they do hunt in groups, sometimes adults branch off and prowl for food on their own. This small ballyhoo fish is a mere snack for this hungry barracuda. Coral reefs have been evolving for about 500 million years, but these days they are under threat. Global warming, pollution and overfishing have contributed to their decline. Earnest efforts are under way to protect the world's reefs and restore them. Artificial reefs created from sunken ships and other man-made objects have shown some short-term promise. But man's impact on the environment continues to make the future of coral reefs uncertain.

潜伏在这个加勒比珊瑚礁边缘的梭鱼是凶猛的捕食者，自带锋利的牙齿。虽然梭鱼也会成群结队进行狩猎，但一些成年梭鱼会单干，自己寻找食物。这只小鱵只是这只饥饿梭鱼用来塞牙缝的。珊瑚礁已有近5亿年的进化史，但近来却遭受着威胁：全球变暖、污染以及渔捞过渡都使珊瑚礁数量日渐减少。人们也在努力保护世界各地的珊瑚礁，并试图恢复他们的生长。从沉船等人造物体生发出来的人工珊瑚礁在短期内很有前景。但人类对环境的影响依然让珊瑚礁未来一片渺茫。