VOA慢速英语2012 Explorations - Travel Industry, Fisheries Depend on Threatened Coral Reefs

 Explorations - Travel Industry, Fisheries Depend on Threatened Coral Reefs

 

MARIO RITTER: Welcome to Explorations in VOA Special English. I’m Mario Ritter. This week, we hear from a prize-winning expert on bees. May Berenbaum has studied ways to help protect the insects from bee diseases and other threats. Last year, she won the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement.

We also tell about efforts to study the spread of plastic waste in the world’s oceans. But first, we hear how human activities are threatening coral reefs and the sea life they support.

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CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: The world’s coral reefs are increasingly being threatened, mostly because of human activities. A group of environmental organizations released a report on the issue. The “Reefs at Risk Revisited” report used new information and improved satellite mapping systems to study the world’s coral reefs. For the first time, it also considered the effect of climate change on these threatened sea organisms. Jane Lubchenco is administrator¹ of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric² Administration, or NOAA. She says the problem is serious.

JANE LUBCHENCO: "Approximately 75 percent of the world’s coral reefs are currently threatened by a combination of local and global pressures."

Lubchenco says the threat to coral reefs will continue to increase unless something is done to save them.

JANE LUBCHENCO: "If the current trend persists, the projections³ in this report tell us that 20 years from now, roughly half the reefs globally will experience thermal⁴ stress sufficient to induce severe bleaching⁵ in most years. Within the next 50 years this percentage is expected to grow more than 95 percent."

Nancy Knowlton is with the Smithsonian Institution. She says the threat to coral reefs could have a major effect on sea life.

NANCY KNOWLTON: "It’s been estimated that about one - at least one quarter, maybe as much as one third, of all species that live in the ocean live associated with coral reefs. So perhaps it is not too surprising that even more recently an analysis was done that suggests that one third of all coral species are actually at risk of extinction⁶. This makes corals the most endangered animal on the planet, even more endangered than frogs."

Millions of species of sea life depend on coral reefs for their survival. This makes them an important source of food for millions of people around the world.

Coral reefs also protect coastlines from storms and flooding. And, they provide economic security for many countries.

LAURETTA BURKE: "Tourism is an important economic contributor in over 95 countries and territories around the world. It contributes over 20 percent of GDP in over 20 countries."

Lauretta Burke is with the World Resources Institute. She was one of the lead writers of the report. She says more than 275-million people are dependent on the resources from coral reefs, mostly in Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean.

The report noted⁷ overfishing and climate change as two of the most serious threats to the world’s oceans. It said higher acidity⁸ levels caused by carbon dioxide emissions⁹ are also a problem. Other threats include the use of explosives for fishing, as well as the run-off of toxic¹⁰ materials and other pollution.

LAURETTA BURKE: "Overfishing is the most widespread threat affecting about 55 percent of the world’s reefs. The threat is particularly high in Southeast Asia. Watershed¹¹ based pollution and coastal¹² development affect roughly a quarter of the world’s reefs."

Burke says while the reefs around Australia are the best preserved, those in Southeast Asia are the most threatened. Ninety percent of them are at risk, largely because of overfishing.

The report says coral reefs are critically important. It says better management practices and policies must be established to reduce the threats to these valuable ecosystems¹³. I’m Christopher Cruise.

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MARIO RITTER: Next, we turn to environmental activist¹⁴ Marcus Eriksen. He goes sailing in search of objects floating near the ocean’s surface. But, as Shirley Griffith explains, he is not hoping to catch fish.

SHIRLEY GRIFFITH: Marcus Eriksen is not really fishing. He is catching¹⁵ plastic in the Atlantic Ocean. Eriksen wants to publicize the growing buildup of plastic waste in our oceans and to study its effects.

MARCUS ERIKSEN: “These are five sub-tropical gyres in the world where the majority of the plastic in the world accumulates.”

ANNA CUMMINS: “The gyre is formed by ocean currents that couple with the spinning of the Earth, the Earth’s rotation¹⁶. And what happens is that you have, effectively, a massive whirlpool, this large spinning system, where debris¹⁷ can accumulate.”

Anna Cummins and her husband Marcus Eriksen set up a not-for-profit group called the 5 Gyres Institute. It helps researchers with studies of plastic pollution in the oceans. Cummins says plastic bags and bottles have little or no value after they are used. Most plastic waste can be found in solid-waste landfills or along rivers. A lot of this waste also washes out to sea.

CUMMINS: “This becomes a problem in the marine¹⁸ environment because plastics are designed to last forever. They don’t break down, they can’t be digested by marine organisms and they persist in the ocean for thousands of years.”

When sailing, Eriksen and Cummins gather objects from the ocean’s surface. Hundreds of things they caught have gone to a California laboratory for testing.

CUMMINS: “What shocked me the most on all these trips is to cross an ocean, to cross for thousands and thousands of miles, and find that every single sample we pull up has plastic.”

Some plastics stay in large pieces for a long time. But many break down into smaller particles.

ERIKSEN: “The plastic out there. It’s not a condensed island of trash. It’s really spread out. And it’s this plastic soup, that is from continent to continent.”

Animals mistakenly eat the smaller pieces of plastic or feed them to their young.

CUMMINS: “Roughly 43 percent of all marine mammals, 86 percent of all sea turtle species and 44 percent of sea bird species have been found with plastics in or around their bodies. Thirty-five percent of the samples of fish that we collected in the north Pacific had plastic in their stomachs.”

5 Gyres Institute and its partners are now studying how plastics enter the ocean’s food supply and their effects on human health.

CUMMINS: “I had a chance to do what’s called a ‘body burden analysis’ on my own blood. We looked into my blood serum¹⁹ to find, do I have the same chemicals that we know stick to plastic. And we found in my blood trace levels of PCBs, DDT, PFCs and higher levels of flame retardants. We don’t know how these chemicals entered my body. As a woman, I know that these chemicals in my body will pass on to the next generation.”

Marcus Eriksen and his partners used 15,000 empty plastic bottles to build a boat they called “JUNKraft.” In 2008, they sailed from California through the North Pacific Gyre.

ERIKSEN: “The North Pacific Gyre…it’s surprising if you go only 1,000 miles off the coast of California, which is 7,000 miles from Japan, you still get a lot of Japanese and Chinese plastic.”

Eriksen and Cummins say the seas of plastic waste will be with us for a long time. But they believe there are solutions.

ERIKSEN: “The solutions, they don’t begin on the ocean. They begin on land.”

CUMMINS: “We also need to improve our recycling infrastructure²⁰. Here in this country, in the United States, we only recover and recycle roughly five percent of our plastics.”

Re-using plastics is one way. The husband and wife team say they support the wider use of biodegradable materials. They want more products re-designed so they can be used again and again. And they believe that people around the world need to understand the problem of plastic waste and its effect on the environment and our health. I’m Shirley Griffith.

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MARIO RITTER: You are listening to EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English.

(MUSIC)

CHRISTOPHER CRUISE: Bee expert May Berenbaum knows that many people have an uneasy feeling about bees because they sting.

MAY BERENBAUM: “But on the other hand, people all over the world have developed a dependency on the honey bee because it is really the world’s premier²¹ managed pollinator. And here in the US, for example, over 90 crops depend on honeybees for pollination²² services.”

Farmers depend on bees to help them grow crops. But many bees have died in recently because of what scientists call colony collapse²³ disorder²⁴. Berenbaum says there are many reasons for this. One is the long-distance transport of bees to pollinate crops. This has helped spread bee diseases. Another reason is the build-up of insect-killing pesticides²⁵ in bee colonies. Researchers like Berenbaum are studying the problem. Yet she says all of us can help.

MAY BERENBAUM: “You can buy local honey. Local honey is available at stores only because there is a local beekeeper who went to the trouble of harvesting it. So the more beekeepers there are, the more honey there is. We’ve, over the last 25 years, seen an alarming decline in the number of beekeepers. It’s starting … the interest is resurging, which is the best news for America’s bees … actually more beekeepers!”

She says people can help by planting flowers and learning to live with weeds, some of these provide food for bees. Berenbaum was in Los Angeles to receive the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement. She says the prize of $200,000 will help a project involving “citizen-scientists.”

MAY BERENBAUM: “We have one project called bee-spotter, which is now restricted to Illinois, where we ask people to go out with a digital camera, even a cellphone, and photograph either bumblebees or honey bees.”

She is pleased with the project.

MAY BERENBAUM: “A citizen-scientist outside Peoria actually sent in a photograph of a species of bumblebee, the rusty²⁶ patched bumblebee, bombus affinis, that was thought to have gone extinct in that area, and was recovered by a private citizen with a digital camera.”

Berenbaum says we should not forget that bees are also important for the honey they produce. So in addition to pollinating crops, the honey bee makes our lives a little sweeter. I’m Christopher Cruise.

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MARIO RITTER: This program was written by George Grow and June Simms. Our announcers were Shirley Griffith and Christopher Cruise.

You can watch video versions of these stories on our website, voanews.cn. And follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and iTunes. I’m Mario Ritter.

1 administrator   

n.经营管理者，行政官员

参考例句：

• The role of administrator absorbed much of Ben's energy.行政职务耗掉本很多精力。
• He has proved himself capable as administrator.他表现出管理才能。

2 atmospheric   

adj.大气的，空气的；大气层的；大气所引起的

参考例句：

• Sea surface temperatures and atmospheric circulation are strongly coupled.海洋表面温度与大气环流是密切相关的。
• Clouds return radiant energy to the surface primarily via the atmospheric window.云主要通过大气窗区向地表辐射能量。

3 projections   

预测( projection的名词复数 )； 投影； 投掷； 突起物

参考例句：

• Their sales projections are a total thumbsuck. 他们的销售量预测纯属估计。
• The council has revised its projections of funding requirements upwards. 地方议会调高了对资金需求的预测。

4 thermal   

adj.热的，由热造成的；保暖的

参考例句：

• They will build another thermal power station.他们要另外建一座热能发电站。
• Volcanic activity has created thermal springs and boiling mud pools.火山活动产生了温泉和沸腾的泥浆池。

5 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。

6 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

7 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

8 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。

9 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

10 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

11 watershed   

n.转折点，分水岭，分界线

参考例句：

• Our marriage was at a watershed.我们的婚姻到了一个转折关头。
• It forms the watershed between the two rivers.它成了两条河流的分水岭。

12 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。

13 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

14 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

15 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

16 rotation   

n.旋转；循环，轮流

参考例句：

• Crop rotation helps prevent soil erosion.农作物轮作有助于防止水土流失。
• The workers in this workshop do day and night shifts in weekly rotation.这个车间的工人上白班和上夜班每周轮换一次。

17 debris   

n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片

参考例句：

• After the bombing there was a lot of debris everywhere.轰炸之后到处瓦砾成堆。
• Bacteria sticks to food debris in the teeth,causing decay.细菌附着在牙缝中的食物残渣上，导致蛀牙。

18 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。

19 serum   

n.浆液，血清，乳浆

参考例句：

• The serum is available to the general public.一般公众均可获得血清。
• Untreated serum contains a set of 11 proteins called complement.未经处理的血清含有一组蛋白质，共11种，称为补体。

20 infrastructure   

n.下部构造，下部组织，基础结构，基础设施

参考例句：

• We should step up the development of infrastructure for research.加强科学基础设施建设。
• We should strengthen cultural infrastructure and boost various types of popular culture.加强文化基础设施建设，发展各类群众文化。

21 premier   

adj.首要的；n.总理，首相

参考例句：

• The Irish Premier is paying an official visit to Britain.爱尔兰总理正在对英国进行正式访问。
• He requested that the premier grant him an internview.他要求那位总理接见他一次。

22 pollination   

n.授粉

参考例句：

• The flowers get pollination by insects.这些花通过昆虫授粉。
• Without sufficient pollination,the growth of the corn is stunted.没有得到充足的授粉，谷物的长势就会受阻。

23 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

24 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

25 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

26 rusty   

adj.生锈的；锈色的；荒废了的

参考例句：

• The lock on the door is rusty and won't open.门上的锁锈住了。
• I haven't practiced my French for months and it's getting rusty.几个月不用，我的法语又荒疏了。