文字稿

有证据显示澳大利亚的大堡礁正遭受有记录以来最严重的珊瑚白化现象，科学家们再次呼吁联合国将其列入世界濒危遗产名录。请听  BBC Jon Donnison 的报道。

The Great Barrier Reef is considered one of the seven wonders of the natural world. But the study from Australia's National Coral Bleaching Taskforce found that in some areas, 95% of the reefs are now severely damaged.

On the northern section running between Cairns in Queensland and Papua New Guinea, only four out of 520 reefs are untouched. Coral bleaching is caused by rising sea temperatures. It can take decades for the coral to recover. And persistent warmer waters kill the reefs altogether.

Last year UNESCO, the UN's scientific body, decided not to list the World Heritage Site as 'in-danger'. Environmentalists are now calling for that decision to be reassessed.

词汇表

seven wonders of the natural world 自然界七大奇观
bleaching 漂白的，白化
running 贯穿
untouched 未受破坏的，完好无损的
body 组织，机构
reassessed 重新考虑

测验

请听报道并回答下列问题。

1. Are all of the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef seriously affected by bleaching?

2. True or false? Bleaching is caused by the sea getting warmer.

3. Does it take more than 10 years for reefs to recover from bleaching? 

4. Are environmentalists happy with the decision not to list the reefs as 'in-danger'?

答案

1. Are all of the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef seriously affected by bleaching?
No. 95% of the reefs are severely damaged.

2. True or false? Bleaching is caused by the sea getting warmer.
True. Coral bleaching is caused by rising sea temperatures.

3. Does it take more than 10 years for reefs to recover from bleaching?
Yes, it can take decades for the coral to recover.

4. Are environmentalists happy with the decision not to list the reefs as 'in-danger'?
No. They want the decision to be reassessed.