你能在水下生活吗？几个世纪以来，人们写了很多关于水下世界的故事，但到目前为止，它们只是幻想而已。本文讲述人们尝试让水下生活成为现实的计划，以及人们在水下安家之前需要克服的困难。

词汇: underwater living 水下生活

There are people living in almost every corner of our crowded planet. From the tops of mountains to deep underground, we’ve always been able to find habitable places to make a home. But with space at a premium, we’ve started to look even deeper for somewhere to live.

Throughout history, people have been fascinated by the idea of living underwater. More recently, the effects of human activity on the land have led some to look to the oceans for natural resources. Oceanographers and architects have looked at designing vessels, labs and underwater habitats to enable people to live and work in a submerged world. But, while dreams of an aquatic city have remained a fantasy, how close are we to making our home on the seabed a reality?

The pioneer of undersea living was Ian Koblick, sometimes described as an ‘aquanaut’. He claimed technology already existed to create underwater colonies supporting up to a hundred people. He even opened La Chalupa, once the largest and most advanced underwater habitat and research facility in the world. 

A more recent and ambitious design for an underwater city is Ocean Spiral. Designed by the Japanese Shimizu Corporation, it’s a huge transparent globe attached to the seabed. It’s got a tower running through it to the surface, providing space for homes, offices and even an amusement park for five thousand residents. Masaki Takeuchi from the company told the BBC: “Our idea is to connect the sea surface and the deep sea vertically, and that way we believe that we can utilise the capability of the deep sea.”

Of course, there are engineering challenges in constructing an oceanic metropolis. And living underwater would have major effects on the human body, especially as there is an increase in atmospheric pressure which could lead to the bends. So, maybe it’s too soon to be packing our bags and setting up a new life three thousand metres under the sea!

词汇表

underground 在地面以下的
habitable 可居住的，适于居住的
underwater 在海面下的
ocean 海洋
oceanographer 海洋学家
architect 建筑师
vessel 船，舰
habitat 栖息地
submerged 潜入水中的
aquatic city 水中都市
the seabed 海床，海底
undersea living 水下生活
aquanaut 海底实验室工作人员
the sea surface 海面
the deep sea 深海
vertically 垂直地
oceanic metropolis 海洋大都市

测验与练习

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。

1. Why might we want to look for somewhere to live other than on land?

2. According to this article, who was seen as the pioneer of undersea living?

3. How many people could live in Ocean Spiral?

4. True or false? Living in an underwater city is now a reality.

5. Name two problems of living underwater mentioned in the article.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. We bought a very old house, and it has taken a lot of work to make it _______.

habitat                        habits                           habitable                   habittable

2. I love going to the aquarium and looking at all the _______ life.

submerged                 aquatic                         oceanographer          aquanaut

3. The _______ have designed a building that is functional but looks amazing.

architect                     architecture                   architects                   architectural

4. All the _______ in the street had to leave their homes because of a gas leak.

residents                    residentials                    resides                       resident

5. The huge _______ was on route to England when it hit the rocks and sank.

globe                          seabed                          pioneer                       vessel

答案

1.  阅读课文并回答问题。  

1. Why might we want to look for somewhere to live other than on land?
Space on land is at a premium – it is in short supply.

2. According to this article, who was seen as the pioneer of undersea living?
The pioneer of undersea living was Ian Koblick, sometimes described as an ‘aquanaut’. 

3. How many people could live in Ocean Spiral?
Ocean Spiral is a huge transparent globe attached to the seabed with space for five thousand residents.

4. True or false? Living in an underwater city is now a reality.
False. There have been many ideas for an underwater city but it is not a reality yet. 

5. Name two problems of living underwater mentioned in the article.
There are engineering challenges in constructing an oceanic metropolis and living underwater would have major effects on the human body.

2. 选择意思恰当的单词或词组来完成下列句子。

1. We bought a very old house, and it has taken a lot of work to make it habitable.

2. I love going to the aquarium and looking at all the aquatic life.

3. The architects have designed a building that is functional but looks amazing.

4. All the residents in the street had to leave their homes because of a gas leak.

5. The huge vessel was on route to England when it hit the rocks and sank.