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Amid a global pandemic, another disaster was unfolding early this year beneath the ocean waters off the coast of Australia. Thanks to climate change, surface water temperatures across the Great Barrier Reef had hit record highs. By April, the damage was clear: the reef (礁) had experienced the most widespread bleaching event ever recorded and ended up disappearing, as corals expelled what serves as their food source and give them their color.
With a quarter of all ocean fish depending on reefs during their life cycles, scientists say we urgently need to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to preserve the essential habitats. “Unfortunately we aren’t acting quick enough on climate change, and that leaves a real problem for coral reefs,” says Emma Camp, 33, a marine biogeochemist at the University of Technology Sydney. She’s investigating special corals that survive in forest lagoons (环礁湖) where water is warmer and more acidic compared with that surrounding most reefs, and which may be resistant to the conditions ruining the Great Barrier Reef.
Camp wants to learn if these creatures-named “supercorals” after she and a team discovered them during research for her Ph.D.in 2014-can be transplanted to other reefs to aid restoration.
She’s also investigating the biochemical characteristics that allow certain corals to survive in extreme environments. None of her efforts, she says, is a substitute for action to stop climate change. “My research is really about buying time.”
For Camp, it’s also essential to include a new generation of scientists to study the planet’s ecological systems. She talks about science with students around the world and speaks at local and international women-in-science events. “Our research tells more than itself. It is clear that if we lose 50% of the intellectual input because we’re filtering out women from that career path, we’re really going to struggle to solve those problems,” she says.
1.What’s the main concern according to the first paragraph?
A.The reef died out in great number. B.The reef began to change color.
C.Climate change went beyond expectation. D.Corals had no source of food.
2.Which word can replace the underlined word?
A.Influenced. B.Accepted. C.Dismissed. D.Adopted.
3.What can be learned from forest lagoons in the second paragraph?
A.They suffer due to our slow response to the climate change.
B.They stand out by providing a good condition for reefs.
C.Their water has a big influence on the reef’s growth.
D.Their warmer and acidic water is the curse of the climate change.
4.What does Camp think of her research?
A.It has served its purpose of restoring other reefs.
B.Her efforts will encourage people to deal with climate change.
C.Her efforts only put off the consequence of warm surface water.
D.More younger women should be included in the research.
