文章大意:本文是一篇说明文。文章主要介绍了一个名为Ocean-Shot的项目,该项目是一个致力于保护珊瑚礁和整个地球的新项目。该项目由气候科学家Deborah Brosnan博士主导,于2021年在加勒比国家安提瓜和巴布达启动,旨在开展“大规模的首创”珊瑚礁修复计划。
A new project in the Caribbean is setting out to save coral reefs(珊瑚礁)- and the world. The Ocean-Shot Project, spearheaded by climate scientist Dr. Deborah Brosnan, launched in 2021 to develop a “massive, first-of-its-kind” coral reef restoration initiative in the Caribbean country Antigua and Barbuda.
“We lose more coral reefs in a day that we can restore in a decade,”Brosnan said. “Our progress towards protecting coral reefs——which ultimately protect us——is too slow. So Ocean- Shot Project is about literally rebuilding the reefs, the architecture of the reefs, for the future. ”
What sets this project apart from other coral reef restoration projects is its focus——the architecture of the reef itself. While many initiatives prioritize saving the corals, Ocean-Shot Project tacks on the additional focus of developing the base for those corals to grow and thrive.
“Coral secretes(分泌) calcium carbonate, creating a sort-of concrete around itself that becomes the structure for the reef. But that process can take hundreds and thousands of years,”Brosnan said. And with coral bleaching(白化) events only predicted to become more intense in the coming decades as global and ocean temperatures warm, this can be a problem for reefs that need to be able to recover.
“What we’re doing is we’re saying, ‘let’s learn from the corals, let’s learn from nature,’”Brosnan said. “And let’s make this happen quickly.”
To make that happen, her team is creating reef structures in a lab and then planting them in the ocean, a process that Brosnan likened to“gardening”. The team is also planting“resilient corals”among the structures that have already survived several bleaching events. Previously, her team deployed their first set of these structures, called modules, into the ocean around Antigua and Barbuda. And it’s already seeing significant success.
“We saw a whole ecosystem start to recognize these reefs as home and just move right on in. So what it told us is that if we provide the living structure, the ecosystem will respond in return,”Brosnan said.
4. What is the purpose of Ocean-Shot Project?
A.To restore coral reefs. | B.To build home for corals. |
C.To prevent coral bleaching. | D.To develop a new coral reef. |
5. What can we know from Brosnan’s words in paragraph 2?
A.The whole ecosystem is in great danger. |
B.Coral reefs are easy to lose and tough to restore. |
C.Our progress in protecting nature is too slow. |
D.The focus of the Ocean-Shot Project is to save corals. |
6. In which aspect is Ocean-Shot Project different from other projects?
A.Its aim. | B.Its duration. |
C.Its focus. | D.Its influence. |
7. What can we say about the work of Brosnan’s team?
A.Controllable. | B.Controversial. |
C.Adventurous. | D.Significant. |