昔日缤纷多彩珊瑚礁 今日“白骨皑皑” The Great Barrier Reef Goes Sick

Every person shall live a life suffering from birth, sickness, aging and death. So shall other creatures. Merely, they are neglected and left behind. As the latest news reported, the Great Barrier Reef is suffering the most severe blenching ever in the history which Australians take most pride in. 

人会有生老病死。其他生物一样也有生老病死，只是他们被忽略了。据最近消息称，澳大利亚人最引以为傲的大堡礁正在经历史上最严重的白化事件。

The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest reef system, as well as the transparent and pellucid wild kingdom in the sea, is located off the coast of Queensland, Australia, and extends more than 1,400 miles. It consists of some 3,000 individual reefs and is also home to some certain endangered animal species.

大堡礁，拥有世界上最大的珊瑚群，又称清澈透明的海中野生王国。大堡礁位于澳大利亚昆士兰州的海岸线上，绵延1400多里。并且涵盖大约3000个独立的珊瑚礁，还是某些濒临动物物种的栖息地。

Tragedy cannot be avoided. There is no denying that the Great Barrier Reef is in serious trouble. And it has been hammered in recent years by El Niño and climate change. As temperature rises, thesymbiotic algae on corals have to drop off. Consequently, bleaching occurs to the corals. 

悲剧无法避免。不可否认的是，近些年，由于厄尔尼诺现象以及全球气候变暖，大堡礁的生态环境处于危机边缘。由于温度升高，暗礁上的共生珊瑚藻类只能弃之而去，所以珊瑚都逐渐出现“白化现象”。

Coral blenching, is a phenomenon in which stressed corals expel algae and turn white.  If not given time to recover, bleached corals can perish. According to the related data, about 35 percent coral of the Great Barrier Reef either have died or are dying. And the most severe coral blenching on record had impacted around 93 percent of the reef.

所谓“白化现象”，就是共生藻类被迫驱离，而珊瑚逐渐变成白色。如果没有时间给白化珊瑚修复，那么这些珊瑚将会消亡。据相关数据显示，约35%的大堡礁珊瑚不是已经死亡就在正在死亡。而且记载的最严重的珊瑚白化已经影响约93%的珊瑚礁。

If the present situation last for ever, one day the Great Barrier Reef will pass away completely. Consequently, the remaining about three quarters still alive which are in desperate need of relief. Certainly, I would not hope this wonder disappeared which has last for 2,500 years. Heartbroken!

如果目前的情况一直持续，那么大堡礁真的就会在某一天完全消失不见。因此，我们亟待拯救那些尚未消失的珊瑚们，大约占珊瑚礁总量的四分之三。非常不希望已经有2500年历史的奇观消失不见。心碎！

No one knows if what effort could have saved the reef, but it is clear that no effective effort had been made. Or, it would never face such a bad condition. Moreover, the Great Barrier Reef supports thousands of jobs for Australia and it contributes a lot to the local tourism.

目前还不知道哪些努力可以拯救珊瑚礁们，但是很明显现在并没有采任何有效措施。否则，今日的大堡礁也不会面对如此惨境。而且，大堡礁为澳大利亚提供了很多工作岗位，并且为促进当地旅游发展做出了贡献。

We can and must save the Great Barrier Reef. And it’s never too late to better protect the Great Barrier Reef from this moment on. Whatever you believe in your mind, one thing is absolutely convinced: the Great Barrier Reef desperately needs help, or we could see them in the pictures or memories instead of witnessing face to face!

我们可以，我们必须要拯救大堡礁。而且，从此刻起，开始更好保护大堡礁都不晚。不管你脑子里在想什么，唯一坚决确定的就是：大堡礁急需帮助，否则以后我们就再也不能亲眼睹其瑰丽，只能在照片里或记忆里相见。

blench

美 [blentʃ] 英 [blentʃ]

v. 退缩；退避；弄白；无视

例句：

Coral blenching, is a phenomenon in which stressed corals expel algae and turn white.

所谓“白化现象”，就是共生藻类被迫驱离，而珊瑚逐渐变成白色。

pellucid

美 [pɪ'lusɪd] 英 [pɪ'luːsɪd]

adj. 清澈的；清晰的

例句：

After reading these stodgy philosophers, I find his pellucid style very enjoyable.

在阅读这些乏味的哲学家，我觉得他的透明风格非常愉快。

coral

美 ['kɔrəl] 英 ['kɒrəl]

n. 珊瑚虫；珊瑚

adj. 珊瑚色的；红色的；粉红的

n. a creature that produces coral; a hard substance that is red, pink or white in colour, and that forms on the bottom of the sea from the bones of very small creatures. Coral is often used in jewelry

adj. pink or red in color, like coral

例句：

Oblique cross with natural texture, every piece of coral is not the same.

有自然斜横纹理，每一件珊瑚都不相同。

She was trifling with a string of coral beads which her mother had just given her.

她正在玩耍一串她母亲刚才给她的珊瑚珠链。

reef

美 [rif] 英 [riːf]

n. 礁，礁脉；缩帆部，帆的可收缩部

v. 收帆；卷起缩帆部；叠起缩帆部

n.a long line of rocks or sand near the surface of the sea; a part of a sail that can be tied or rolled up to make the sail smaller in a strong wind

v. ~ sth to make a sail smaller by tying or rolling up part of it

例句：

Overlooking the Great Barrier Reef, like the surging sea of green blooming gemgeneral.

俯瞰大堡礁，犹如在汹涌澎湃的大海上绽放的碧绿的宝石一般。

Just asmall increase in average temperatures could cause massive coralbleaching on the reef, he said.

他说，平均温度上升一点点就可能导致珊瑚礁大面积褪色变白。

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