Rising water temperature and the increasing level of carbon dioxide in our oceans are killing our beautiful coral reefs at an astonishing rate. Add the current extreme weather pattern, and things look even worse.
So what makes coral so sensitive? Although it may be hard to believe, corals are not plants, but animals. The colorful reefs we admire so much happen to be skeletons discharged by hundreds of thousands of polyps （珊瑚虫）. To survive, these animals live with an algae （海藻）.
The coral polyps give the algae a home and in return the algae provide the polyps with their vivid color and food. But the rising water temperatures are causing the coral polyps to reject their algae friends. As a result, the corals are not only losing their food source but also their vivid colors .
The disappearance of the reefs does more than rob humans of the chance to admire the beautiful structures. It removes a natural barrier that protects shorelines from storms and also leaves fewer habitat options for fish and other marine life.
To prevent these important animals from disappearing altogether, a team of researchers are attempting to breed "super" corals.
They began by selecting certain coral species that seem to have adapted to the changing ocean conditions better than others. They then made them even more adaptable to warmer water.
Once ready, the researchers plan to transplant the coral into Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay.
Though this sounds simple, there's no guarantee that it will work given that coral is sensitive to touch and also breeds very slowly and infrequently. Also past attempts to transplant coral have failed because they were either eaten by fish or died of disease.
Despite the dangers, researchers believe there's no other choice to prevent the reefs from disappearing. Tom Oliver, a marine biologist says, "The question is not whether they can do it or not , but whether they can do it fast enough."
28. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. The components of coral reefs. B. The disappearing of the coral reefs.
C. The living condition of coral reefs. D. The reasons for the death of coral reefs.
29. The benefits of coral reefs don't include .
A. providing living space to sea animals B. providing beautiful scenery to shorelines
C. providing protection to shorelines D. providing guidance for ships
30. What is Tom Oliver s attitude towards breeding "super" corals?
A. Indifferent. B. Impatient. C. Favorable. D. Opposed.
31. What is the main idea of the text?
A. Corals are of great use to people.
B. People are trying to prevent corals disappearing.
C. Human activities are affecting the growth of corals.
D. Corals polyps depend on an algae for color and food.
28. A段落大意题。 第二段主要讲述珊瑚的组成部分polyps和algac.故选C.
29. D细节理解题。 根据第四段可知.珊明礁消失后.人们欣赏不到美景.海岸线失去了抵御星风雨的屏障.海洋生物的栖息地选择受到了限制。只有D选项中的内容没有提到。故选D.
30. C态度观点题。 根据文章最后一甸“Tom Oliver, a marine biologist says. 'The question is not whether they can do it or not, but whether they can do it fast enough. "可知，他是赞成的态度。故选C.
31. B主旨大意题。 文章首先介绍珊瑚正在大量消失的现状。然后在下文讲述科学家如何想办法去解决这一间题。故选B.
So what makes coral so sensitive? Although it may be hard to believe, corals are not plants, but animals. The colorful reefs we admire so much happen to be skeletons discharged by hundreds of thousands of polyps （珊瑚虫）. To survive, these animals live with an algae （海藻）.
The coral polyps give the algae a home and in return the algae provide the polyps with their vivid color and food. But the rising water temperatures are causing the coral polyps to reject their algae friends. As a result, the corals are not only losing their food source but also their vivid colors .
The disappearance of the reefs does more than rob humans of the chance to admire the beautiful structures. It removes a natural barrier that protects shorelines from storms and also leaves fewer habitat options for fish and other marine life.
To prevent these important animals from disappearing altogether, a team of researchers are attempting to breed "super" corals.
They began by selecting certain coral species that seem to have adapted to the changing ocean conditions better than others. They then made them even more adaptable to warmer water.
Once ready, the researchers plan to transplant the coral into Hawaii's Kaneohe Bay.
Though this sounds simple, there's no guarantee that it will work given that coral is sensitive to touch and also breeds very slowly and infrequently. Also past attempts to transplant coral have failed because they were either eaten by fish or died of disease.
Despite the dangers, researchers believe there's no other choice to prevent the reefs from disappearing. Tom Oliver, a marine biologist says, "The question is not whether they can do it or not , but whether they can do it fast enough."
28. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A. The components of coral reefs. B. The disappearing of the coral reefs.
C. The living condition of coral reefs. D. The reasons for the death of coral reefs.
29. The benefits of coral reefs don't include .
A. providing living space to sea animals B. providing beautiful scenery to shorelines
C. providing protection to shorelines D. providing guidance for ships
30. What is Tom Oliver s attitude towards breeding "super" corals?
A. Indifferent. B. Impatient. C. Favorable. D. Opposed.
31. What is the main idea of the text?
A. Corals are of great use to people.
B. People are trying to prevent corals disappearing.
C. Human activities are affecting the growth of corals.
D. Corals polyps depend on an algae for color and food.
28. A段落大意题。 第二段主要讲述珊瑚的组成部分polyps和algac.故选C.
29. D细节理解题。 根据第四段可知.珊明礁消失后.人们欣赏不到美景.海岸线失去了抵御星风雨的屏障.海洋生物的栖息地选择受到了限制。只有D选项中的内容没有提到。故选D.
30. C态度观点题。 根据文章最后一甸“Tom Oliver, a marine biologist says. 'The question is not whether they can do it or not, but whether they can do it fast enough. "可知，他是赞成的态度。故选C.
31. B主旨大意题。 文章首先介绍珊瑚正在大量消失的现状。然后在下文讲述科学家如何想办法去解决这一间题。故选B.
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