Coral reefs (珊瑚礁)are in great danger ,due to warming oceans. Conservationists are worried about how to save them, but a new study might come as music to their ears.

A team of scientists came up with an unusual idea to play underwater sounds along degraded(退化) coral reefs of Australia's Great Barrier Reef that would copy the usual noises heard on a healthy and active reef. When they did so, they found that fish were attracted to the music and more willing to hang around.

Dr. Stephen Simpson, a researcher at the University of Exeter, UK, said that coral reefs are remarkably noisy places full of various sounds. Young fish will be attracted to these sounds after they spent their early stage in the open ocean. However, once a reef becomes degraded, it smells and sounds less attractive to the young fish, who choose to settle elsewhere, thus speeding up further degradation of the reef.

In the experiment, reefs were given one of three experimental treatments. They either had no loudspeaker, a fake loudspeaker, or a real loudspeaker that played reef sounds. Playback occurred for 40 days, always at nighttime, which is when fish settlement typically occurs.

After 40 days, there were twice as many young fish on reefs with real loudspeakers than the other two kinds of reefs, with no significant differences between the two control treatments. And biodiversity also increased by 50 %, with more species attracted to the sound.

While the presence of fish alone cannot restore a coral reef to good health, study author Dr. Mark Meekan explained that “recovery is encouraged by fish that clean the reefs and create space for corals to regrow”. This could promote a “snowball effect”, with other fish responding positively to communities founded earlier, causing further increases in settlement.

The researchers hope that this discovery can add to reef restoration efforts because, at this point ,the reefs need all the help they can get.

Nuclear pollution has long been a global concern, with major accidents like those at Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima highlighting the serious health and environmental risks associated with nuclear disasters. These incidents not only caused immediate health issues such as radiation sickness and increased cancer rates but also led to long-term environmental damage and genetic mutations in affected populations. Consequently, nuclear pollution remains a significant worry for governments, academics, and society worldwide.

When nuclear accidents occur near coastlines, the marine environment becomes a key point due to the vital role oceans play in climate regulation, food security, and supporting billions of livelihoods globally. In recent years, escalating threats to marine ecosystems from mounting ocean pollution have spurred increased public awareness of marine environmental protection. Studies have shown that human activities pose a significant threat to marine environments, emphasizing the need for improved environmental governance and measures to address environmental risks.

Following the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011, efforts to cool the reactors by injecting seawater led to the accumulation of a vast amount of nuclear waste within the Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant’s water storage tower. Despite attempts to manage this waste, the Japanese government’s decision to discharge nearly 1.26 million tons of nuclear wastewater into the Pacific Ocean over the next 40 years has faced opposition from neighboring countries, Japanese residents, and international environmental organizations.

This discharge poses substantial risks to marine life, fisheries, and human health. Radioactive isotopes (放射性同位素) such as tritium, carbon-14, cobalt-60, and strontium-90 present in the wastewater can accumulate in marine organisms, ultimately affecting human populations through the food chain. Therefore, further research and mitigation measures to address the wide-ranging consequences of nuclear pollution on the environment and human health are urgently needed.

In conclusion, while nuclear power may offer benefits, the potential risks, as highlighted by incidents like Fukushima, underscore the importance of stringent safety measures and thorough consideration of environmental impacts.

Most of us don’ t have millions of dollars to go door-to-door to persuade people to care about climate change. 【小题1】 So let’s talk to them about climate change. Because if we can’t convince our parents to take action on climate, who can we convince?

It might be a hard conversation. If you do accept this challenge, here are a few suggestions:

Talk to them with love and respect. If you’ve ever used any poisonous terms, please get rid of them from your vocabulary. 【小题2】

Share a couple of informative articles on the topic. Bill Mckibben’s article in Rolling Stone is great and very readable. 【小题3】 The most important thing for them to understand is that on our current path we may no longer have a climate that allows for secure societies within the lifetimes of today’s children.

Once these unpleasant facts are laid out, make it clear that you aren’t blaming them for this. Your parents likely made all of their decisions with a strong sense of morality and social responsibility, and could only make those decisions based on the information they had at the time. 【小题4】 But now that you have provided this new information, talk about how it warns them，and all of us, to behave in new ways.

Encourage them to buy environmentally friendly goods and services as much as possible. Talk to them about trying to avoid using or use less fossil fuels. But given the urgency and severity of the problem, also make it clear that this will not be enough. 【小题5】