Off the coast of northeastern Queensland, Australia, near Magnetic Island in Florence Bay, the Great Barrier Reef corals (大堡礁珊瑚) are having a baby boom (激增).

“Every year there are more anrd more coral babies,” says Hillary Smith, an ecologist at ames Cook University in Australia.

That’s thanks to a simple but effective strategy for cleaning the region’s coral reefs: “seaweeding”. Like weeding (给……除杂草) a garden, seaweeding involves pulling big handfuls of large algae (水藻) off reefs and taking them away.

Experts say getting climate change under control is key to keeping the world’s reefs healthy. But meanwhile, local efforts such as seaweeding can help corals grow and reduce the effects of climate change.

The health of coral reefs around the world is dire: By 2050, 95 percent of the world’s coral could experience heat stress, according to a 2020 report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. Algae is a big problem: Already, algae cover has increased on two-thirds of reefs around the world, and one study published in 2021 showed that half the world’s coral reefs have died since the 1950s. Removing seaweed from reefs requires a great deal of work but is not complex, making it a good project for citizen scientists eager to help restore (恢复) reefs.

When the project first began in 2018, Smith says researchers weren’t sure if removing seaweed would benefit the reef or if removal might have the opposite effect in some way. But now, “It’s all looking really positive for the reef,” she says.

Volunteers are ready and waiting to help near Townsville and at other affected Australian reefs, says the Earthwatch Institute’s Fiona Wilson.“We need lots of willing hands to remove seaweed. It takes weeks of time,”she says. “But obviously recovery of the Great Barrier Reef is a passion for many people, so we draw volunteers.”

【小题1】What contributed to the growth of the Great Barrier Reef corals in Florence Bay?

A．Local efforts to remove seaweed.	B．Reduced effects of climate change.
C．Fewer human activities in the region.	D．The use of new restoration technologies.

【小题2】What does the underlined word “dire” in paragraph 5 mean?

A．Strange.

B．Acceptable.

C．Excellent.

D．Terrible.

【小题3】How did researchers feel about the project at first?

A．They were hopeful of it.	B．They were excited about it.
C．They were uncertain about it.	D．They were uninterested in it.

【小题4】What does Wilson say about the recovery of the Great Barrier Reef?

A．It is still a long way off.	B．It is less difficult than thought.
C．It will take hard work and skill.	D．It attracts and needs volunteers.