Coral Reefs

Coral Reefs written by Paula Schricker. Focus question. What are coral reefs and why are they being protected?

《珊瑚礁》，作者：宝拉·施里克。核心问题：什么是珊瑚礁，为什么 它们要受到保护呢？

underwater communities. Coral reefs are huge ocean communities. Millions of animals and sea plants live in them. Coral reefs are very busy places. Many kinds of coral make up reefs. Corals aren't rocks or plants. They are tiny animals called polyps. Most polyps are smaller than a pea.

水下群落。 珊瑚礁是庞大的海洋群落。 数百万的动物和海洋植物都生活在这里。 珊瑚礁是热热闹闹的家园。 珊瑚礁由很多种珊瑚组成。 珊瑚不是石头也不是植物。 它们是叫做珊瑚虫的微小动物。 大多数珊瑚虫比一粒豌豆还要小。

Kinds of Coral There are two kinds of coral. The first kind is hard corals. These corals have hard skeletons. Over time, thousands of polyp skeletons help build a reef. Algae live in the bodies of these corals. Algae are simple cousins of plants. The algae are food for the corals.

珊瑚的种类 珊瑚一共有两种。 第一种是硬珊瑚，这类珊瑚长着坚硬的骨架。 时间久了，成千上万珊瑚虫的骨架就慢慢堆成了珊瑚礁。 藻类就生活在这些珊瑚的身体里。 藻类是植物的远亲，它们是珊瑚的食物。

Soft corals are the second kind of coral. They often look like trees or other plants. These corals can bend with the water currents. Algae live in the bodies of some of them. Many corals are named for what they look like. Brain corals look like brains. Sea fans look like open fans. Sea pens look like old fashioned pens made from big feathers.

软珊瑚是第二种珊瑚。 它们看起来常常像树木或者别的植物。 这类珊瑚可以跟着水流弯来弯去。 有些软珊瑚的身体里也住着藻类。 很多珊瑚都是根据外形取名字的哦。 脑珊瑚看起来就像大脑。 海扇看起来像展开的扇子。 海鳃看起来像用大羽毛做的那种老式钢笔。

busy home. Thousands of fish of all sizes, shapes, and colors live on reefs. They depend on the reef for food and safety. Shrimp, lobsters, crabs, and sea stars feed on reefs. The holes in reefs are good places for animals to hide.

热闹的家。 成千上万大小不一、形态各异、五颜六色的鱼都住在珊瑚礁上。 它们靠珊瑚礁获取食物、躲避危险。 虾、龙虾、螃蟹还有海星都在珊瑚礁上觅食。 珊瑚礁上的洞是动物们躲起来的好地方。

Where corals live. Most coral reefs are close to shore in warm parts of the world. Corals need certain things to stay healthy. They need algae for food. They must be near the water's surface so the algae can get enough sunlight. Also, both corals and algae need water that is not too warm or cold. There are three kinds of coral reefs. Fringing reefs are close to the shore.

珊瑚住在哪里？ 世界上大多数珊瑚礁都靠近温暖区域的海岸。 珊瑚需要特定的条件才能保持健康。 它们需要藻类当食物。 它们必须待在靠近水面的地方这样藻类才能获得足够的阳光。 另外，珊瑚和藻类都需要水温不能太热也不能太冷。 珊瑚礁一共有三种。 岸礁离海岸很近。