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Horsing Around in the Sea 海之骄子：海马

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Aquariums are filled with a colorful and diverse array of aquatic life forms. But if you look carefully, in the depths of the tank, you may spot a creature that looks ___1___ it could gallop as well as swim. It’s the seahorse – one of nature’s most fascinating creatures.

海洋馆充满了多彩丰富的大量水生生物。但如果仔细观察馆内水族箱的深处，你可能会发现一种看似不但能奔驰而且会游泳的动物──海马──大自然最迷人的生物之一。

Seahorses can be found around tropical coral reefs throughout the world. The name comes from its unusual head, which bears a striking resemblance to ___2___ of a horse. Unlike other fish, their bodies are covered with spiked, bony plates ___3___ scales. The plates protect seahorse and also help to camouflage them when danger is near, as they can be ___4___ for twigs. Seahorses also have the ability to change their skin color. In addition, they can use their curved tails to anchor ___5___ to seaweed, and appear to be part of the plant. In combination, these traits make them masters at being incognito.

在世界各地的热带珊瑚礁周围，都可以发现海马的踪迹。「海马」这个名字来自于其不寻常的头部和陆地上的马有惊人的相似之处。覆盖着海马身体的是突出的骨板，不像其他的鱼类是覆盖着鳞片。此种骨板保护着海马，也帮助牠们在濒临危险时可被误认为是树枝已进行伪装；骨板也让海马有能力改变牠们的肤色。此外，牠们还可以用弯曲的尾巴把自己固定在海藻上，让牠们自己看起来像是植物的一部分。综合以上这些特点，海马精通于隐藏自己。

However, the most astonishing attribute of seahorses is their mating process, as males are responsible for ___6___ children. During reproduction, the female lays as many as 2,000 eggs into the male’s stomach pouch. Then, the male carries them ___7___ until the eggs hatch, weeks later, and swim away.

然而，最令人惊讶的是海马交配过程中的特性，因为是由公海马负责育儿。在繁殖期间，母海马产下多达2,000颗卵到公海马的育儿袋。然后，公海马带着这些卵直到几个星期后小海马孵化完成，破卵而出，接着游离育儿袋。

As a ___8___, seahorses face many threats in modern times. Their habitats are deteriorating, ___9___ pollution and overfishing. They are also a hot commodity in traditional Chinese medicine, which is causing their population to dwindle further. Hopefully, environmentalists can convince fishermen to hold their horses on ___10__ seahorses, so these tiny trotters can continue to race across the sea.

以一个物种来说，海马在现代面临许多威胁。由于污染和过度捕捞，牠们的栖息地正在恶化中。海马在传统的中医用药也是种热门商品，而这是导致其数量进一步减少的原因。希望环保人士能说服渔民们能放慢捕捉海马的速度，好让这些马儿可以继续在海中竞赛。

－by Jamie Blackler

Vocabulary

单词发音

diverse [daɪˋvɝs] adj. 多种多样的; 不同的

array [əˋre] n. 大量[S][（+of）]

gallop [ˋgæləp] n. v. 疾驰，飞跑

bear a resemblance to 与....相似 to have a degree of similarity to someone or something

spiked [spaɪkt] adj. 插有尖物的

camouflage [ˋkæmə͵flɑʒ] v. , n. 伪装，掩蔽

twig [twɪg] n. 细枝，嫩枝

anchor [ˋæŋkɚ] v. 使固定，系住

seaweed [ˋsi͵wid] n. 海草，海藻，海菜

trait [tret] n. 特征，特点

incognito [ɪnˋkɑgnɪ͵to] adj. 化装的，隐匿姓名身份的

mating [ˋmetɪŋ] n.【动】交配

pouch [paʊtʃ] n.【动】育儿袋

deteriorate [dɪˋtɪrɪə͵ret] v. 恶化；质量（或价值）下降

dwindle [ˋdwɪnd!] v. 渐渐减少；变小

hold one’s horses 【口】等一下; 忍耐(或控制)自己的热情 to stop; halt

trotter [ˋtrɑtɚ] n. 小跑步的马；快步走的人

Male seahorse giving birth at The Deep Hull

How the seahorse got its shape -- by Nature Video

Seahorse courting, dancing, egg exhange, babies

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