C
Seagrass, an underwater plant that grows on the ocean floor, is very important for sea
life. It also helps prevent global warming by storing carbon dioxide, a kind of gas. However,
scientists don’t know exactly how much seagrass is there at the bottom of the ocean. With the
help of tiger sharks, a team of researchers has discovered the world’s largest seagrass
meadow(grassland) on the seafloor near the Bahamas.
Seagrass meadows are home to many different kinds of fish, shellfish, and so on. Large
sea animals like sharks also spend a lot of time there looking for food. Seagrass can grow in
very deep and dark waters, making it difficult to find. But sharks can dive deep into the water
and get to the areas people cannot reach.
After noticing tiger sharks swimming through seagrass off the Bahamas, an American
scientist worked with a seagrass expert, trying to map the locations of the plant. The
researchers fitted seven tiger sharks with cameras. Since tiger sharks swim in groups, they
placed satellite tracking tags( 卫星跟踪器) on eight other sharks to find out exactly where the
animals swam. They gathered hours of videos of the tiger sharks swimming through seagrass.
The researchers found more seagrass growing near the Bahamas than they expected—in
fact, they believed that there was more seagrass there than anywhere else on the earth. The
new finding increased the total number of seagrass known to exist by 41%. However, more
research is needed to discover the true size of the seagrass meadow.
Scientists often depend on findings from divers( 潜水员) and boats to study the
underwater world, but this team found that working with animals improved their
understanding. They are now placing cameras on sea turtles to study seagrass in the Red Sea.
Hopefully, more mysteries about seagrass will be solved.
(
B
)8. Why is seagrass difficult to find under the water?
A. Because seagrass is too small to be seen.
B. Because it grows in very deep and dark areas.
C. Because it’s difficult to reach the bottom of the sea.
D. Because tiger sharks almost eat it all up.
(
B
)9. What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A. The reason for the research. B. The method to do the research.
C. The discovery of the research. D. The scientists of the research.
(
D
)10. How will scientists work out the mysteries about seagrass?
A. By hiring more divers and boats.
B. By using better cameras.
C. By having discussions with seagrass experts.
D. By working with animals.
