英语听力：自然百科 澳大利亚大堡礁 Great Barrier Reef—14

 These destructive waves are as much a part of the reef’s life cycle as the animals that inhabit it, and the corals that make it. 

 

But out here, there is another miracle. A hundred miles from the coast, In the midst of this huge flat sea, suddenly and without warning, land jumps up out of the blue. Out here, islands appear and disappear all the time. But what creates them?

 

This magical process is easiest to see from the air. When waves hit the reef, close to the surface, they smash its rocky skeleton, grinding it down into sand. The sand settles, layer on layer, until eventually out of the sea emerges an island. Some of these new islands will be wiped off the map by cyclones¹. But with help from on high, islands can endure or even grow. 

 

On a highway with few rest stops, the embryonic² island becomes a haven³ for long-distance travelers. These birds leave seeds in their droppings that grow into plants, binding⁴ the island’s sand together, protecting it from the destruction of storms. An entire island paradise formed out of the sea, grown by the animals that live there.

 

1 cyclones   

n.气旋( cyclone的名词复数 )；旋风；飓风；暴风

参考例句：

• The pricipal objective in designing cyclones is to create a vortex. 设计旋风除尘器的主要目的在于造成涡旋运动。 来自辞典例句
• Middle-latitude cyclones originate at the popar front. 中纬度地区的气旋发源于极锋。 来自辞典例句

2 embryonic   

adj.胚胎的

参考例句：

• It is still in an embryonic stage.它还处于萌芽阶段。
• The plan,as yet,only exists in embryonic form.这个计划迄今为止还只是在酝酿之中。

3 haven   

n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所

参考例句：

• It's a real haven at the end of a busy working day.忙碌了一整天后，这真是一个安乐窝。
• The school library is a little haven of peace and quiet.学校的图书馆是一个和平且安静的小避风港。

4 binding   

有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的

参考例句：

• The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
• Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。