EigoPro 2級 読解 — Exploring the Deep Sea

Exploring the Deep Sea We often say that space is the final frontier, yet there is a vast unexplored world much closer to home. The deep sea — the parts of the ocean lying more than two hundred metres below the surface — covers well over half of our planet. Despite this, scientists estimate that only a small fraction of it has ever been mapped in detail. In fact, we have better maps of the surface of the Moon than of our own ocean floor. Exploring the deep sea is extremely difficult because the environment is so hostile. Sunlight cannot reach far below the surface, so the deep ocean is a world of complete darkness. Temperatures are close to freezing, and the weight of the water above creates crushing pressure, strong enough to flatten an ordinary submarine. Any vehicle sent down must be specially built, with thick walls and powerful lights, and even then, missions can last only a limited time. What scientists have found there, however, has repeatedly amazed them. Far from being empty, the deep sea is full of life. Strange fish produce their own light to attract prey in the darkness, a trick known as bioluminescence. Around cracks in the ocean floor, where hot water rises from inside the Earth, whole communities of creatures live without any sunlight at all — something biologists once believed was impossible. Each new expedition seems to discover species that no human has ever seen before. Researchers argue that deep-sea exploration deserves far more attention and funding. New medicines have already been developed from deep-sea organisms, and understanding the ocean is essential for predicting climate change. The deep sea may be dark, cold, and distant, but what we learn there could shape life on the surface for generations to come.

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