雅思阅读 045 · Ocean Census Reveals 1,100+ New Species

改编自 Scientific American（K. R. Callaway, 2026）。题型：T/F/NG + 填空。难度：中等（Passage 1，约 700 词）。

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Less than 0.001 percent of the seafloor has ever been directly seen by scientists. From underwater trenches to sea caves, there are myriad spaces where undiscovered creatures may be lurking. And thanks to the Ocean Census Alliance, we now know of 1,121 entirely new species living beneath the ocean waves.

This global research collaboration aims to unveil as many new marine species as possible. Over the course of 13 expeditions and nine workshops in the past year, the alliance worked tirelessly to identify and categorise the new species — a process that is usually slow going.

"I think trying to speed that process up is very important," says Michelle Taylor, head of science at the Ocean Census Alliance. "Then that information is available ... for conservation measures, for taxonomists and for just knowing what's out there."

On average, more than 13 years pass between an unidentified specimen's collection and its formal description as a new species. And for less studied organisms, such as sea sponges, that timeline can be even longer. As of 2011, scientists estimated that as much as 91 percent of the oceans' species remained undiscovered — so fully describing all our planet's marine inhabitants would take scientists centuries at the current pace.

For the past three years, the Ocean Census Alliance has been working with taxonomists around the world to accelerate discovery. Its open-access data platform Ocean Census NOVA now houses thousands of entries detailing previously unknown species lurking in the depths.

The 1,121 new species found between mid-2025 and mid-2026 marks a 54 percent increase in annual identifications.

Off the coast of East Timor, researchers found vividly striped ribbon worms that they suspect could contain toxins that may yield new treatments for human diseases. And in a human-operated submersible off the coast of Japan, researchers picked out spiky sponges with skeletons made of clear, glasslike silica. Inside these creatures, they found a new species of similarly transparent worms — known as polychaetes — that provide the sponges with nutrients.

"Some of those polychaetes also bioluminesce, or glow, so I just love the idea that there's these crystalline glass castles of sponges, and they're probably twinkling at each other," Taylor says.

This tiny dwarfgoby fish was found among the reefs of Australia's remote Coral Sea. Unlike similar Australian Dwarfgoby species, which are usually green, this unique red-eyed specimen is mottled with oranges and yellows.

题目 Questions

Questions 1-5: T/F/NG

1. More than 0.001 percent of the seafloor has been directly seen by scientists.

2. The Ocean Census Alliance has identified 1,121 new species.

3. It takes less than 13 years on average to describe a new species.

4. Scientists estimated in 2011 that 91 percent of ocean species remained undiscovered.

5. Ribbon worms off East Timor may contain toxins useful for human medicine.

Questions 6-10: Complete the notes. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS.

• The Ocean Census Alliance conducted (6) ____________ expeditions and nine workshops.
• The open-access data platform is called Ocean Census (7) ____________.
• The 1,121 new species represents a (8) ____________ percent increase in annual identifications.
• Spiky sponges off Japan have skeletons made of clear, glasslike (9) ____________.
• The tiny (10) ____________ fish was found in Australia's Coral Sea.

答案 Answers

核心词汇

Ocean Census / new species / marine biology / taxonomy / seafloor / expeditions / ribbon worm / polychaete / bioluminesce / silica / dwarfgoby / conservation