听力原文

Growing up to 12 metres long, the whale shark is a gentle giant. And these days, a rare sighting.
长达12米的鲸鲨却是个温和的大块头，这些日子已难得一见。
As sharks, small and large, are plundered to supply the East Asian shark meat trade, the fate of these fabulous creatures hangs in the balance.
无论大小鲨鱼皆被捕杀掉，以供给东亚鲨鱼肉食贸易。这一惊人生物命悬一线。
While healthy coral reefs still survive in the remote islands, the situation close to the Chinese coast is quite different.
虽然偏远岛屿依旧存留有健康的珊瑚礁，然而近海的中国海岸情况却截然不同。

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重点讲解

重点讲解：
1. up to
高达；多达；
eg. There is usually room to accommodate up to 80 visitors.
那里通常可以住得下80位来客。
eg. Eye-witnesses claimed Mr Melton whipped the horse up to 16 times.
目击证人称梅尔顿先生抽打了这匹马16鞭之多。
2. in the balance
悬而未决；待定；
eg. The fate of civilization, it appeared, hung in the balance.
看起来，这是人类文明生死存亡的关头。
eg. The fate of a project which could revolutionise the use of computers in hospitals hangs in the balance.
可能给医院的计算机使用带来革命的项目仍然前途未明。
3. close to
近的；接近的；
eg. Camp sites are usually situated along the coast, close to beaches.
野营地一般都位于海滨，靠近沙滩。
eg. She insists on diverting to a village close to the airport.
她坚持改道去机场附近的一个村庄。