(单词翻译:单击)
Coral reefs are large areas of hard coral where many animals live.
珊瑚礁是大面积的硬珊瑚，许多动物生活在那里。
The coral looks like rock but it is alive.
珊瑚看起来像岩石，但它是活的。
The hard coral is the outer skeleton of the animals.
硬珊瑚是动物的外骨骼。
They create the reef.
它们创造了珊瑚礁。
Coral reefs are very delicate areas.
珊瑚礁是非常脆弱的区域。
Many different kinds of animals live in coral reefs.
许多不同种类的动物生活在珊瑚礁里。
The coral reef in Arecibo is part of the beach.
阿雷西博的珊瑚礁是海滩的一部分。
The pollution was harming the coral and all the animals living there.
这些污染物正在损害珊瑚和生活在那里的所有动物。
A healthy reef makes good surfing waves.
健康的珊瑚礁可以产生好的冲浪波浪。
If the reef becomes damaged, the surfing may not be as good.
如果珊瑚礁遭到破坏，冲浪可能就没那么好了。
The waste coming out of the pipe was damaging the reef in Arecibo.
从那根管子中排出的垃圾正在破坏阿雷西博的珊瑚礁。
So why was the pollution being pumped onto the beach?
那么，为什么那些污染物会被抽到海滩上呢？
Well, the United States Army Corps of Engineers was clearing an area of the sea floor.
当时美国陆军工程兵团正在清理一片海底区域。
They were digging up the material to make a better pathway for ships.
他们当时正在挖掘这些物质，以便为船只开辟一条更好的通道。
But this man-made path was very dirty and polluted.
但是这条人工修建的道路非常脏，污染严重。
The United States Army was allowed to pump the waste onto the beach because Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States.
美国陆军之所以被允许将垃圾抽到海滩上，是因为波多黎各是美国的联邦。
The United States has an army base on the island.
美国在该岛上有一个军事基地。
The army needed to make sure that their ships could reach the base.
该军队需要确保他们的船只能够到达基地。
But Angel did not think they needed to pump the waste onto the reef.
但是安吉尔认为他们没有必要把垃圾抽到珊瑚礁上。
Angel went back to tell his friends what was happening.
安吉尔回去告诉他的朋友们发生了什么事。
The news made them angry too.
这个消息也让他们很生气。
They made a plan to stop the Army Corps of Engineers from ruining the coast.
他们制定了一个计划，以阻止美国陆军工程兵团破坏海岸。
They went down to the beach.
他们来到海滩。
They stood on the pipe that was pumping the waste.
他们站在抽垃圾的那根管子上。
When the flow of waste stopped, the men stood inside the pipe.
当垃圾停止流动时，这些人站在管子里面。
Each man stood in the pipe for four hours.
每个人在管子里站了四个小时。
After the four hours finished, another man stood in the pipe for another four hours.
四个小时结束后，另一个人又在管子里站了四个小时。
The Army Corps could not pump waste out of the pipe if people blocked it.
如果人们堵住了管道，美国陆军工程兵团就不能把垃圾从管道里抽出来了。
The Army Corps did not think that it was doing anything wrong.
美国陆军工程兵团并不认为自己做错了什么。
But to the surfers, it appeared that the Army Corps was breaking United States environmental law.
但对于冲浪者来说，美国陆军工程兵团似乎违反了美国环境法。
So Angel Rodriguez decided to sue the army.
所以安吉尔·罗德里格斯决定起诉该军队。
He brought them to court in protest.
他把他们告上法庭以示抗议。
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