About 3 billion people live within 100 miles (160km) of the sea, a number that could double in the next decade as humans flock to coastal cities. The oceans produce $3 trillion of goods and services each year and untold【C1】______for the Earth"s ecology. Life could not exist【C2】______these vast water reserves—and, if anything, they are becoming even more important to humans than before. Mining is about to begin under the seabed in the high seas. New summer shipping lanes are opening【C3】______the Arctic Ocean. The genetic resources of marine life promise a big【C4】______: the number of patents has been rising at 12% a year. But these developments are【C5】______compared with vaster forces reshaping the Earth, both on land and at sea It has long been clear that people are damaging the oceans—【C6】______the melting of the Arctic ice in summer and the death of marine lives. Now, the【C7】______of that damage are starting to be felt onshore. Thailand provides a【C8】______example. In the 1990s it cleared coastal plants to set up fish farms. Ocean storm surges in 2011, no longer【C9】______by the plants, rushed in to【C10】______the country"s industrial heartland, causing billions of dollars of damage. More【C11】______is the global mismanagement of fish stocks. About 3 billion people get a fifth of their protein from fish, making it a more important protein source than beef.【C12】______a vicious cycle has developed as fish stocks decline and fishermen【C13】______to grab what they can of the remainder.【C14】______the Food and Agriculture Organization, a third of fish stocks in the oceans are over-exploited. People could be eating much better, were fishing stocks【C15】______managed. The forests are often called the lungs of the Earth, but the description better fits the oceans. They produce half the world"s【C16】______of oxygen. At the moment, the oceans are moderating the【C17】______of global warming— though that may not【C18】______This cannot be good news,【C19】______scientists are still debating the likely consequences.【C20】______, the decades of damage imposed on the oceans are now damaging the environment on land.
【答案解析】解析：本句提到渔业资源退化、渔民尽可能地抢夺剩下的资源(grab what they can of theremainder)，可见竞争非常激烈。race to do有“争相做某事”之意，符合此处的语境，故选C项。
单选题
【C14】
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】解析：本句提到一个数据信息：a third of fish stocks in the oceans are over-exploited(有三分之一的渔场被过度捕捞)，通常这种数据是由相关的权威部门发布。A项According to"根据……"符合句意，表示该数据来自粮农组织。
单选题
【C15】
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】解析：前文提到鱼类管理不当(mismanagement)，而本句使用虚拟语气(were fishing stocks．．．)对此进行反向假设，其结果会是People could be eating much better(人们现在就能吃得更好)。可以推断这种假设成立的条件就是鱼类管理得当，properly意为“适当地，恰当地”，符合语义逻辑，故选C项。
单选题
【C16】
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】解析：上一句提到地球之肺(the lungs of the Earth)这个称号更适合海洋，说明海洋和森林一样，提供了供人和动物砰吸的氧气。D项supply“供给”正确。