Directions: Fill in the blanks with the capitalized letter before the words like A, B, C or D. A. animals B. automatically C. changing D. chemical E. covered F. episodes G. fundamental H. offer I. process J. safely K. species L. threatens M. transmitted N. turning O. urgent The oceans have always served as a sink for carbon dioxide, but the burning of fossil fuels since the beginning of the industrial revolution, especially over the last 40 years, has given them more than they can (1) ____________ absorb. The result is that the oceans are becoming acid – a change in the (2) ____________ balance that threatens the oceans’ web of life. In earth’s history, there have been many (3) ____________ of acidification, mainly from volcanic eruptions (火山喷发). According to a new research review by pale oceanographers at Columbia University, published in Science, the oceans may be (4) ____________ acid far faster than at any time in the past 300 million years. Changing something as (5) ____________ as the PH of seawater has profound effects. Increased acidity attacks the shells of shellfish and the skeletal foundation of corals(珊瑚), dissolving the calcium carbonate (碳酸钙) they’re made of. Coral reefs are among the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Oceans acidification (6) ____________ the corals and every other (7) ____________ that makes its living on the reefs. The authors tried to determine which past acidification events (8) ____________ the best comparison to what is happening now. The closest analogies are disastrous events, often associated with intense volcanic activity resulting in major extinctions. The difference is that those events (9) ____________ thousands of years. We have acidified the oceans in a matter of decades, with no signs that we have the political will to slow, much less halt, the (10) ____________.