On March 4，nearly 200 countries agreed to a new United Nations treaty.The agreement is （1）

known

known

（ know） as the High Seas Treaty（《公海條約》）.It marks a huge （2）s

tep

tep

toward the protection of the world's oceans.
    The world's oceans cover about 71 percent of the Earth's surface.They' re （3）h

ome

ome

to more than 240，000 species （物種） of animals and plants.The oceans are in trouble，however.Overfishing has had a harmful influence on all （4）

living

living

（ live） things in the oceans.Pollution from ships has also caused serious pollution in many areas.
    In recent years，more and more countries have （5）c

lassified

lassified

" marine（海事的） protected areas " in their own waters.In these areas，there are strict （6）r

estrictions

estrictions

about human activities.However，the high seas cover about two- thirds of the world's oceans.Only 1.2 percent （7）

of

of

this large area is protected.All countries have the same right to shipping and fishing in the high seas.Last December，more than 110 countries agreed to protect 30 percent of the planet's land and oceans by 2030.Without an international agreement，there would be no way to reach this goal.The High Seas Treaty now makes this （8）p

ossible

ossible

.The agreement tries to turn 30 percent of the high seas into protected areas by 2030.It's the first of its kind in the world.
    The treaty was finally reached after 10 years of many difficult （9）

discussions

discussions

（ discuss）.Talks began nearly 20 years ago.Many of the disagreements were about how to （10）s

hare

hare

the natural resources （資源） in the high seas between different countries.