There are people living in almost every corner of our crowded planet. From the TOPs of mountains to deep underground, weve always been able to find habitable places to make a home. But with space at a premium1, weve started to look even deeper for somewhere to live.Throughout history, people have been fascinated by the idea of living underwater. More recently, the effects of human activity on the land have led some to look to the oceans for natural resources. Oceanographers and architects have looked at designing vessels2, labs and underwater habitats to enable people to live and work in a submerged world. But, while dreams of an aquatic3 city have remained a fantasy, how close are we to making our home on the seabed a realityThe pioneer of undersea living was Ian Koblick, sometimes described as an aquanaut. He claimed technology already existed to create underwater colonies supporting up to a hundred people. He even opened La Chalupa, once the largest and most advanced underwater habitat and research facility in the world.A more recent and ambitious design for an underwater city is Ocean Spiral. Designed by the Japanese Shimizu Corporation, its a huge transparent4 globe attached to the seabed. Its got a tower running through it to the surface, providing space for homes, offices and even an amu百度竞价推广ent park for five thousand residents. Masaki Takeuchi from the company told the BBC: Our idea is to connect the sea surface and the deep sea vertically5, and that way we believe that we can utilise the capability6 of the deep sea.Of course, there are engineering challenges in constructing an oceanic metropolis7. And living underwater would have major effects on the human body, especially as there is an increase in atmospheric8 pressure which could lead to the bends. So, maybe its too soon to be packing our bags and setting up a new life three thousand metres under the sea!
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1 premium n.加付款；赠品；adj.高级的；价格高的 参考例句： You have to pay a premium for express delivery.寄快递你得付额外成本。 Fresh water was at a premium after the reservoir was contaminated.在水库被污染之后，清水便因稀而贵了。
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