With more and more ships 29 the Great Barrier Reef, experts fear an even bigger accident is bound to happen.
答案：(D) passing through
現在分詞片語，With...ships passing through the Great Barrier Reef（隨著越來越多船隻穿越大堡礁），補充說明附帶狀況；coming across（偶遇）、looking into（調查）、escaping from（逃離）都不合。
本題大考中心未公布逐題答對率，以下不談數據，只談觀念。
四個選項都是現在分詞形式的片語動詞，形態上完全刷不掉，只能靠語意；而 coming across（偶然遇到）在講船與礁的文章裡看起來也有點道理。
先看結構：With more and more ships ___ the Great Barrier Reef, experts fear an even bigger accident is bound to happen.這是 with ＋ 受詞 ＋ 分詞 的結構，用來補充說明主要子句發生時的附帶狀況：「隨著越來越多船隻……大堡礁，專家擔心會發生更大的意外。」（同型見 97 年第 26 題、96 年第 26 題。）再看語意：前面剛講完一艘貨輪偏離航道、輾過珊瑚礁；專家之所以擔心，是因為有越來越多船隻「穿越」這片海域——穿越得越多，出事的機會就越大，填 passing through。
coming across（偶然遇到、碰見）：船是照航道行駛，不是偶然撞見大堡礁；而且「偶遇」是一次性的巧合，撐不起「越來越多」這個持續增加的趨勢。looking into（調查、研究）：船不會去調查珊瑚礁。escaping from（從……逃離）：方向相反，也與「擔心出事」的邏輯接不上。
pass through（穿越、經過）、with ＋ 受詞 ＋ 分詞（隨著……，表附帶狀況）、be bound to V（必定會）、come across（偶然遇到）、look into（調查）、an even bigger accident（更大的意外）。
Over the years, the Great Barrier Reef, off Australia's east coast, has grown to be 1,240 miles long. 26 up of 2,900 connected reefs, the area is home to thousands of plant and animal species. Much of the reef system is protected, 27 conservationists have long worried that not enough was being done to safeguard the area.
On April 3, 2010, their concerns came true. A cargo ship, Shen Neng 1, left Australia for China, carrying 65,000 tons of coal. Five hours into its 28 , the vessel strayed from its shipping lane. It plowed through a protected reef, destroying everything in its path. The damage covered an area as large as five football fields.
With more and more ships 29 the Great Barrier Reef, experts fear an even bigger accident is bound to happen. Fortunately, tougher rules are expected to 30 effect in July 2011. There are high hopes that these rules will prevent similar accidents from happening.