题目内容
________ whales can weigh 40 tons and reach length of 50 feet.
- A.Grown fully
- B.Growing fully
- C.Full grown
- D.Fully grown
Everyone makes mistakes in life, but for whales and dolphins, the “mistake” of landing on the shore costs the highest price---their lives.
People living along the coast of Australia and New Zealand have been shocked and saddened by the number of whales and dolphins that they have found on their beaches recently. Since November 28th, 96 whales and dolphins have died in Australia and 53 whales died in New Zealand. Although 20 whales were saved, some of these were not expected to live, as they were too weak to swim with the others back to sea.
Bob Brown, leader of Australia’s Green party, said the mass beaching was caused by the recent “sound bombing” of the ocean floor between the two countries. This is a method of testing for oil and gas reserves (储藏量).
But mass beaching of whales has long puzzled scientists. Typically most members of the stranded (搁浅) group will appear to be perfectly healthy. “Some researchers believe that close relationship within the group causes the problem, if one gets into trouble, the others will not leave” said Shery Gibney, a leading biologist in New Zealand. “Some will come in and try and assist it; if they get trapped on the beach, then more will come.”
Another common theory is that the whales’ navigation (导航) system are thought to break down in some way. It has been said that whales follow electromagnetic (电磁的) patterns in the sea-bed. The whales can get confused because these patterns sometimes change. That would be a bit like a new roundabout (环状交叉路) being built on a road you were used to driving on. You might be confused for a minute when you come to it for the first time, and you might even take a wrong turning before getting back on your route.
A different idea is that when whales chase fish for food they end up in shallow waters because they are not paying attention to where they are going.
And yet, from time to time a group will swim on purpose into shallow waters and end up on the beach, where they die. If returned to the sea, some whales often show great determination in restraining themselves.
【小题1】________ whales and dolphins would probably die in this mass beaching along the coast of Australia and New Zealand.
| A.Less than 100 | B.Less than 150 | C.More than 150 | D.149 |
| A.The terrible sound that is caused in the war between two countries. |
| B.Human activities that aim to explore the ocean floor. |
| C.The loud sound that whales and dolphins make. |
| D.The earthquakes that happen on the ocean floor. |
| A.A change in the electromagnetic patterns that whales follow. |
| B.New roundabout being built on a road. |
| C.Their full attention to the search for food. |
| D.Exploiting natural resources in oceans. |
| A.that whales and dolphins may make mistakes as well as human beings |
| B.how scientists have found the reasons for the mass beaching of whales |
| C.how human beings make use of the ocean resources |
| D.why the mass beaching of whales happens |
Imagine when you are sailing an ocean for the first time, you see a big fish swimming near your ship. You might be scared, and worried about whether it will turn over your ship for a meal. In fact, it is not a fish at all, but a gentle giant whale.
Whales are not fishes but mammals (哺乳动物). Their body temperature stays the same, and does not change with the temperature of their environment. They breathe air, so they have to come out of the water to get oxygen. Thus, they cannot afford to fall into a sleeping state for too long, since they need to be awake in order to breathe. It is thought that only half of their brains sleep at a time, so that whales are never completely asleep. Females give birth to the young. They have hair. Although they are not covered in hair or fur like many mammals, whales have some bristles (胡子), usually on their heads.
Whales are highly social animals with complex languages and intelligence. They communicate with each other using romantic sounds, called “whale songs”. Being so large and powerful, these sounds are also loud.
Whales are endangered as a result of whaling (捕鲸) from the eleventh century to the twentieth. It has attracted the attention of environmentalists and some measures (措施) have been taken to protect whales.
【小题1】How many aspects show that whales are mammals?
| A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.Four. |
| A.whales can breathe in the water |
| B.if a whale sleeps too long, it will get drowned |
| C.in order to breathe, whales never sleep |
| D.whales give birth to the young on the land |
| A.By body language. | B.By speaking languages. |
| C.By making song-like sounds. | D.By giving off a smell. |
| A.Whales are cold-blooded mammals like fishes. |
| B.Whales are hunted for food by people. |
| C.Whales are very harmful to human beings. |
| D.Whales are in danger because of being killed by people. |