As dangerous as sharks may have seed to people after watching Jaws, which was released on June 20,1975, the recent disastrous decrease in their numbers show that people have proven far more dangerous to sharks.

    This disastrous decline is due in large part to commercial fishing of sharks. “The market for

shark fins(鱼翅)in East Asia opened up thanks to changes in their economy, increasing their

ability to spend money on things such as shark fin soup,” Burgess said.

However, the biggest worry for sharks and their relatives, the skates and rays, which are suffering a similar fate, “is how they are killed incidentally when fishermen try and take other fish—the problem of bycatch(渔业混获),” Burgess explained. “They may be thrown back afterward, but they’re still dead.”

The key of the problems behind bringing sharks back is that “they’re not the same as other fish,” Burgess said, “Sharks are slow growing and slow to reach maturity. Sharks are live bearers, which means females keep their young in their body just like us, but instead of nine months, it takes 12 to 18 months or more in sharks. Also, sharks generally can’t give birth again until a year after they’ve given birth—sometimes they’re on a three-year cycle. So once you get a shark population knocked down, this ‘life in the slow lane’ means that recovery is measured in decades rather than years.”\

Burgess said, “I’m on the recovery team for it, but the recovery plan for that is over the course of 100 years. So I won’t see them recover, nor will you, nor will your children. That’s what it means when these animals go down—they’re down a long time.”

Any measures aimed at saving sharks must not only consider byeatch, “which is the real killer right now,” but also encourage interactional cooperation, Burgess said.

“Sharks are very migratory, and many species cross borders,” he said. “We can protect them only by getting many govemment to come aboard. That’s the hardest part about this.”

The text mainly tells us       .

       A.shark fins are valuable    B.sharks are dangerous

       C.bycatch brings bad effects       D.sharks are in danger

The number of sharks is decreasing mostly because of      .

       A.the film Jaws          B.commercial interests

       C.changes in economy D.shark fin soup

Bringing sharks back is difficult because      .

       A.they’re like the other fish      

       B.their reproductive rate is slow

       C.they can’t give birth again     

       D.their life cycle is only 3 years

What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

       A.Sharks live the way human beings do.

       B.It’s time many govemments cooperate.

       C.Sharks’ migration takes a very long time.

       D.Bycatch shouldn’t be forbidden by intemational laws.

The test is most probably a        .

       A.newspaper ad          B.book review

       C.science news report  D.science fiction story

As dangerous as sharks may have seed to people after watching Jaws, which was released on June 20,1975, the recent disastrous decrease in their numbers show that people have proven far more dangerous to sharks.

    This disastrous decline is due in large part to commercial fishing of sharks. “The market for

shark fins(鱼翅)in East Asia opened up thanks to changes in their economy, increasing their

ability to spend money on things such as shark fin soup,” Burgess said.

However, the biggest worry for sharks and their relatives, the skates and rays, which are suffering a similar fate, “is how they are killed incidentally when fishermen try and take other fish—the problem of bycatch(渔业混获),” Burgess explained. “They may be thrown back afterward, but they’re still dead.”

The key of the problems behind bringing sharks back is that “they’re not the same as other fish,” Burgess said, “Sharks are slow growing and slow to reach maturity. Sharks are live bearers, which means females keep their young in their body just like us, but instead of nine months, it takes 12 to 18 months or more in sharks. Also, sharks generally can’t give birth again until a year after they’ve given birth—sometimes they’re on a three-year cycle. So once you get a shark population knocked down, this ‘life in the slow lane’ means that recovery is measured in decades rather than years.”\

Burgess said, “I’m on the recovery team for it, but the recovery plan for that is over the course of 100 years. So I won’t see them recover, nor will you, nor will your children. That’s what it means when these animals go down—they’re down a long time.”

Any measures aimed at saving sharks must not only consider byeatch, “which is the real killer right now,” but also encourage interactional cooperation, Burgess said.

“Sharks are very migratory, and many species cross borders,” he said. “We can protect them only by getting many govemment to come aboard. That’s the hardest part about this.”

The text mainly tells us       .

       A.shark fins are valuable    B.sharks are dangerous

       C.bycatch brings bad effects       D.sharks are in danger

The number of sharks is decreasing mostly because of      .

       A.the film Jaws          B.commercial interests

       C.changes in economy D.shark fin soup

Bringing sharks back is difficult because      .

       A.they’re like the other fish      

       B.their reproductive rate is slow

       C.they can’t give birth again     

       D.their life cycle is only 3 years

What can be concluded from the last paragraph?

       A.Sharks live the way human beings do.

       B.It’s time many govemments cooperate.

       C.Sharks’ migration takes a very long time.

       D.Bycatch shouldn’t be forbidden by intemational laws.

The test is most probably a        .

       A.newspaper ad          B.book review

       C.science news report  D.science fiction story

Sharks have lived in the oceans for over 450 million years, long before dinosaurs appeared. There are now about 360 species of sharks, whose size, behavior, and other characteristics differ widely.
Every year, we catch and kill over 100 million sharks, mostly for food and for their fins. Dried shark fins are used to make shark fin soup, which sells for as much as $50 a bowl in fine Hong Kong restaurants. Other sharks are killed for sport and out of fear. Sharks are vulnerable(易受伤的) to overfishing because it takes most species 10 to 15 years to begin reproducing and they produce only a few offspring(后代).
Influenced by movies and popular novels, most people see sharks as people-eating monsters. This is far from the truth. Every year, a few types of shark injure about 100 people worldwide and kill about 25. Most attacks are by great white sharks, which often feed on sea lions and other marine(海洋的) mammals. They sometimes mistake human swimmers for their normal prey, especially if they are wearing black wet suits.
If you are a typical ocean-goer, your chances of being killed by an unprovoked(非受挑衅而发生的)attack by a shark are about 1 in 100 million. You are more likely to be killed by a pig than a shark and thousands of times more likely to get killed when you drive a car.
Sharks help save human lives. In addition to providing people with food, they are helping us learn how to fight cancer, bacteria, and viruses. Sharks are very healthy and have aging processes similar to ours. Their highly effective immune system allows wounds to heal quickly without becoming infected, and their blood is being studied in connection with AIDS research.
Sharks are among the few animals in the world that almost never get cancer and eye cataracts(白内障). Understanding why can help us improve human health. Chemicals taken from shark cartilage(软骨)have killed cancerous tumors in laboratory animals, research that someday could help prolong your life.
Sharks are needed in the world’s ocean ecosystems. Although they don’t need us, we need them. We are much more dangerous to sharks than they are to us. For every shark that bites a person, we kill one million sharks.
【小题1】Which of the following is NOT a reason why people kill sharks?

A.People kill sharks for food.
B.People kill sharks for sport.
C.People kill sharks out of fear.
D.People kill sharks because they often attack swimmers.
【小题2】According to the passage, which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.There are many different species of sharks, but only a few of them are dangerous to humans.
B.Sharks never get ill.
C.Sharks are a valuable resource for human.
D.Sharks play an important role in the ocean ecosystem.
【小题3】It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
A.movies have given people the wrong impression of sharks
B.most sharks are dangerous to humans
C.sharks will attack anyone who is wearing black
D.it is dangerous to swim in the ocean
【小题4】The underlined word “prolong” in the last but one paragraph means ______.
A.saveB.protectC.lengthenD.improve
【小题5】The best title for the passage would be _______.
A.Are Sharks Dangerous?B.Sharks And Humans
C.Sharks: Humans’ FriendsD.Sharks Help Save Human Lives

It’s easy to see how the sawfish got its name. These frightful creatures can grow to be more than 6 meters long. Their bodies are flat and winged, like underwater airplanes. And their noses are shaped like chainsaws.

Sawfish are food hunters of the sea. When a sawfish is hungry, it waves its sharp-toothed snout(口鼻部)through a group of fish. Then, it lifts its nose and uses its mouth to draw the injured victims.

Hardy(适应力强的)population of sawfish thrived in warm waters along coastlines around the world for thousands of years. Over the past 200 years, however, human actions have severely endangered sawfish. Threats include fishing nets that trap the huge animals, often by mistake.

Some people collect sawfish’s snouts as prizes: One snout recently sold for nearly $ 1,600 online. In some Asian cultures, the toothy snouts are used in ceremonies to drive evil and disease away. And sawfish are also delicious. A growing demand in Asia for the fish’s fins for a pricey soup has contributed to the fish’s loves. Compared with other fish, sawfish give birth late in life and at slow rates, which makes it hard for them to recover from overfishing.

New efforts now aim to restore sawfish population. Beginning next month, an international agreement will provide protection for all seven of the world’s sawfish species. Scientists are hoping that it’s not too late to save the sawfish.

Until 1998, “this fish had never been formally studied in the United States,” says Tonya Wiley of the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla. “We didn’t know such basic things as where they live, what habitat they use, how often they breed, how many young they have — even what age sawfish are when they begin breeding.”

Through historical studies and field research, scientists have become aware of how much the fish’s numbers have decreased. Today, there may be 90 percent fewer sawfish than there used to be. Wiley estimates that only 3,000 to 6,000 sawfish remain in US waters.

Sawfish

Descriptions

Size

1.__________

2. __________

Body: Flat and winged

Nose: Like a chainsaw

3. __________ of hunting for food

Attacking fish with 4.__________

Drawing the injured victims with its mouth

5. __________ Sawfish’s disappearance

6. __________

Sawfish’s snout relates business

Its 7. __________ and slowly which makes it hard to recover from overfishing

8.__________

Only 10 % sawfish left

3,000 to 6,000 remain in US waters

Efforts

9.__________

Measure

Restoring sawfish population

10. __________ all seven of the world’s sawfish species

 

 

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