Question

    For underwater photographer Brian Skerry, there are good days. The sun shines, the water's clear. But most days aren't like that. The whales don't show up, or there are particles (颗粒)in the water, or wind brings the waves, or the sun dips behind a cloud at the worst moment.

A National Geographic photography fellow and the 2017, Rolex National Geographic Explorer of the Year, Skerry free dives — which means no scuba tanks, no equipment except his fins, mask, and camera. Over the past two years he's spent nine weeks off the eastern Caribbean island of Dominica in a 30-Foot boat running after sperm whales around their warm-water habitat.

Sperm whales are intelligent, and mad, escaping to ocean depths when pursued. Still, their ranks have been thinned by whaling, overfishing, and other contact with humans, to the point that the world's conservationists assess them as either vulnerable or endangered. Skerry wants his photos to inform the scientific research and education efforts that will bring whales more attention and potentially some relief. “I feel a sense of responsibility and urgency to make people care about the marine giants,” he says. “I want to give them, for lack of a better word, some humanity.”

Scientists know sperm whales as the ocean's largest toothed animals that kills other animals. They have the biggest brains of any known animal, can weigh up to 45 tons, and have been observed displaying humanlike qualities, such as curiosity and playfulness. But despite their size and their expressiveness, sperm whales remain one of the ocean's biggest mysteries. Do they share complex ideas?

1.What is "free dives"?

A.Diving without charge. B.Diving without sponsors.

C.Diving with little equipment. D.Diving with few regulations.

2.What does the underlined word "vulnerable" probably mean?

A.Easily attacked. B.Strongly built.

C.Desperately driven. D.Distantly removed.

3.What can we learn about the sperm whales from the text?

A.Sperm whales are the largest fish in the sea.

B.Sperm whales are as clever as the human being.

C.Sperm whales enjoy being photographed by photographers.

D.Sperm whales' population has declined due to illegal fishing.

4.Where is the text probably taken from?

A.Technology magazine. B.Tourism advertisement.

C.National geography. D.Entertainment report.

Answer

1.C

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

本文是说明文。通过Skerry自由潜水追逐抹香鲸拍照的故事引出抹香鲸不断减少的现状，介绍了Skerry这样做的目的，呼吁人们不要过度捕鲸，保护濒危动物。

1.细节理解题。根据第二段 free dives — which means no scuba tanks, no equipment except his fins, mask, and camera.可知free dives指的是潜水时除了鱼鳍、面罩和照相机外，没有水肺和其他设备，即潜水设备很少，故选C。

2.词句猜测题。根据上句their ranks have been thinned by whaling, overfishing, and other contact with humans,可知抹香鲸的现状，由于捕鲸、过度捕捞和其他与人类的接触，它们的数量减少了。画线词语和or后的endangered意思相近，应该是容易被攻击导致濒临危险，结合四个选项，与easily attacked同义，故选A。

3.细节理解题。根据第三段Still, their ranks have been thinned by whaling, overfishing, and other contact with humans, to the point that the world's conservationists assess them as either vulnerable or endangered.可知由于捕鲸、过度捕捞和其他与人类的接触，抹香鲸的数量减少了，甚至处于危险。故选D。

4.推理判断题。文章前两段介绍了Skerry保护抹香鲸的举动，后两段介绍了抹香鲸不断减少的现状和保护的意义。此类文章不会出自技术杂志、旅游广告或娱乐报道，应该出自国家地理杂志，故选C。