象海豹“驾到”

象海豹是一种行动缓慢、反应迟钝的动物。人们轻轻地来到它的身旁，它竟会毫无知觉。但有一点必须注意，千万不要绕到它的身后去，否则它会对你大发雷霆，发出一阵又一阵吼声。

主题语境：野生动物篇幅：337词建议用时：6分钟

An adventurous elephant seal named Henry ca⁃used quite a noisy confusion over the summer holidayswhen he appeared on a Victorian beach a couple of daysafter causing damage in the streets of another seasidetown.

The super⁃sized elephant seal drew a large crowdof onlookers， while the police and wildlife officerscleared the area and his path back to the water. But three days later， Henry reappeared.Again， Henry became known among people in the area， leading the authorities （官方） toclose the beach and issue a warning to stay away.“We know its exciting to see such largeand unique animals on our beaches， but a photo or video opportunity is not worth riskingyour or an elephant seals safety，”said Kate Gavens. Ms Gavens said wildlife authoritieswere disappointed to see onlookers get dangerously close to the animal.

Elephant seals are known to visit and rest on Victorian beaches and can become de⁃fensive if approached by humans or other animals， so it is important for people to keep atleast 30 m away or 50 m away if with a dog. Elephant seals and other wildlife are protectedunder the Victorian law. People who injure， disturb， chase， herd or feed seals on purposewill face a fine of up to $3，698.

Southern elephant seals are named after the large nose of the adult males， which isused to make loud sounds. Male elephant seals are known as bulls and females are calledcows. They are the largest seal species. Adult males weigh up to 3，000 kg， adult femalesweigh 300 kg⁃900 kg and pups weigh about 40 kg at birth. Henry is thought to be agedabout five and weigh 500 kg， which means he is still growing.

Elephant seals are big and heavy on land， but superb swimmers and divers. Biolo⁃gists have recorded them diving up to 2 km deep and holding their breath under water forup to two hours. They spend about two minutes on the surface of the water between dives，with most dives lasting 30 minutes and to a depth of 300 m to 800 m.

1. What does the underlined word“his”in paragraph 2 refer to？

A. The beachs. B. The elephant seals.

C. The governments. D. The towns.

2. How did wildlife authorities feel when seeing people near Henry？

A. Excited. B. Happy.

C. Surprised. D. Disappointed.

3. What can be inferred about elephant seals from paragraph 3？

A. They are friendly to people who get close to them.

B. They enjoy being close to other animals.

C. Theyre protected by law in Victoria.

D. They can be fed by people on purpose.

4. How long do most elephant seals dives last？

A. Thirty minutes. B. Forty minutes.

C. Fifty minutes. D. Sixty minutes.

Ⅰ. 日积月累

cause v. 导致

draw v. 吸引

issue v. 公布

fine n. 罚款

worth adj. 值得的

defensive adj. 戒备的

approach v. 接近

mean v. 意味着

record v. 记录

cause damage 造成损害

a large crowd of 一大群的

lead to 导致

worth doing 值得做

at least 至少

on purpose 故意

face a fine of up to 面临高达……的罚款

Ⅱ. 单句填空

1. The camp （draw） students from all over the country every year.

2. The poor harvest last year （cause） prices to rise sharply.

3. This idea is well worth （consider）.

4. She must be at （less） 40.

5. Eating too much sugar can lead health problems.

6. He did it purpose， knowing it would make her happy.