One animal which is still alive,but has almost disappeared from the world,is the Chinese river dolphin or baiji.
The baiji is a beautiful animal with a graceful body and a long nose.It is blue-grey with a white underside,weighs between 100 and 160 kilo grammes,and can grow up to eight feet long.It lives in the middle and lower parts of the Yangtze River.Most dolphins live in the sea so the baiji is very unusual.It is one of the only five kinds of river dolphins in the world.
In the past,the Yangtze River was home to many thousands of baiji.A book written during the Han Dynasty,22 centuries ago,tells of the river being full of the beautiful creatures.At that time,there were many stories about the baiji.One story said that the dolphin was really a beautiful princess who had drowned in the river.Another said it was a kind of horse that could gallop(奔跑)across water,carrying God on its back.
Sadly,the situation today is very different.Many millions of people live in the Yangtze River Basin and the river is busy,noisy and polluted.The baiji is almost blind and moves around using sounds.With so many boats and people using the river,the animals cannot find their way around.They are unable to find food,or find each other.Year by year,the number of baiji in the river becomes smaller and smaller.
A lot of work is being done to help the baiji.One section of the river has been made into a kind of nature park,where the baiji can be safe.Fishermen work together with scientists and tell them when they see a baiji,or if they find an injured one.Injured animals are taken to a research centre and nursed back to be healthy.However,in spite of these measures,scientists estimate(估計)that the number of the bajis still alive in the river may be less than 100.If things continue as they are,the lovely creature will disappear in the next 25 years.
(1)Which description about the baiji is WRONG?
A
A
A.It has already died out from the world.
B.It is blue-grey with a white underside.
C.It lives in the middle and lower parts of the Yangtze River.
D.It is one of the only 5 kinds of river dolphins in the world.
(2)The baiji was once described as
D
D
in a story.
A.God
B.a(chǎn) prince
C.a(chǎn) dog
D.a(chǎn) horse
(3)Which of the following is the correct way to save baiji?
C
C
A.Catching baiji and taking them to the research center.
B.Forbidding people using boats in the river.
C.Making one section of the river a nature park where baiji can be safe.
D.Asking people to come to the river to help baiji.
(4)What can we learn from the passage?
A
A
A.People should take some measures to save the animals dying out.
B.The animals are being hunted by human beings.
C.People like to live in the Yangtze River Basin with animals swimming in the river.
D.There are more baijis living in a nature park now.