鲸鱼搁浅对我们有何启示？

In July 2024， a pod of 77 pilot whales washed up on a beach in Orkney， Scotland. It was the largest mass stranding（集体搁浅） of whales in Scotland for decades. Scientists don’t know exactly why whales beach themselves. One theory is that climate change is driving whales’ food closer to the shoreline， where they then get stuck as the tide goes out. If a single animal is found， it is usually because it is sick or has been injured.

In the Orkney stranding， 12 of the whales were still alive when they became beached. When this happens， marine organisations assess whether a whale can be safely refloated. Professionals and members of the community often come together， cover the animal in wet sheets and pour buckets of water over it， though not the blowhole， until the animal drifts back out to the ocean. Though it’s not always a happy ending.

For those that don’t survive， a post-mortem examination is often carried out. Dr Brownlow of the Scottish Marine Animal Stranding Scheme told the BBC that these can reveal a lot about the whale’s life and the reasons why it was beached. In 2024， a very rare species of whale turned up on a beach in New Zealand——a spade-toothed whale. While this is sad， the carcass（尸体） was dissected in order to help researchers acquire new information about the species. “From a scientific and conservation point of view， this is huge”， said Gabe Davies， a Department of Conservation official.

Some beached whales who don’t survive have their skeletons sent to museums， while many others are returned to the water. This ensures the marine environment benefits because whale carcasses give off many nutrients. “When they fall and die and sink to the bottom of the ocean， they form these little nutrient-rich islands that can support a huge diversity of life”， says Dr Brownlow.

The more research that can be done， the better. For now， we can only do what we can to keep our oceans clean and safe.

（材料选自ChinaDaily网站，有删改）

1.What can be inferred in Paragraph 1？

A. 77 pilot whales were killed on a beach in Orkney.

B. It’s the largest mass stranding of whales in Britain.

C. The true reason for the mass stranding isn’t clear.

D. Climate change contributed to the mass stranding.

2.What do professionals avoid doing when refloating a whale？

A. They pour water into the blow hole.

B. They pour water over the wet sheets.

C. They work with people of the community.

D. They use wet sheets to cover the animal.

3.What is mainly talked about in Paragraph 3 and paragraph 4？

A. The reason for a post-mortem examination.

B. The way to perform post-mortem examinations.

C. The places that the dead whales are sent to.

D. The benefits the dead beached whales bring about.

4.What does the author think of research on oceans？

A. Enough research has been done.

B. More research will be needed.

C. There’s no need to do research.

D. To do research about oceans is easy.

1. C。解析：推理判断题。材料第一段的第三句提到“科学家们不清楚鲸鱼为什么会自己去海滩”。由此可知，科学家不知道为什么鲸鱼会集体搁浅。C选项与材料内容相符，故选C。D选项为干扰项，那只是一个理论上的原因，未得到证实。

2.A。解析：细节理解题。材料第二段的第三句提到 “专业人士和社区成员经常聚在一起，用湿床单盖住动物，在上面倒上一桶桶的水，但是不是在喷水孔里，直到动物漂回大海”。由此可知，专家把水浇在湿床单上，而不是喷水孔上。A选项与材料内容相符，故选A。

3.D。解析：推理判断题。材料第三段主要讲述对死亡的鲸鱼进行尸体解剖的益处，材料第四段主要讲述死亡的鲸鱼的去处及其带来的益处。综合起来看，这两段讲述的是死亡的鲸鱼所带来的益处。D选项与材料内容相符，故选D。

4.B。解析：推理判断题。材料最后一段的第一句提到“研究越多越好”。这就意味着我们对海洋的研究还不够，还须做更多的研究。B选项与材料内容相符，故选B。