False Fear of Big Fish Many
people believe sharks(鲨鱼)are dangerous and will always try to hurt or even kill
humans. 1 A shark
exhibition at the National Aquarium(水族馆)in Baltimore, U.S., proves this.
Visitors can touch young sharks, see their eggs develop and watch a dozen
different species swim smoothly around a huge tank. Most people
fail to realize that shark attacks don’t happen very often. Humans are more
likely to be killed by lightning than by a shark. 2
There, kids can learn, from an early age, not to fear
sharks. "People fear what they don’t know," said Nancy
Hotchkiss, an organizer of the exhibition. "Sharks have been around for 400
million years and play an important role in the ocean’s foodchain. We want
people to discover that sharks are amazing animals that need our respect and
protection." 3 A
study, published in January in the U.S. magazine, Science, found that almost all
recorded shark species have fallen by half in the past 8 to 15 years.
Thousands of sharks are hunted in Asia for special foods, such as shark
fin(鱼翅)soup. And many others get caught in nets, while fishermen are hunting
other fish. 4 "Some
fishing methods are actually cleaning out the ocean for sharks," said Dave
Schofield,the manager of the aquarium’s ocean health program me. 5 A. They can watch them
develop inside their eggs and feed the skin of the older swimmers.
B. A shocking 100 million sharks are killed every year around the world
by humans. C. In fact, 94 percent of the world’s 400 species
are harmless to humans. D. It is a worrying situation and some
areas have put measures in place to protect these special fish.
E. And to make this point clear, the museum has set up a special touching pool
for children. F. More than half of the sharks caught are
smaller than 1 meter long.