(2021·山东潍坊一模)
New Yorkers were shocked in early December when a creature as big as a school bus 1. (surface) from the Hudson River. Over the next three days, 2. humpback whale(座头鲸) swam by several popular tourist attractions, where a journalist took 3. (photo) of the animal seemingly waving its tail at a famous landmark building in New York.
The 4. (frequent) of whale sightings in the broader area has gone up rapidly in recent years. “With these numbers increasing 5. (sharp), it’s not surprising that you’re seeing them in some unusual places”, says Brown who is a biologist,“including the Hudson River and Staten Island.”
Scientists say the 6. (rise) whale sightings are likely related to purer water and the Atlantic menhaden(油鲱), a fish favoured by humpbacks, resulting 7. landmark environmental regulations 8. (pass) in the 1970s as well as New York city clean-up efforts.
“Seeing more whales in this area is a sign 9.
the waters are cleaner and there’s more food here for these whales,” Brown says.“It shows that what we’ve been doing is working, so we need to keep doing that—and more—10. (protect) these species.”
