Whether it’s awe, fear, or simply fascination, people love things that are big. So it’s no surprise that Deep Blue, a 20-foot-long great white shark and the largest ever captured on camera, makes headlines anytime she’s spotted. But beyond the sensationalism associated with such stories, experts say superlative giants have plenty of science to teach us too.
“Is there value in just telling a story about a big shark? No,” says Chris Fischer, founding chairperson of Ocearch, a data-collection organization that has tracked some of the largest great white sharks on Earth. Fischer says that if such an animal is safely captured, sampled, tagged, and released, then it can be useful to science. Tracking a large female like Deep Blue, for instance, can reveal “where great white sharks mate, where they gestate, and where they give birth,” says Fischer. And for a species vulnerable to extinction, such as the great white, this is crucial data for figuring out how to best protect the fish and boost its numbers.
At the same time, today’s measurements can be used to show how living species have changed in response to hunting, fishing, and other human impacts. “If you look at historical records for some of these animals, like manta rays and whale sharks, you’ll see that they used to be significantly larger than the ones we see presently in our oceans,” says Andrea Marshall, a National Geographic Society explorer. And according to her, this means that “we’ve fished out all of the largest, oldest, and most mature of them.” And that, in turns, means conservationists have some serious work to do to restore species back to their original state. All of this is very important because being big is not always a boon for these animals. Take the alligator gar, a freshwater fish that can grow longer than eight feet and weigh more than 300 pounds. “Once they reach a certain size, there are very few predators that can eat them,” says Solomon David, an aquatic ecologist at Nicholls State University in Louisiana. But even a full-grown alligator gar is no match for a human. David says far too many of the impressive fish are now being killed for entertainment or as trophies, and this has negative consequences for this rare and threatened species.
Question 1: Which best serves as the title for the passage?
A. Why are people always so interested in the biggest animals?
B. The fascinating things huge animals can tell us about the past
C. How scientists and conservationists are protecting giant species?
D. What can the world’s most gigantic animals teach scientist?
**Đáp án D**
Question 2: According to paragraph 2, why is the information gathered from tracking Deep Blue is important for great white sharks?
A. Because it helps scientists predict where great white sharks will mate.
B. Because it shows exactly how people should protect great white sharks.
C. Because it gives people information on where great whites gestate and where they give birth.
D. Because it provides data helping scientists to find ways to increase the number of great whites.
**Đáp án D**
Question 3: The word “them” in paragraph 4 refers to
A. impacts
B. records
C. animals
D. oceans
**Đáp án C**
Question 4: In paragraph 3, we learn that
A. some species like manta rays are decreasing in size every single year.
B. the largest individuals of some species have died out because of humans.
C. fishing is the main reason why animals are not as big as they are in the past.
D. ocean species in the present world are becoming much smaller than ever before.
**Đáp án B** Warning ⚠️: This answer is **unreliable**!
Question 5: The word “boon” in paragraph 4 is closest meaning to
A. Pleasure
B. advantage
C. luxury
D. favour
**Đáp án B**
Question 6: Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
A. People are always very interested in Deep Blue because it is the biggest shark in history.
B. Measurements and records showed that it would not be easy for people to restore species.
C. It is almost impossible for predators to hunt the alligator gar once they have fully grown.
D. The Super Croc’s diet can be predicted by studying the diet of today’s biggest crocodiles.
**Đáp án A**
Question 7: The word “worthwhile” in paragraph 5 can be best replaced by
A. constructive
B. valuable
C. lucrative
D. reassuring
**Đáp án B**
Question 8: Which of the following can be inferred from the passage?
A. Most people do not agree with the viewpoint that large animals can have scientific value.
B. The best way to help species return to their original state is to completely ban fishing.
C. The alligator gar is being hunted more and more because people know how rare they are.
D. Examining the biggest animals of today may help us learn more about their ancestors.
**Đáp án D**
Question 9: The word “gestate” in paragraph 2 can be best replaced by
A. capture
B. carry
C. conduct
D. control
**Đáp án B**
Question 10: Alligator gar is mentioned to illustrate
A. No matter how large the animals are, they can be killed by humans.
B. People are interested in hunting big preys.
C. They easily become preys of other predators.
D. Fresh water fish can reach the largest size.
**Đáp án A**