False Fear of Big Fish
Many people believe sharks (鲨鱼) are erous 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 food chain. 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 programme. 5
A. They can watch them develop inside their eggs and feel 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 order 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. False Fear of Big Fish