There's no end of dangerous sports to try out in Southern Africa — bungee jumping, skydiving, water rafting. But for a new rush, how about swimming face to face with a killer shark?
The public seems interested in finding danger in this activity. Cape Town's aquarium has been filled with divers who want to swim with the sharks since it opened its tanks to paying visitors last month. Around70 tourists aged between 12 and 40 have paid 275rand (US $55) each to spend up to an hour with Maxine,Dee and Floyd, the aquarium's three sharks.
And conservationists say the project should help change the damage done to the shark's image by the popular movie Jaws.
“People will always pay money to be a bit daring, ”said Paul Loetter , an aquarium diver. “Most people think every shark is dangerous, but they've got the wrong idea. ”
Each visitor can swim with the sharks and other fish that share their tank, guarded by aquarium divers armed only with a stick to keep off any over-friendly sharks.
“This is part of a communication and education programme to show sharks are not as bad as everyone makes out, ”said Tony McGyre , operations manager at the aquarium.
Len Compagno , head of the South African shark research center, agreed. "It's no joke to play around with a big dog. In the same way, a three-metre-long shark could put a few holes in you," he said.
We may infer that in the movie Jaws __________.
A.sharks are hunted everywhere |
B.sharks kill other sea animals |
C.sharks are disappearing in the sea |
D.sharks are man eaters |
What Len Compagno said really means that __________
A.you had better be careful when you get close to sharks |
B.you needn't be too serious about sharks |
C.sharks are more dangerous than big dogs |
D.sharks are as friendly to people as dogs |
The writer's purpose in writing the passage is to tell us that __________
A.sharks are not as bad as everyone makes out |
B.people will always pay money to be a bit daring |
C.there's no end of dangerous sports in Southern Africa |
D.the public seems interested in finding danger in swimming with a killer shark |
We can learn that Maxine , Dee and Floyd are __________
A.workers in the aquarium |
B.the aquarium's three sharks |
C.conservationists |
D.divers in the aquarium |