阅读理解。
In October on the east coast of Australia migrating(迁徙) humpback whales (座头鲸) pass
very close to the shore. With the help of Max Egan, we went to film them near Byron Bay. It
was extremely exciting to spot the little puffs(水柱)of spray on the horizon. When migrating, the
whales can be traveling at speeds of about 12 km an hour and can dive under anywhere between
five and forty minutes, but with many years of experience Max usually guided our boat to exactly
the right place to provide us with amazing sighting. As the whales break the surface like submarines
(潜水艇 ) , the water spills off their broad dark backs and huge tails. Then, with a powerful down
stroke ,they dive back into the depths of the sea, leaving just a smooth glassy patch of water or
"footprint" on the surface to show where they had been.
One day we had traveled up and down the shore and far out to the sea in search of whales, but
the horizon was deserted. There was no report of whales in the area so we
decided to test out Max's new, highly sensitive hydrophone (水中听音器) and the result was
astonishing. As soon as the hydrophone was in the water, we found ourselves listening to the most
beautiful voices. What may have seemed like a vast empty ocean filled with the singing of whales.
It is the males which sing,as they migrate between feeding and breeding (养育) grounds. No one
knows for sure what the purpose of these songs is,whether they are love songs to the females or
warnings to other males to stay away.
It was thought that each population of hump backs had its own song which remained regular but
recent findings suggest that the whales appreciate a memorable tune (曲调)and quickly adopt any
new songs they hear.
1. Which finding about the whale is beyond the writer's expectation?
A. The little puffs.
B. The songs of whales.
C. The traveling speed of the whale.
D. The depth of the whales' dive.
2. What do we know about Max?
A. He likes whales very much.
B. He is a brave scientist on whales.
C. He is an experienced man in finding whales.
D. He is an expert in making hydrophones.
3. The author's main purpose of looking for whales in the passage is___________.
A. carrying out research on whales
B. studying the beautiful songs of whales
C. making films about whales
D. hunting whales for research
4. What's the wrong opinion about whales before according to the passage?
A. Each group of humpbacks had the song of their own
B. Whales can't sing to each other.
C. Whales aren't easy to find.
D. The whale can't dive in the sea as long as forty minutes.
