阅读理解。
It could not have been easy to see the tiny swimmer, but a group of scientists claimed to have discovered
the world's tiniest fish. The little creature was found recently in an Indonesian swamp (沼泽).
For now, the fish is known as Paedocypris progenetica. It has a transparent, or see-through, body. Its head
doesn't have a skeleton (骨架), leaving its brain vulnerable (脆弱的) to its surroundings. The fish, which is
female (雌性的), can grow to be only 7.9 millimeters or (0.31 inches) long, about the size of a large mosquito
(蚊子).
Maurice Kottelat, a fish expert from Sweden, led the team of researchers that made the discovery. Kottelat
and his team reported their discovery in the Proceedings of the Royal Society, a British scientific journal.
"You don't wake up in the morning and think today we will find the smallest fish in the world," said Kottelat
in an interview. He and his team were most excited by the possibility of having discovered the world's smallest
vertebrate. "What's important is finding a complete backbone in a body so small," said Kottelat. All fish, reptiles
(爬行动物), birds, and mammals (including humans) are vertebrates.
It wasn't long after Kottelat's announcement that another researcher challenged the claim with a discovery
of his own. Fish expert Ted Pietsch, a researcher at the University of Washington, says that he has discovered
a fish that is smaller than Kottelat's discovery.
According to Pietsch, the male Photocorynus spiniceps is a tiny ocean fish measuring only about a quarter
inch. That would actually make Pietsch's fish the world's smallest vertebrate. Kottelat's would come in at a
close second. When Pietsch got in touch with Kottelat to mention the fish, four of which he keeps in his office-
Kottelat did not argue. He kindly gave the title of "world's smallest vertebrate" over to Pietsch's unique fish.
"So our little fish is only the smallest freshwater vertebrate," Kottelat wrote. "Now I wait until the next
smallest fish is discovered."
1. Pietsch's fish is shorter than Kottlelat's by about _____. [ ]
A. 0.01 inches
B. 0.06 inches
C. 0.1 inches
D. 0.31 inches
2. The underlined word "vertebrate" probably means "_____". [ ]
A. a creature in an ocean
B. a fish in fresh water
C. an animal that can swim
D. an animal with a backbone
3. Which statement is TRUE according to the text? [ ]
A. Kottlelat's fish still keeps the record of the smallest fresh water vertebrate so far.
B. Pietsch's record of discovery of the world's smallest fish was soon broken by others.
C. Kettlelat didn't admit that Pietsch's fish was even smaller than his.
D. All fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and humans share the same ancestor.
4. Which question doesn't seem to be answered so far according to the text? [ ]
A. Is fish a vertebrate animal?
B. What's the world's smallest fish indeed?
C. What is the smallest freshwater vertebrate?
D. What size is Pietsch's fish?
