Custom tattooed fish (纹身鱼) may be big sellers at markets, but an animal expert say it is a cruel and potentially lethal practice.
In Laitai Flower and Fish Market near the Lufthansa Center in Beijing, four of over 20 fish stores sell marine ornamental fish that are tattooed using laser (激光) guns with beautiful images in order to make them more attractive to customers. Many people just love these kinds of fish, which gives them a unique visual impression. The price of these fish ranges from 50-100 yuan. Some customers are willing to pay an additional 100 yuan to have Chinese characters tattooed on to the fish. The most popular characters are “zhaocai” (attracting fortune) and “ill” (blessing).The color of tattooed fish won’t fade away, and the fish can be cared for as regular fishes:
But Ye Zhenjiang, a professor from the Ocean University of China, said “the practice would damage a fish’s mackerel scale, which is its protective layer Although I haven’t done any research on the impact of the laser on mackerel scale, it is obvious that the mackerel scale may be infected or even destroyed under the exposure of laser,” Ye said. “It’s like tattooing a human being’s body, and it breaks the physiological balance of the fish and damages: the skin’s protective surface, It may even cause death among fishes which have thin mackerel scale.”
A specialist in aquatic(永生的) animal study surnamed Xu from the Beijing Fisheries Research Institute, said, “We have no specific regulations to prevent fish from being tattooed. An official surnamed Bai from the Fishery Surveillance and Administration Bureau(FSAB), said there is no study showing that the laser threatened a fish’s health. He said a regulation on small animal protection, to be passed in the near future, doesn’t include regular aquatic animals. He said the institution is only responsible for aquatic animals that are on the verge of extinction. He said tattooed fish are mainly from south China’s Guangdong province because Beijing does not have the laser technology to tattoo a fish.
“It’s too brutal to tattoo pictures or characters on fishes, even if it makes them more beautiful,” many tropical fish buyers told METRO yesterday. “We would never buy fish like that and we prefer them with natural beauty.”
1. Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
A. Tattooed fish look more attractive to customers.
B. Tattooed fish give people a unique visual impression
C. Tattooed fish can be harder to raise.
D. The color of tattooed fish will stay for ever
2. From Ye Zhenjiang’s talk, we know that _________.
A. It is illegal to tattoo fish by laser.
B. The mackerel scale offish is easy to destroy.
C. People can tattoo fish in other parts except mackerel scale
D. It may be a disaster for fish to be tattooed.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that ____________.
A. The price of tattooed fish is much higher than that of regular fish.
B. The FSAB will pass a regulation on tattooed fish.
C. Beijing did not have the laser technology to tattoo a fish.
D. The youth would buy tattooed fish the moment they see them.
4. This passage most probably comes from
A. a newspaper B. a novel C. a fairy tale D. a magazine
