Ralph and Norton can grow to be 40 feet long and live in a tank as large as a football field.What are they? They’re the only two whale sharks at a North American aquarium .
You can see Ralph and Norton at the world’s largest aquarium, the new Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta.
The aquarium’s giant tanks hold eight million gallons of water and will be home to about 100,000 fish!
The aquarium was designed to look like a giant ship breaking through the waves.It has 60 different habitats from the sea and five galleries (展馆), each with a different theme.About 2.4 million visitors are expected to come each year.“We want to be the world’s most engaging aquarium.” Said Jeff Swanagan, the aquarium’s executive director.
Ralph and Norton arrived in June, 2005 from Taiwan.They were only 15 and 13 feet long, but they may grow to be more than 40 feet long! Whale sharks are the world’s largest fish.Three full-time vets will work there to make sure that Ralph, Norton, and all of the aquarium’s sea life stay healthy.Students from the University of Georgia will help run the aquarium and conduct research at the animal hospital.
The aquarium was paid for almost completely by a $ 200 million gift from Bemie Marcus, co-founder of Home Depot Inc, and his wife, Billi.“It’s going to be the most unique aquarium in the world,” said Marcus.Marcus said the aquarium was a “thank you” note to the city of Atlanta and the State of Georgia, where the Home Depot first opened for business.
小题1:According to this passage, Ralph and Norton are ______.
A．polar bears
B．penguins
C．whale sharks
D．dolphins小题2:The world’s largest aquarium is located in ____.
A．Los Angeles
B．Atlanta
C．New York
D．Miami小题3:Which of the following is TRUE?
A．Marcus helped to build the aquarium to show his thanks to Atlanta.
B．The aquarium’s giant tanks can hold eighteen million gallons of water.
C．Ralph and Norton arrived in June, 2005 from Japan.
D．The aquarium was designed to look like a giant shark.小题4:By saying “We want to be the world’s most engaging aquarium” Jeff Swanagan means ___.
A．the aquarium will be the largest habitat for sea life
B．the aquarium will be home to very special sea animals
C．the aquarium will be rebuilt and will be made even larger
D．the aquarium will attract a large number of visitors
