Her name may be 501, but she’s more than just a number. The lovely sea otter(水獭) is the star of Otter 501, a new film from Sea Studios Foundation.

Otter 501 was just a few days old when she lost her parents in June 2010. Washed onto a beach along California’s Big Sur coast, the pup(幼崽) could have died. Instead, she got a second chance at life after being taken to an aquarium(水族馆). There she learned from an adoptive otter mom how to be an otter. In the film, it’s Katie Pofahl who finds the troubled pup on the shore. Through the young volunteer’s eyes, we follow 501’s journey from the day of her rescue to her release into the wild in Elkhorn Slough. But while the fluffy star’s story has a happy ending, the film reminds us of the threats that remain against California’s sea otters.

Mark Shelley is the executive director of Sea Studios and producer of Otter 501. He hopes the movie will encourage more young people to get involved in protecting the otter’s ocean habitat. Time For Kids (TFK) spoke with Shelley and Pofahl about sharing the otter’s tale.

TFK:      How much of the film is fact, and how much is fiction?

Shelley:   The story of 501 and the explanation of the natural history of the sea otter are fact. But we needed a good storyteller to tell the story. That’s where Katie Pofahl’s character came in. Katie’s story in the film is partly fictionalized. She is a trained biologist from the Midwest who moved out here, like her character, so all that is true. She wasn’t really a volunteer at the aquarium, but she did go through the training for the film.

Pofahl:    I was one of the last people to get involved in the project. Mark and Sea Studios put out a casting call for a marine biologist. I responded with a little video, and the team liked it. So, I was brought on to help tell 501’s story.

TFK:       What did you learn about otters during filming that you didn’t know before?

Pofahl:    I’m a zoologist, and I love studying animals. I came onto this project thinking that I knew almost everything there was to know about otters. But I learned some things. Otters keep busy because they live in such cold waters. Unlike other marine mammals, they do not have blubber(鲸油，鲸脂) to keep warm. So, they are constantly moving and eating. And they are a keystone(基本的) species, which means they help to structure the environment they live in. There are endless things to learn. That’s what I love about this job.

TFK:       What do you hope people will take away from the film?

Pofahl:    We have an amazing opportunity to help people become aware of how they impact the world. People will watch the movie to see this lovely otter, but it can also be an entry point into conservation. We want to show people that these animals are amazing and that they are at risk and that they are worth protecting. We also want to show people, especially young women, anyone can get involved in science. It’s been an amazing experience for me.

59. We can conclude from the text that sea otters ________.

A. prefer to live in warm ocean waters

B. stay quiet most of the time and don’t eat much

C. are a dangerous species faced with extinction（灭绝）

D. are a key element in the marine life environment

60. Which of the following statements about the film Otter 501 is TRUE according to the text?

A. The film is about the tragic story of an otter that lost its parents.

B. The character of Katie Pofahl is based completely on a real life person.

C. The director of the film is worried about the trouble faced by California’s sea otters.

D. The movie was shot to raise awareness about the natural history of otters.

61. Which of the following is the right order of events?

a. Otter 501 got an adoptive otter mom at the aquarium.

b. Otter 501 was rescued at the Big Sur coast.

c. Otter 501 lost its parents.

d. Katie Pofahl got involved in the project of Otter 501.

e. Otter 501 was released into the wild in Elkhorn Slough.

A. c-d-b-a-e                 B. b-c-a-e-d                  C. c-b-a-d-e                D. b-a-c-e-d

One day a young man called Jim was told to take the  1  examination the next day．He was   2   so much that he couldn’t get to sleep．He wouldn’t join the army because he was in love with a beautiful girl．“If only I could find a  3   to make the doctor believe there is something    4  with my body,” he thought and thought．Suddenly, a good idea crossed his mind.

The next morning Jim got to the   5   on time and was led into a large room．He hurriedly found a seat to sit down and took out an out-of-date newspaper,   6   to read it．Soon it was his turn to be examined．When he came up to the doctor, the old man took a quick and sharp look at him．Then in a  7   he ordered Jim to take off his clothes, go straight to a corner and sit down on a chair there．No sooner had he seated himself on the chair than he heard the doctor murmuring to his assistant: “Finished! The boy is  8   up to the standard.”

“How can you draw such a  9   like that before you give me a 10  check? Jim shouted at the doctor．

“Don’t be impetuous（冲动）, young man! Put on your clothes, and then I’ll  11   it to you,” the doctor said   12  .“You said we didn’t examine you carefully, but I don’t think it

  13   for us to do that．When I told you in a low voice to take off your clothes, you did it as I told you．It shows you have good  14  ．When you were asked to go and sit on the chair, you did so, too．It shows you can see any subject within a certain distance． 15  , you were found reading the newspaper just now, and we are certain you are a man of intelligence.

  16 , you’re perfect in mind and body.” 

Half a year later, Jim was killed on the battlefield．At the news his girlfriend nearly went

 17  ．She kept weeping．“Don’t be like that, my dear.” It was an old man’s  18   voice．“Your Jim died a real man．He   19  his life to the people all over the world．It is right that we should be proud of him…” Saying this, the old man, her father, was choked（哽咽）．His only   20   was that he had never had Jim know who he was．This old man was the medical officer who had given Jim the health check．

It was a lovely day at the park and Stella Bianchi was enjoying the sunshine with her two children when a young boy, aged about four, approached her two-year-old son and pushed him to the ground.

“I’d watched him for a little while and my son was the fourth or fifth child he’d pushed,” she says. “I went over to them, picked up my son, turned to the boy and said, firmly, ‘No, we don’t push.’” What happened next was unexpected.

“The boy’s mother ran toward me from across the park,” Stella says, “I thought she was coming over to apologize, but instead she started shouting at me for blaming her child. All I did was let him know his behavior was unacceptable. Was I supposed to sit back while her kid did whatever he wanted and hurt other children?”

Getting your own children to play nice is difficult enough. Dealing with other people’s children has become a hidden danger.

In my house, jumping on the sofa is not allowed. In my sister’s house it’s encouraged. I find myself saying “no” a lot when her kids are over at mine. That’s OK between sisters but becomes dangerous when you’re talking to the children of friends or acquaintances.

“Kids aren’t all raised the same,” agrees Professor Naomi White of Monash University.” But there is still an idea that they’re the property of the parent. We see our children as a mirror of ourselves, so if you’re saying that my child is behaving improperly, then that’s somehow a criticism(批评) of me.”

In those situations, it’s difficult to know whether to approach the child directly or the parent first. There are two opinions.

“I’d go to the child first,” says Andrew Fuller, author of Tricky Kids. “Usually a quiet reminder that ‘we don’t do that here’ is enough. Kids have antennae (直觉) for how to behave in different settings.”

He points out bringing it up with the parent first may make them feel careless, which could cause problems. Of course, approaching the child first can bring its own headaches, too.

This is why White recommends that you approach the parents first. Raise your concerns with the parents and ask them to deal with it,” she says.   

Asked how to approach a parent in this situation, psychologist Meredith Fuller answers: “Explain your needs as well as stressing the importance of the friendship. Start with something like: ‘I know you’ll think I’m silly but in my house I don’t want…’” 

What did Stella Bianchi expect the young boy’s mother to do when she talked to him?

       A. Make an apology             B. Come over to stop her     

       C. Blame her own boy          D. Take her own boy away

What does the author say about dealing with other people’s children?

       A. It’s important not to hurt them in any way

       B. It’s no use trying to stop their wrongdoing

       C. It’s advisable to treat them as one’s own kids

       D. It’s possible for one to get into lots of trouble

According to professor Naomi White, when one’s kids are criticized, their parents will probably feel ______.

       A. discouraged       B. hurt    C. puzzled      D. affected

What should one do when seeing other people’s kids misbehave according to Andrew Fuller?

       A. Talk to them directly in a mild way  B. Complain to their parents politely

       C. Simply leave them alone            D. Punish them lightly

It was Mother's Day，but the young mother was a little unhappy，because she was 800 miles away from her parents．In the morning she phoned her mother to wish her a happy Mother's Day，and her mother told her about the beautiful lilacs（丁香）in the garden．
Later that day，when she told her husband about the lilacs，he said，“I know where we can find all that you want．Get the children and come on．”So they went，driving down the country roads．
There on a small hill，they saw a lot of beautiful purple(紫色的) lilacs．The young woman ran quickly to enjoy the flowers．Carefully，she picked a few here and a few there．On their way home there was a smile on her face．
When they were passing a nursing home（养老院），the young woman saw an old granny sitting in a chair．She had no children with her．They stopped the car and the young woman walked to the old woman，put the flowers in her hands，and smiled at her．The old granny thanked her again and again．She smiled happily，too．
When the young mother came back to her car，her children asked her，“Who is that old granny？Why did you give our flowers to her？”
“I don't know her，”their mother said．“But it's Mother's Day，and she has no children．I have all of you，and I still have my mother．Just think how much those flowers meant to her．”
56. The young woman was a little unhappy on Mother's Day because        ．
A．she didn't have a present            B．she was a long way from her mother
C．she didn't know it was Mother's Day  D．she wanted to see her father
57. The young woman had        ．
A．one child                      B．no child 
C．more than one child            D．a boy and a girl
58.The young woman gave the flowers to the old granny because        ．
A．she was her mother           B．she didn't like those flowers
C．her mother asked her to do so D．she wanted the old granny to be happy，too
59. Which of the following is NOT true？
A．The young woman was kind．     B．The young woman was understanding．
C．The young woman was friendly． D．The young woman was surprised．