(广东省惠州市2010届高三第一次调研考试)

It is estimated that about 10 million people go into coastal waters every year to get a closer look at whales.

When the eco-tourists try to have a look at the __21___mammals rising above the water line, killer whales lives are greatly__22___, though they are the top of the food chain in the sea.

“We now have more whale-watch boats than there are whales,” said Kelley BalcombBartok of an __23____ in Washington State which works with scientists to protect whales.

All this activity is causing people to show more ___24____ about the whales health and survival .Some scientists say noise from all the boat traffic may __25____ a whales sonar（声纳，声波）ability as much as 95 percent .The whales need sonar to find food.

There new studies __26____ this month suggest the interference caused by the tourists is damaging the whales, whose population in the Puget Sound region has ___27___ from 98 to 80 in less than a decade. Scientist say all the traffic also forces the whales to move around morn, wasting energy needed for ___28____food.

“I would say that at times when there are a lot of boats and there is a lot of noise, they are easily __29____,” said Tom McMillen, captain of the whale-watching boat Stellar Sea, which takes out there groups a day.

Scientists say there is less food in the sea for the whales to eat : besides, the population in the sea is more serious. Obviously the __30_____from the boats make the life of the whales even worse.

21. A. huge         B. poisonous     C. delicate      D. cautions

22. A. refreshed     B. discovered     C. threatened   D. witnessed

23. A. activity       B. organization   C. area         D. avenue

24. A. sympathy     B enthusiasm     C. excitement    D. concern

25. A. stop         B. decrease       C. increase      D. improve

26. A. released      B abandoned      C. predicted     D. relieved

27. A. changed      B. sunk          C. reduced      D. fallen

28. A. tasting       B. hunting        C. searching     D. eating

29. A. astonished     B .annoyed       C. disappointed   D. excited

30. A sound         B. voice          C. noise        D. echo