Shark attacks in U.S. waters—and how common they really are
The first American shark panic began in the hot summer of 1916, when a series of attacks of the Jersey Shore killed four in two weeks. This was thought to be the work of a single great white shark—a species native to the Atlantic coast and the same likely involved in recent attacks. In a time when little was known about beasts from the deep, the deaths were big news. One paper warned that, facing a scarcity of fish, the shark had “probably acquired a taste for human flesh.”
But 1916 did not start a new time of human-hunting sharks. The rate of attacks in the U.S. stayed relatively stable, at two or three per year, for decades. From the 1950s on, that number rose with human population growth, and its attendant increase of people in the water.
Globally, both numbers have been climbing faster since the late 1980s and into the 21st century, but such encounters with sharks are still remarkably uncommon given that the human population is some 7.5 billion. In 2017, 53 of the world’s 88 confirmed attacks took place on U.S. coastlines, with 31 in Florida - but even there, you’re far less likely to be killed by a shark than by lightning. Thanks to beach safety and hospital access, only five of last year’s global attacks were fatal.
“If sharks were actively hunting people, we’d see far more attacks,” says Gavin Naylor, director at the Florida Museum’s Program for Shark Research.
Statistically, sharks have far more to fear from us than we do from them—fisheries wipe out an estimated 100 million each year, and climate change and other human activity have threatened shark habitats, sending their global population into decline. But that doesn’t make it any less sad when the beasts bite back.
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相似题推荐
1. 活动的时间和地点；
2. 活动的内容；
3. 个人感想。
注意：短文词数应为80个左右。
参考词汇：冬令营 winter camp
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We had just relocated to Germany and moved into a big and old country house with a mysterious abandoned wine cellars (地窖), which my husband warned me many times not to explore without him. After settling down, we began slowly releasing our large family of rescue cats and dogs into the woods behind our house so that they could get used to the area and venture out on their own. So, it wasn’t long before we gained a reputation for having lots of rescue animals with us in the neighborhood.
One day, the doorbell rang and I was sure some of my Christmas packages had arrived. I ran to the door and swung it open, but no one was there. I sensed something and looked down, only to find a beautiful calico (有斑点的) kitten sitting there, looking up at me with big, intelligent eyes. There was no way that she could have rung the doorbell by herself, was there? Were my new neighbors playing tricks on me? Perhaps, someone had found the kitten somewhere and left her there, and then rang the doorbell and ran away. They accurately guessed we would welcome an additional family member and take care of her.
My husband called her our little angel, so we named her Angelica accordingly. It seemed as if she was always meant to be in this big family and she turned out to be a perfect companion. Always by my side, she was more like a puppy than a kitten. Wise beyond her years, she enjoyed exploring through the mysterious house as much as I did, but with much less fear. Angelica was courageous.
So, I decided to be brave, too. I had promised my husband that I wouldn’t explore dangerous areas unless he or someone else was around, but he was away on a business trip for a week and I figured that Angelica would count as my companion. I was ready to explore the cellar, and so was she.
The only way in was through a hatch (盖子) that was partially hidden by the grass that covered it, then down a shaky ladder to its dark depths, probably twelve feet deep. I equipped myself with a good flashlight and warm clothes. Angelica sat on the edge and watched me carefully start down the ladder. Suddenly, there was a crash at the foot.
注意：
1.续写词数应为150左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题纸的相应位置作答。
I woke up with a splitting headache and pieces of the broken ladder lying around me on the stone cellar floor.
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Angelica could sense my dilemma.
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1.外貌：金黄色或灰色；尾巴和身体几乎一样长；
2.栖息地：主要在中国，生活在海拔约1500-3300米的森林中；
3.生活习性：群居，吃树叶、果子；
4.属于濒危物种，呼吁大家保护金丝猴。
注意：
1.涵盖以上要点，可适当增加细节以使行文连贯；
2.词数100左右。
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Jimmy lived in a city with his family, but he loved nature so much. For his son’s birthday, he decided to go to the forest for celebration with family and friends and enjoy some time with Mother Nature. He booked a cottage (别墅) which was near the forest. There were arrangements for guests to enjoy nature and view wild animals roaming (游荡) in nearby places.
On the first day of their trip, they saw a small dog while entering the cottage. When Jimmy’s two year-old son noticed that dog, he offered it a biscuit with his small hands. The dog was happy to get a treat from the kid and stay with him. Soon the kid and the dog became friends. From that moment, the dog wouldn’t leave the kid’s side even for a minute.
On the third day of the trip, Jimmy’s family and their friends celebrated the kid’s birthday and everyone enjoyed it. The next day they wanted to spend more time in the forest. So all the adults decided to go for hunting and the kid was left in the care of his baby-sitter in the cottage.
Few hours later, Jimmy and his wife were the first to get back. When they walked up to the cottage, they saw that main gate was open and in the hall no one was there. So they called their kid and the baby-sitter, but they got no reply.
They became worried and started to search for them in the cottage. At that moment, Jimmy’s eyes lit upon that dog with blood stains (血迹) on its mouth.
Seeing this. Jimmy’s wife got scared and started shouting. In the meantime, everyone else also returned to the cottage. They heard her shout and ran toward there. Shocked by the sight, they all started beating that dog.
注意:
1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。
Just then, the baby sitter came back with the kid.
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A fight broke out between the dog and the wolf.
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【推荐2】阅读下面短文，根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要。
With limited space for parks and gardens, architects and city planners often find it challenging to include greenery in neighborhoods in cities. One creative solution is to grow plants on unused areas like walls and rooftops. It’s a popular idea, and now rooftop gardens and green walls have been sprouting up（大量冒出） in cities around the world.
There are many benefits of having green spaces to the urban landscape. Adding gardens to rooftops or walls can create a pleasant environment — what was once a gray cement（水泥） wall can become a colorful, blooming garden. The CaxiaForum art gallery in Madrid, Spain, is a famous example — one of its walls is covered with 15,000 plants from over 250 different species. In other cities, green walls are being used more functionally, to cover up construction sites and empty buildings and to decorate the lobbies of office buildings.
Using plants to cover walls and rooftops can also keep cities cooler in the summer. Buildings and roads absorb the sun’s heat and hold it, causing a building or neighborhood to stay warmer longer. Plants, on the other hand, provide an enormous amount of shade. There is evidence that growing a roof or wall garden can lower a building’s energy costs.
In New York City, public schools plant rooftop gardens that can reduce heating and cooling costs. In addition to saving the school money, teachers and parents love the gardens because of their educational value — it’s a fun and healthy way for their kids to investigate the world around them. “For the children, it’s exciting when you grow something edible（可食用的）,” said Lauren Fontana, principal of a New York public school.
Rooftop gardens and green walls may require a bit more effort to grow and maintain. However, hard work always brings rewards, and with green spaces, the rewards are plentiful.
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【推荐3】Everyone in our neighborhood knew who Ugly was. Ugly was a wild cat. Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting, eating garbage, and, shall we say, love. All these things had their effect onUgly. He had only one eye and where the other should have been was a hole. He was also missing his ear on the same side, his left foot broke at one time, making him look like he was always turning the comer. Every time some one saw Ugly there was the same reaction. “That's one UGLY cat!”
All the children were warned not totouchhim, the adults threw rocks at him, shouted at him, watered him when he tried to come in their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave. Ugly always had the same reaction. If you watered him, he would stand there, getting wet all over until you gave up and quit. If you threw things at him, he would lie down crying for forgive ness. Whenever he saw children, he would come running, meowing, and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him up he would immediately suck (吮吸) on your shirt, hat, whatever he could find.
One day Ugly shared hislovewith the neighbor's dogs. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly injured. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush to his aid. By the time I got to where he was lying, it was obvious Ugly's life was almost at an end. Ugly lay in a wet circle. He was bleeding badly. As I picked him up in myarmsand tried to carry him home, I could hear him crying and could feel himstruggling. It must be hurting terribly, I thought.
Then I felt a familiar sucking on my ear. Ugly, in so muchpain, suffering and obviously dying, was trying to suck my ear. I pulled him closer to me, and he bumped my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly cat was asking only for a little love.
注意:
1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.应使用5个以上(含5个)短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
At that moment I thought Ugly was the most beautiful, loving creature I have ever seen.
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Paragraph 2:
Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards.
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