The whale, as big as a locomotive(火车头) jumped out of the water, spinning(旋转) as though for joy, before jumping back under the waves. We watched the scene(场景) silently in astonishment, never having been so close to such a huge, fast-moving creature. It seemed almost possible to count the small shellfish on the whale’s skin.
In early December, gray whales, blue whales, and others had just started heading around the tip of Baja California, Mexico, moving as a community from the Pacific Ocean to the Sea of Cortez. It’s in that protected waterway that pregnant whales give birth to their babies. Other whale babies, born the year before, could be seen sailing behind. All whale babies get two trips like this with their mom before they’re ready to start having babies of their own and making the journey on their own.
We’re in one of several small powerboats, sent out by Scuba Caribe, which carries on such tours in Cabo San Lucas. The whales seemed to be, at times, less than 100 feet from our boat when they rushed out of the water. At other times, they would get much closer and swim beside the boat.
“What if one lands on us?” a woman next to me wondered. Fernando Del Toro, the Destination Manager of Scuba Caribe said, “We haven’t had any incident (事件) of whales jumping over our boats as we always keep our distance. We’re sure they themselves are probably careful not to crash into boats. Such an accident would probably also cause them much harm.”
“Everyone can enjoy this magical trip,” said Del Toro. “However, we do not recommend(推荐) it for kids under 5 years old,” he added.
Though conditions on the water vary, our trip was wonderful. Even when the boat sped up to catch up with the whales, there was little need to “hang on”, and some of us remained standing throughout most of the trip. Still, you may want to pack medicine for those who might get seasick while bouncing(颠簸行进) along the waves.
4. How does the author start the text?
A.By telling a story. | B.By asking questions. |
C.By describing a scene. | D.By giving background information. |
5. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
A.A description of the author’s journey. |
B.A list of best places for whale-watching. |
C.An introduction to the travelling of whales. |
D.A suggestion on taking a whale-watching tour. |
6. What does Del Toro say about whale-watching?
A.It is suitable for all ages. |
B.It is much too dangerous. |
C.It may cause serious damage to wildlife. |
D.It should be done from a proper distance. |
7. How was the author’s trip?
A.It was smooth in general. |
B.It was tiring in particular. |
C.It was destroyed by a storm. |
D.It was terrible due to his seasickness. |