A woman is swimming at night in a dark sea.Suddenly,she is pulled underwater.She surfaces,cries in terror,then disappears forever.This is the opening scene from the 1975 film Jaws.This film was a great hit,but it made things worse.
Jaws made people frightened of sharks,especially of the great white shark.Some stopped swimming in the sea,afraid of the horrible creature from the film.Others started fishing for sharks,killing as many as they could.At that time,nobody cared if sharks were killed,or how many were killed.People just wanted them killed.
After 1975,the number of large sharks fell quickly around the world.This was not only due to fear of sharks,but also finning, a type of fishing where sharks are caught and their fins cut off.Unexpectedly,finning would have a powerful effect upon Peter Benchley,who wrote the book the film Jaws was based on.
One day in 1980,Benchley was diving when he came across an awful sight.He saw fishermen finning and sharks being killed,which caused a deep change in him.From then on, he saw people as a danger to sharks,rather than the other way round.Also,he admitted that his book was wrong about sharks' behaviour."Sharks don't target(以。。。为目标）humans,"he said.Experts have proved that sharks do not see people as food,and they attack us by mistake. Only around six people are killed by sharks every year.
Today,as we learn more about sharks,more people than ever want to protect them from extinction.
21.The film Jaws led to
A.an end of shark fishing
B.a rise in shark population
C.the popularity of shark movies
D.people's scare about sharks
22.How did the sight of finning affect Peter Benchley?
A.It woke him up to his false idea of sharks.
B.It inspired him to do research about sharks.
C.It drove him to learn how to protect sharks.
D.It encouraged him not to be afraid of sharks.
23.What is the best title for the text?
A.Sharks:Dangerous or Endangered
B.Jaws:the Hottest Shark Movie Ever
C.Shark Attacks:Not a Problem Anymore
D.Humans:the Favourite Target of Sharks
