白鲸行动：俄罗斯破冰船播放古典音乐营救被困白鲸
In late December 1984, a herd of up to 3,000 beluga whales (白鲸) was discovered in the ice-covered waters off the Chukchi Peninsula. The whales were struggling for breathing room in small pools of open water. The white whales had evidently chased a large group of cod (鳕鱼) into the Senyavin Strait. An easterly wind kicked up and jammed the narrow strait with drift ice, leaving only small pools of open water for the white whales to surface for breathing.
Finally the decision was made to summon(召唤) the Moskva (莫斯科号). Moskva raced against time and dropping temperatures to reach the whales before they ran out of breathing pools or starved to death. Upon arrival, the ice was so thick that the captain called the mission off. However, after dozens of whales started to die, Moskva loaded on a full tank of fuel and plunged into the ice.
After a couple of days, Moskva finally reached the whales, but a new problem emerged. They had to figure out how to get the beluga whales to follow the ship before the ice closed up behind her. One person on the vessel recalled that marine mammals react to music. “Nobody could tell the captain how, in effect, to perform the most responsible stage of the operation—in what language, so to speak, to talk to the polar dolphins,” wrote the Government newspaper Izvestia. “This operation was truly experimental”. And so music began to pour off the top deck. They played all types of music at first.
However, when the crew began playing classical music through the ship’s loudspeakers, the whales started to follow Moskva. “They began coming up to the ship themselves,” Izvestia reported. “They hemmed it about from all sides. They were happy as children, jumping, spreading out all over the ice field.” By the end of February 1985, it was estimated that about 2,000 whales escaped. The rescue mission was called “Operation Beluga” and cost the Soviet government about $80,000.
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1.What made beluga whales be in trouble?
A The attraction of cod.
B The loss of their directions.
C The sudden change of weather.
D The activity of hunting.
解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据第一段An easterly wind kicked up and jammed the narrow strait with drift ice, leaving only small pools of open water for the white whales to surface for breathing.可知，一阵东风吹来，浮冰堵塞了狭窄的海峡，只留下一小片开阔的水面，供白鲸浮出水面呼吸。由此推断天气的突变使得白鲸陷入困境，故选C。
2.What can we know about the Moskva?
A It is a scientific research ship.
B It was well prepared before departure.
C It takes on the responsibility of protecting beluga whales.
D It finally completed the rescue mission of beluga whales.
解析：选D。D细节理解题。根据最后一段By the end of February 1985, it was estimated that about 2,000 whales escaped.可知，到1985年2月底，约有2000头白鲸逃脱。即“莫斯科号”最终圆满完成“白鲸行动”。故选D。
3.What does the underlined part in Paragraph 3 refer to?
A How to choose the right type of music.
B How to get the whales to follow the ship.
C There are a lot of potential risks.
D The misunderstanding of communication.
解析：选B。B词意指代题。根据下文They had to figure out how to get the beluga whales to follow the ship before the ice closed up behind her.可知，他们得想办法让白鲸跟着船游，故选B。
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A It was the first rescue operation for the Moskva.
B The rescuers knew the habits of beluga whales well.
C Classical music had a major impact on rescuing beluga whales.
D Beluga whales could be free of the survival crisis by themselves.
解析：选C。C推理判断题。根据全文可知，船员在甲板上播放各种音乐，白鲸对此毫无反应。但当他们播放古典音乐时，白鲸开始跟着“莫斯科号”。由此推断古典音乐对营救白鲸有很大影响，故选C。