A beluga whale that captured French hearts when it showed up in the Seine River had to be euthanized(安乐死) Wednesday after it was successfully removed from the French waterway, authorities said.

A rescue team was preparing to transfer the whale to a saltwater pool in Normandy. The male marine mammal was first spotted in the Seine last week after having accidentally moved off its normal path to the Arctic. 

During the rescue operation, the dangerously thin animal began to have breathing difficulties, and so experts decided the most humane thing to do was to euthanize the creature. “During the journey, the veterinarians(兽医) confirmed a worsening of its state, notably its respiratory(呼吸的) activities, and at the same time noticed the animal was in pain, not breathing enough,” Florence Ollivet Courtois, a French wild animal expert, said. “The suffering was obvious for the animal, and so we had to proceed to euthanize it.”

Conservation group Sea Shepherd France said veterinary exams after the beluga’s removal from the river showed it has no digestive activity. Members of the organization had tried unsuccessfully since Friday to feed fish to the whale. Courtois said the whale experienced distress after it was moved to a refrigerated truck and during the approximately 99-mile drive to the Normandy coast.

The whale was expected to spend several days recovering in the saltwater pool in the northeastern French port town of Ouistreham before being pulled out to sea. The rescue team said ahead of time that the transfer carried a risk of the whale dying because of the stress involved in the process. However, the move was considered necessary because the animal would not have been able to survive in much longer in the Seine’s fresh water. “The decision to euthanize the beluga was taken as it was too weakened to be put back into water,” Guillaume Lericolais, an official of France’s Calvados region, said.

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1.Where was the whale first noticed?

A In a saltwater pool.

B In the Seine River.

C In the Arctic.

D In a local lake.

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据第二段第二句“The male marine mammal was first spotted in the Seine last week after having accidentally moved off its normal path to the Arctic.”可知，这头白鲸首先是在塞纳河被注意到的。故选B。

2.Why did the experts euthanize the whale?

A Because the whale moved off its normal path.

B Because the whale couldn’t breathe on its own.

C Because they wanted to relieve it from suffering.

D Because they failed to feed fish to the whale.

解析：选C。C 推理判断题。根据第三段内容可知，这头白鲸呼吸困难，正遭受巨大的痛苦；本段最后一句“The suffering was obvious for the animal, and so we had to proceed to euthanize it.”更是直言“白鲸饱受痛苦，因此不得不对其实施安乐死”。故选C。

3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A The whale was supposed to live in the saltwater pool temporarily.

B The transfer of the whale run a risk due to poor water quality.

C The whale could live in fresh water for a lifetime.

D The decision to euthanize the whale was made by an official.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据最后一段第一句“The whale was expected to spend several days recovering in the saltwater pool in the northeastern French port town of Ouistreham before being pulled out to sea.”可知，人们本来打算让白鲸在盐水池里恢复几天，之后仍要投放回大海。故选A。

4.What’s the main idea of the text?

A The worsening living state of beluga whales.

B The efforts of saving beluga whales in France.

C The life story of a beluga whale in France.

D The death of a beluga whale after a rescue operation.

解析：选D。D主旨大意题。通读全文可知，文章主要讲的是：人们试图营救一头白鲸，但以失败告终。故选D。