The starving sea lion pup was so tiny that it looked like a rock at the base of the seaside cliff until it struggled to raise its head as humans walked near.

At almost a year, the pup weighed just 23 pounds — a third of what it should — and staff quietly took it to a private room and moved on.

More than 1,650 pups have been saved since January from beaches. It's not unusual to have some sea lions wash up each spring as the pups leave their mothers, but so far, the number of stranded babies is more than five times greater than in 2013, the worst season in recent memory.

"These animals are coming in really desperate. They're at the end of life. They're in a crisis ... and not all animals are going to make it," said Keith A. Matassa, executive director at the Pacific Marine Mammal Center. Scientists aren't sure what's causing the crisis, but suspect that warmer waters this winter.

The warm water is likely pushing most of sea lion foods— further north, forcing the mothers to give up their pups for up to eight days at a time in search of food.

The goal is to get the pups strong enough to swim free again — but the volunteers who nurse them back to health may never know if they make it in the wild.

本时文内容由奇速英语国际教育研究院原创编写，禁止复制和任何商业用途，版权所有，侵权必究！

1.Which animal did the passage talk about?

A lions

B sea lions

C dogs

D elephants

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第1段“The starving sea lion pup was so tiny that it looked like a rock”可知。

2.How many pups have been saved by staff since January ?

A over 1650

B about 1500.

C less than 1600

D about 2000

解析：选A。A 细节理解题。根据文章第3段第1句“More than 1,650 pups have been rescued since January from beaches”可知。

3.What does the underlined word they refer to?

A the staff

B these animals

C the foods

D the volunteers

解析：选B。B词义猜测题。根据文章第4段第1句“These animals are coming in really desperate” 可知。

4.What may make the sea lions hungry?

A the weather

B the warmer waters

C the pollution

D the sea

解析：选B。B 细节理解题。根据文章第5段“The warm water is likely pushing most of sea lion foods” 可知。

5.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A The staff’s aim is to set the sea lions free again.

B The warmer waters push the foods further south.

C The pup is much heavier than a year before.

D Scientists make sure what's causing the crisis.

解析：选A。A 推理判断题。根据文章第6段“The goal is to get the pups strong enough to swim free again "可知。