Everyyear2．2milliontonsofoilarespilled(散落，溅出)intotheocean．Actually．thisonlyamountstoasmallpercentageofthetotal1．6billiontonsofoilshippedaroundtheworldeachyear．However，thisspilledo

题目详情

Every year 2．2 million tons of oil are spilled(散落，溅出)into the ocean．Actually．this only amounts to a small percentage of the total 1．6 billion tons of oil shipped around the world each year．

However，this spilled oil has terrible effects on ocean life．including the coastlines where the oil washes up onto shore．Some of the largest spills in history were caused by oil tankers running into each other or by an oil tanker sailing into shallow water and hitting tire bottom of the ocean．After these spills，officials try to discover who or what was at fault to help prevent similar accidents in the

future．

One of the worst oil spills in history occurred along the Alaskan coastline in 1989 In this accident，42，000 tons of oil spilled from a tanker which resulted in terrible damage to this sensitive natural area．In this spill，the tanker’s captain，who was tired from overwork and drinking alcohol，had gone to take a rest．He gave control of the ship to the third mate．The third mate was unfamiliar with the path the ship took，and he rail the ship onto Blithe Reef．Blithe Reef is a natural underwater rock wall near the Alaskan coast．Damaged by the reef the ship leaked oil out into the ocean．More than 1，600 kilometers of coastline were affected by the oil spill．Some scientists who studied nature in the area guessed that 580，000 birds and 5，500 otters died when the oil from the spill covered their skin．As well，smaller shellfish and other sea creatures were later eaten by seals，whales，and other animals．

The most oil ever spilled was actually dumped on purpose as an act of ecological warfare．The term ecological warfare means to fight by doing harm to nature in the area under attack．In 1 990，Iraq sent soldiers into Kuwait and set off the Persian Gulf War．As part of the Iraq war plan，900，000 tons of oil were let out into the Persian Gulf by Iraq．This oil covered 1，500 square kilometers of water in the Persian Gulf．The oil also damaged 650 kilometers of tire coastline of both Kuwait and Saudi Arabia．In some places，oil floating on the water was measured to be 43 centimeters thick．Water birds，water plants，and baby fish were all seriously affected by the oil．The long—term effects of this act on the food chain in the area are bound to cause problems far into the future．

1. Which cause of oil spills is described in the second paragraph?

A. Accidents B. War C. Dumping D. All of the above

2. The creatures affected by the oil spill near Alaska were

A. birds and otters B. shellfish

C. seals and whales D. all of the above

3. The third mate ran the tanker aground (触礁) in tills accident because

A. he was tired B. he was drunk

C. he did not know the area D. he was talking on the phone

4. The Persian Gulf War began in .

A. 1989 B. 1990 C. 1991 D. 1992

5. was responsible for dumping oil into the Persian Gulf.

A. The United States B. Kuwait C. Saudi Arabia D. Iraq