James Sulikowski, from the Shark and Fish Conservation Lab at the School of Mathematical and Natural Sciences at Arizona State University, was one of the scientists who captured the seven foot porbeagle (鼠鲨) shark in the Atlantic.

In a Facebook post, the lab said the shark had been growing for years with a plastic strap around its gills. “Photos ... show the female shark’s head was slowly being sliced off by the unyielding strap,” it said. “The piece of circular plastic had become lodged around her neck when she was younger. As she grew, it began to cut through her skin into her muscle, if we had not removed it, she surely would have died.”

In a message to Newsweek, Sulikowski said the strap was probably one that would normally go around a bait box. “The box went overboard, and the porbeagle shark, when younger, ate the fish in the box,” he said. “While doing so, [the] strap got wrapped around the sharks head. As the shark grew, the strap dug into the shark’s flesh. If we didn’t remove it, the shark would have surely died.”

The photos of the shark being strangled follow the discovery of a dead minke whale that had been killed by a piece of fishing line. The male minke whale was found on a beach in Dennis, Massachusetts. The fishing line had become “wrapped around its head and through its mouth, creating a bridle,” the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) said in a Facebook post.

The IFAW said the initial autopsy (验尸) suggests the whale died from injuries caused by the entanglement. It also said there were signs of possible infection. “The entanglement likely contributed to the cause of death, though additional lab results are pending.”

The problem of plastic pollution in the ocean is getting worse. It is thought there is currently over 150 million metric tons of plastic in the world’s oceans, and more and more is entering every year. A report published earlier this year estimated the amount of plastic entering the ocean every year will have doubled by 2040, amounting to 600 million metric tons.

More than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine animals are killed every year by plastic waste. “Plastic in all forms are an issue,” Sulikowski said. “We need more research to understand the extent of the long term effects of this type of pollution.”

【小题1】What do you know about the shark?

A．Her head was sliced off.

B．The strap cut through her skin when she was younger.

C．She was in more danger as she grew.

D．Scientists had not removed the strap.

【小题2】According to the initial autopsy, the cause of the whale’s death is ______.

A．the entanglement.	B．a piece of fishing line.
C．infection.	D．not decided.

【小题3】What can you infer from the text?

A．The present amount of plastic in the ocean is about 300 million tons.

B．The next 20 years will see an increase of 450 million tons of plastic in the ocean.

C．More than 150 million metric tons of plastic is going into ocean every year.

D．About 300 million tons of plastic is going into ocean every year.

【小题4】What can be the best title of the text?

A．Scientists saved a shark whose head was being sliced off.

B．The death of a whale and a shark worried IFAW.

C．Plastic pollution is threatening certain animals’ lives.

D．Plastic pollution is getting worse and worse.