When scientists accidentally killed 【小题1】turned out to be the world’s oldest living creature, it was bad enough. Now, their mistake has been worsened after further research found it was even older – at 507 years.

The ocean quahog, a type of deep-sea clam, was dredged (捕捞) alive from the bottom of the North Atlantic near Iceland in 2006 by researchers. They then put it in a fridge-freezer, 【小题2】is normal practice, unaware of 【小题3】age. It was only when it was taken to a laboratory 【小题4】scientists from Bangor University studied it and concluded it was 400 years old.

The discovery made it into the Guinness Book of World Records. However, by this time, it was too late for Ming the Mollusc(软体动物), 【小题5】(name) after the Chinese dynasty 【小题6】its life began. Unfortunately, researchers who calculated Ming’s age killed it instantly by opening its shell.

The researchers opened the ancient clam up to judge its age by counting growth rings inside. But the rings were so close together 【小题7】scientists ended up having to count the rings on the outside to be accurate, 【小题8】(lead) CBS journalists to point out that if scientists had just started there, Ming could have lived on. Now, after examining the quahog 【小题9】(closely), and 【小题10】(use) more advanced methods, the researchers have found the animal was actually 100 years older than they first thought.

Dr Paul Butler, from the University’s School of Ocean Sciences, said: “We got it wrong the first time and maybe we were a bit hasty publishing our findings back then. But we are absolutely certain that we’ve got the right age now.” The mollusc was born in 1499 – just seven years after Columbus discovered America and before Henry VIII had even married his first wife, Catherine of Aragon in 1509.

Antarctic scientists were left 【小题1】(astonish) when they discovered a unique creature at the bottom of the ocean, a documentary showed. The icy continent is 【小题2】 great interest to scientists as it is a totally unspoilt landscape 【小题3】 they can study the history of the earth and the effects of climate change. Thousands of scientists stay there, and they try to get a better idea of the icy continent’s past by 【小题4】(dig) below the ice. 

The team of scientists started a journey through the surrounding waters of Antarctica 【小题5】(discover) some of the most unusual oceanic life known to man. Thankfully, cameras were around to catch one of the strangest moments, when leading scientist Andrew Stewart made an interesting discovery about snailfish (狮子鱼). Snailfish are 【小题6】(poor) understood and Andrew may have found a new species. The sea 【小题7】(have) a wide variety of fish to thrill biologists. 

“【小题8】 surprises me is that there may be about 115 species of this snailfish there,” Andrew said, “this is why I came to Antarctica, seeing things like this. It’s just beyond words. We now have the whole 【小题9】(family) of fish that are found nowhere else in the world except in the Southern Ocean. These are 【小题10】(attract) animals.”

My wife Laura and I were on the beach, with three of our children, taking picture birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small, 【小题1】 (move) aimlessly.

Just a few minutes later, I heard my daughter shouting, “Dad! The bear is right behind us!” An aggressive bear will usually rush forward 【小题2】 (frighten) away its enemy but suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back --- the sign of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally, probably 【小题3】 hunger.

I held my camera tripod（三脚架）in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders, and the tripod stuck across 【小题4】 mouth. It bit down and I found myself 【小题5】 (support) its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.

Even so, this was a fight I had to win; I was all that stood between the bear and my family, 【小题6】 would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.

The bear hit at the camera, cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face: the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move, and I sensed that my bones were going to break.

Drawing back my free hand, I 【小题7】 (strike)the bear as hard as I could for five to six times. The bear opened its mouth and grasped its fur, 【小题8】 (try) to push it away. I was actually wrestling with the bear at this point. Then, as suddenly as it had begun, the fight ended. The bear moved back toward the forest, before returning for another attack -- The first time I felt panic.

Apparently 【小题9】 (satisfy) that we caused no further threat, the bear moved off, destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured, but the outcome for us 【小题10】 hardly have been better. I’m proud that my family remained clear-headed when panic could have led to a very different outcome.