A
Even after centuries of exploration, the ocean still holds its mysteries. Although we know more today about the world's oceans and creatures living in them than ever before, every once in a while the sea brings up something so strange, so unexpected, that makes the world wonder what it could be.
Such was the case when the currents (水流) of the Mediterranean Ocean recently washed a 13footlong, smelly body onto the shores of the village of Villaricos in Andalusia, Spain. An early report in the Spanish publication Lavante described the strange, horned (带角的) body as what might seem like a big fish, but it was already in pieces. Locals joked that it was some kind of Loch Ness Monster.
The media jumped right on the creature, of course. Some sites called it a horned sea monster. The popular newspaper Boing Boing called it a dragon. Some people guessed that it might be an oarfish, which is actually a rarely seen kind of big fish that can grow up to 55 feet long.
But now the experts have weighed in and we're sorry to report that it's not a dragon, a Loch Ness Monster, or even an oarfish.“That is actually a shark skeleton (骨架)，” Professor Grubbs from Florida State University told NBC News.“The parts toward the back were confusing me, but those are the lower caudal fin (尾鳍) supports. The ‘horns’ are the scapulocoracoids which support the pectoral fins (胸鳍)．” Scapulocoracoids are backbones common to many animals.
So there we go, another mystery solved. Well，the ancient maps that once described areas of the ocean as places of dragons have yet to be proven true. But it's good to know that the ocean still has a few surprises for us, even in cases where they're just dead, smelly bodies.
语篇解读：本文是说明文。海边的一具海洋生物尸体引起了人们的种种猜测，作者由此试图说明海洋神秘的一面。
1．The creature mentioned in the text ________.
A．was about 15 feet long with a horn
B．could probably grow up to 55 feet long
C．was already in pieces but it was still alive
D．was found on the shores of a village in Spain
解析：选D 细节理解题。由第二段中“...washed a 13footlong, smelly body onto the shores of the village of Villaricos in Andalusia, Spain”可知，该神秘尸体是在西班牙一个村庄的海岸上发现的，故选D项。
2．What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A．A dragon. B．A shark skeleton.
C．An oarfish. D．A horned sea monster.
解析：选B 代词指代题。由第四段中的“‘That is actually a shark skeleton，’ Professor Grubbs from Florida State University told NBC News”可知，这里的it指的是一具鲨鱼的骨架，故选B项。
3．The third paragraph is mainly about ________.
A．how the creature was found
B．the characteristics of an oarfish
C．people's guesses about the creature
D．Boing Boing's opinion of the creature
解析：选C 段落大意题。由第三段中的“sea monster”， “dragon”和“an oarfish”等信息可知，本段主要讲述人们对于该神秘尸体的种种猜测，故选C项。
4．The main purpose of the text is to ________.
A．show the mystery of the ocean
B．ask people to protect sea animals
C．introduce a rarely seen kind of fish
D．show how go find surprises in the sea
解析：选A 写作意图题。由文章首段中的“the ocean still holds its mysteries”和尾段中的“the ocean still has a few surprises for us”以及文中所举的事例可知，本文的主要目的是向人们展示海洋神秘的一面，故选A项。
