Q 2: Comprehension Passage:
(5 MARKS)
Dolphins are very much in vogue these days. Along with rainbows, they have become a
symbol of a new age of love, peace and harmony. Although, like human beings, they are
mammals, they have adapted surprisingly well to an environment completely different
from our own. There is no doubt that people love these aquatic creatures, considering
them to be both intelligent and beautiful. This fascination with dolphins is not a novelty;
they have delighted people for centuries and they occupy a special place in folklore
around the world. For example, the ancient Mediterranean cultures believed that the
dolphin represented the vital power of the sea, and early Greek mythology describes
many encounters between their gods and dolphins. Dolphins graced many forms of art in
ancient societies. Killing a dolphin was punished by the death penalty. Around the world,
many cultures believed that any intentional harm done to a dolphin could cause ill-fortune
or mortal sickness.
Dolphins are able to make sounds in the form of little clicks, through which they
communicate with each other. Many dolphins are able to leap high out of the water,
sometimes to indicate the presence of fish to their companions, and sometimes simply
out of exuberance. As well as making clicking sounds, they make other sounds which
damage the balance of their prey, making it easier to capture. They are also able to work
out where their prey is by listening to the echoes of the sounds which their prey makes.
This special ability is called echolocation, and it enables dolphins to explore their
environment over a wider distance than eyesight allows, and to find their prey in a dark,
watery world where sight is often of little use.
Modern, efficient methods have been introduced that allow fishermen to bring in record
catches. However, these methods make no distinction between fish and dolphins, so that
the latter then often become the victims of these environmentally destructive fishing
methods.
In some parts of the world, fishermen have noticed that particularly large tuna fish swim
underneath dolphins. Realizing, therefore, that financially rewarding catches of tuna fish
await those willing to take advantage of the tuna-dolphin bond, the fishermen deliberately
net these dolphins in order to catch the tuna swimming below them.
Modern fishing nets, unlike those in even the recent past, are made of very strong
materials which dolphins can neither detect nor break and, in some places, local
fishermen use these nets with the specific intention of catching dolphins for food. It is
difficult not to have some sympathy for these fishermen. In many fishing communities,
fish stocks - on which people have always depended – are dwindling. The sea provides
a