More than we think as it turns out. We noted last week that NRDC's naval sonar litigation in the US found its way into the "Annual Selected Readings for China's High School Students" and ultimately onto a final exam question for high school sophomores in Zhangzhou Municipality, Fujian Province (at the Fifth Middle School in Zhangzhou漳州五中). This just happens to be the city where the controversial Xiamen paraxylene (PX) Plant was moved. Let's hope the kids of Zhangzhou learn their environmental lessons well and work hard to keep Zhangzhou green!

Here is a translation of the NRDC final exam question. Take the exam and let us know how you do.

Chinese Final Exam for High School Sophomore Students

Read the text below and finish question 1 and 2 (6 points, 3 points for each question).

Underwater noise pollution harms marine life

According to the latest report released by NRDC, exploitation of oceanic resources, use of military sonar, cargo shipping, as well as oil and gas surveys increases the noise pollution in the ocean. As a result, dolphin and whales are in great jeopardy, because these animals rely on sound signals for mating, to find food, and avoid predators.

The report concludes that higher underwater noise will lead to long-term behavioral changes in marine creatures and even loss of their hearing. Consequently, some strange phenomena have emerged, such as mass whales strandings on the shore. In 1999, scientists studied the beached whales and presumed that their death may be caused by naval sonar which damages their hearing. In March, 2000, such tragedy also occurred in Bahamas. Scientists studied 19 of all the dead whales and identified the mid-frequency sonar exercises as the chief murderer. Mid-frequency sonar is broadly used in naval exercises to detect enemy's submarines.

In September 2002, Canary Islands (Spain) saw another incident of this kind. Upon examination on more than ten whales among the dead, scientists found that they were bleeding internally around their brains and ears, and their liver and kidney were also injured. Michael Jasny, the report's principal author, said that the symptoms of these marine animals are unseen before, yet this helps provide new evidence: sonar systems can not only trigger mass standings off the coasts but also damage the internal organs. Researchers believe that whales, like human beings, also suffer decompression sickness. Sonar systems either cause them to panic and surface too fast or compel them to dive deeper, discharging nitrogen in the blood. NRDC once filed a suit in the court to limit naval sonar exercise.

NRDC suggests that intense noise-making be curbed in areas where endangered marine species live and have seasonal control on the route where fish move. For example, oil and gas companies should try not to carry out earthquake investigation along Africa's west coast during winter because baleen whales propagate near the coast in this season.

In this latest report, NRDC asks National Marine Fisheries Service to better enforce the Marine Mammal Protection Act, and requires the navy to promise to limit sonar use in their exercises. However, a spokesperson from the Service said that they have yet to read this report and thus declined to make any comment on it.

The specific impact of underwater noise on marine mammals remains unclear, Jasny added, because only a minority of them has so far been stranded by the intense noise.

1、Among the four explanations on "underwater noise", which one is incorrect（ ）

A、As mankind exploits marine resources, and underwater noise ever increases, some marine creatures are severely threatened.

B、underwater noise will lead to marine mammal's loss of hearing and some strange phenomena

C、The underwater noise generated by naval sonar system will cause the whale to bleed in their internal organs, to migrate seasonally and be stranded on the beach.

D、When oil and gas companies carry out earthquake investigation along Africa's west coast, the underwater noise caused by this activity will affect the propagation of the baleen whales in this region.

2、According to the information in the text, which one of the inferences is wrong（ ）

A、If generation of underwater noise is uncurbed in marine resources exploitation, more marine creatures will be killed by it.

B、The worsening underwater noise causes whales to be affected by decompression sickness-the same disease suffered by human-so the whales' survival is endangered.

C、NRDC and National Marine Fishery Service have not reached consensus so far.

D、The specific impact of underwater noise on marine life remains unclear, but it is indisputable that some marine creatures have indeed been killed by the excessive noise.

Visit Greenlaw! See NRDC's bilingual blog dedicated to discussion of China's environmental law, policy and the power of the people at http://www.greenlaw.org.cn (Chinese) and http://www.greenlaw.org.cn/enblog (English).