The great whales are among the most fascinating creatures which __1__have ever lived on the earth, and one of them, the blue whale, is the largest. People in ancient times thought whales as fearsome __2__monsters of the ocean depths. So to hunt a whale, when one occasionally swam toward shore, he was high adventure. People __3__found the adventure was rewarding, too, for the oil and meat from one whale alone could heat and feed a village for a whole winter.
Whales resemble huge fish. They were referred by the ancients as __4__
“great fish,” and any whale beaching along the coasts of England was designated “the King’s fish” because it automatically belonged to the Crown.
Ever since those early times, human have felt whales a sense of __5__wonder mixed with an intense desire to capture, slaughter, and exploit. Now the slaughter has reached alarming proportions. __6__
Even though some species are protected by the regulations of the International Whaling Commission and theoretically all whale hunting is regulated, but the earth’s stock of whales is still being __7__depleted. In fact, some scientists worry that 100 years since now __8__there may be no whales left. If this happens, mankind will be blame for removing from the earth forever a remarkable and __9__awe-inspiring creature that always fed man’s imagination and __10__
made the world a more exciting place.