Many people feel conflicted about sharks. on the one hand, everyone knows they can be dangerous. The well-known 1975 Steven Spielberg movie, Jaws, which played on people's fears, was loosely based on a shark attack that took place in New Jersey in 1916. on the other hand, incidents like this are very rare. On average, only 6 people are killed in shark attacks worldwide every year, while human beings kill millions ofsharks annually. Sharks have been killed for their mcat for thousands of years. These days, even in countries where shark meat isn't very popular, it is still sold. It is often labelled with another name so that consumers don't even realize that the fish meat they are buying and eating is shark! Shark fin soup, however, is a very popular delicacy in Chinese culture. Unfortunately, "shark finning" is responsible for the decline of some species by as much as 90%, and is a cruel practice. The fin of the shark is cut off, and the shark is thrown back into the sea, where it dies. There are over 360 kinds of shark, but the species which was demonized in Jaws, the great white (whose scientific name is Carcharodon carcharias), is probably the most feared of all. Commonly found offthe coasts ofAustralia, Califomia and South Africa, the great white is also found elsewhere - even in the Mediterranean Sea. However, tourists need not fear. Millions of vacationers swarm to Mediterranean countries every summer, but shark attacks are extremely rare. Tourists would be wiser to worry about encounters with jellyfish or sea urchins, which are much more common. 51. What is the main purpose of the passage? A. to explain why Mediterranean beaches are always crowded B. to argue that sharks are not a serious threat to people C. to show why a blockbuster film was so popular D. to describe the distribution of sharks worldwide 52. It can be inferred from the passage that Jaws has such an effect on people because A. the länd of incident it described is not unusual B. it was based on a true story C. it illustrated something that many people are afraid of D. most people knew very little about sharks before seeing it 53. What does "shark finning" involve? A. eating a popular Chinese delicacy B. killing a shark and then removing a part of it C. removing part of a shark while it is still alive D. using the fin of a shark that has been killed for its meat 54. In paragraph 3, the word "demonized" is closest in meaning to A. portrayed as threatening B. killed easily C. focused on D. decreased dramatically 55. According to the passage, what should concem totrists heading for the Mediterranean countries? A. small creatures that live in the sea near beaches B. the fact that Mediterranean beaches are very crowded C. the great white sharks that live in the Mediterranean Sea D. a species of fish which isn't a shark, but which is equally dangerous