Whales: Reading answers

Whales Over a hundred years ago, when Melville wrote his famous novel 'Moby Dick', hunting whales was a dangerous and sometimes fatal business, now, in spite of their size, _____(1)_____ are no longer a match for men using helicopters, radar and explosive harpoons. As a result, some species, such as the giant blue whale, are on the verge of becoming extinct. Although _____(2)_____ countries gave up whaling several _____(3)_____ ago, there was no international agreement forbidding it until recently, in spite of the fact that alternatives to the whale products used in oils, cosmetics and candies were already in existence. The whale is not the only _____(4)_____ fighting for survival. In the…