Paul, the oracle octopus (神算章鱼), was given a replica (复制品) of the World Cup as a reward for his perfect eight-for-eight record in predicting the results of matches.
The two-year-old octopus with possible supernatural powers turned into a worldwide celebrity for accurately predicting the German team’s five World Cup wins as well as their two defeats. Paul also tipped Spain to beat Netherlands in the final.
“We have had a lot of offers for Paul but he will definitely be staying with us and returning to his usual job-making children smile,” Sea Life spokeswoman Tanja Munzig in Oberhausen said after presenting Pual with the World Cup replica.
There’s no rational(合理的)reasons why Paul always got it right. Bettors around the world made small fortunes based on Paul’s guess, said Graham Sharpe, media relations director at William Hill in London. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my lifetime but this is the first time I’ve ever seen people making their picks based on what an octopus tells them. We had people coming in saying they didn’t know how to place a bet but heard about this German octopus and wanted to bet with him. It’s funny. But he kept getting it right.” said Sharpe.
Sharpe said that anyone who had placed a 10-pound accumulator bet(累计下注)on Paul’s prediction from the start of the World Cup would have won 3,000 pounds($4,500)by the end of the tournament.
Paul’s home at Sea Life aquarium(水族馆)in Oberhausen has been crowded with visitors and media from across Europe. Many networks broadcast his predicting live. Many networks broadcast his picks live. Hundreds were on hand to watch the World Cup replica lowered into his tank on Monday, 12 July, 2010.
小题1: Paul was rewarded a replica of the Word Cup because he .
A．will celebrate his birthday soon
B．predicted the results of matches accurately
C．helped beat Netherlands in the final
D．helped many fans earn much money小题2: If a fan had placed a 200-pound accumulator bet on Paul’s prediction, he would have won
during the tournament.
A．$30,000
B．$45,000
C．$60,000
D．$90,000小题3: The underlined word “tipped” in the 2nd paragraph probably means .
A．ordered
B．announced
C．predicted
D．helped小题4: From what Sharpe said we can learn that .
A．it’s amazing for Paul to make more exact prediction than people
B．octopus like Paul may all have the ability to predict exactly
C．it’s common for people to believe in sea life for prediction
D．we’d better not bet with animals when we have trouble making our picks小题5: We can learn from this passage that .
A．Paul used to be children’s favorite sea life
B．it’s useless to bet with the oracle octopus
C．Paul was born with the ability to predict World Cup results
D．Germany will never be beaten if Paul stays with them