In April this year, I was diving in the Peace River in Florida. At 24, I’d been diving in the area for six years without any problems, and was guiding the dive for two friends. Because of the danger from alligators (短吻鳄), we’d usually drop anchor on a particular spot, and bang on the boat and throw rocks to disturb them, as they tend to avoid contact with humans. But we hadn’t got much on film that day, so we decided to take a chance. and do something unusual: instead of staying in one area, we jumped in the river and moved backwards with the current.
I suddenly felt an intense pressure on my left ankle, and, for a split second, I thought it was Jake messing about. But then the pressure became unbelievably intense, and I knew what was happening to me.
The alligator was already twisting me as he dragged me to the bottom, in what I knew as a
deep-sea biologist was a death roll－almost always deadly. My survival instinct kicked in: I’ve never known such mental clarity. The water was only 8 feet deep, so I inflated( 使膨胀) my lifejacket, and kicked with my free leg towards the surface, dragging the alligator with me.
I understood that I would only be able to free myself if the alligator tried to better catch me with a bite readjustment, so I kept hammering, forcing him to reposition. The pressure on my ankle eased for just a second, and I took my chance. When his jaws closed again, this time he got a mouthful of my flipper( 橡胶蹼). Kicking with all my strength, I got my foot out of the flipper and swam for my life to the riverbank.
Alligators don’t like “food” that makes their life difficult, so he didn’t pursue me. I didn’t blame the alligator: I was in his habitat, and I’d disturbed him. The attack didn’t put me off diving either. I was back in the river again a few weeks later, but it taught me an important lesson about taking chances.
24.How did the author react to the intense pressure at the very beginning?
A.He thought Jake was at risk.
B.He thought he was being fooled.
C.He realized he was being attacked.
D.He realized he had made a mistake.
25.What did the author think would play a key role in saving his life?
A.Making good use of his flipper.
B.Calling his two friends for help.
C.Forcing the alligator to bite again.
D.Using a hammer to attack the alligator.
26.What lesson did the author most probably learn from his experience?
A.He shouldn’t inflate his lifejacket.
B.He shouldn’t dive in a strange area.
C.He shouldn’t swim with the current.
D.He shouldn’t drag the alligator with him.
27.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Returning to water with renewed confidence
B.Learning to dive safely in a new place
C.Avoiding close contact with an alligator
D.Surviving an alligator attack
24-27 BCBD