The world’s oceans are truly amazing. roughly seventy-one percent of the earth is covered by oceans, and they are the home to countless fish, crustaceans, and other marine animals. the five major oceans—the arctic, the atlantic, the indian, the pacific, and the southern, which are then broken down into smaller seas—provide food for humans and animals, entice explorers, enable trade, and affect the climate and environment the world over. 2with all of the creatures that call the ocean home, the waters provide an abundance of food for both humans and animals. for this reason, civilizations have arisen along coastlines around the world for millions of years. settling along the ocean eventually enabled people to trade, and the location even influenced their cultures, which is evident in many ancient mythologies. 3ocean exploration has occurred for ages and has opened up new worlds to those daring enough to set sail. explorers from european nations such as great britain, spain, portugal, and also the vikings from scandinavia, are likely to be the most well known, but every nation with a coastline has had its share of oceangoing explorers. these explorers found new lands where people very often led lives rather different from their own. many people can trace their roots back to these early settlers and explorers, who founded the colonies that became the famous seaside cities we know today. 4by interacting with and trading with newfound nations, explorers were able to bring back products that were exotic to their own shores. they opened up trading routes between different countries. trade has been an important part of life for most cultures throughout history; it is even more so today, as the internet has improved our ability to maintain a global market. today, most of the world’s goods are transported on the oceans from one seaport to another before making their way to your home. 5climate and weather are also intricately connected to the world’s oceans. impressive storms form over the oceans and at times come ashore. the currents that flow throughout the ocean bring warm air to some coastal regions and cold air to others. along with warm or cold air, precipitation is also carried to different coastal areas. once in a specific coastal area, wind can carry the warmer or cooler air and also the precipitation further inland to affect the climates there as well. 6between the majestic and useful marine animals, the chance of exciting new places to explore, the usefulness of trade, and the amazing effects on the climate, the oceans are among the most interesting areas of study. what is the main purpose of the author of this passage is: a) to persuade readers to schedule a vacation soon to spend time at the beach. b) to describe in detail a few of the world's best know oceans and its inhabitants. c) to convince readers that the oceans of the world are in severe danger of pollution. d) to describe some of the wonders of the oceans that make it such a precious resource. the author uses paragraph 6 to: a) urge his readers to take action b) readers understand his point about how oceans affect weather c) describe to readers how the oceans humans and animals survive. d) provide readers with his conclusion about why oceans are interesting. in paragraph 4, what point is the author making when he talks about the internet: a) the internet provides us with facts about people who first settled along oceans around the world. b) the internet allows us to buy products from and sell products to people around the world. c) the internet lets us look up information about different countries all over the world. d) the internet makes it possible to ship products to locations all over the world.