Correct answer only !

dr. trisha keller, manatee veterinarian
by rick santos, for the highland school news

1 rick: dr. keller, would you tell us where you work?
dr. keller: i work at a manatee rescue center in florida, where our goal is to nurse injured or sick manatees back to health and return them to the wild. before we do this, we insert a tracking device into each manatee, so we can monitor it. this enables us to ensure that the manatee remains healthy and is doing okay on its own.

2 rick: what is it like at the manatee rescue center?
dr. keller: the manatee rescue center is an incredible place that was designed especially for manatees. it has several treatment pools where we place injured or sick manatees, so we can easily access them. the center also has a large-animal x-ray machine and an operating room. the rescue center also has a cafeteria for the employees with cool manatee artwork on the walls.

3 rick: are any of the manatees brought to the center cubs?
dr. keller: yes, the center treats many orphaned cubs. we initially feed them using a bottle until they are old enough to eat solid food. then we feed them romaine lettuce and other vegetation.

4 rick: what can people do to manatees in the wild?
dr. keller: people in boats should travel very slowly. if they fish, they should be sure to remove discarded fishing line from the water. they should not pollute the water or feed manatees. if they see an injured or a sick manatee, they should call the center right away.

5 rick: what advice do you have for someone who wants to become a manatee veterinarian?
dr. keller: take many science courses in school and spend time volunteering at a manatee rescue center.

florida's sea cows

6 manatees are slow moving creatures and have a large, round body, which can weigh as much as 1,200 pounds. the manatees in florida are gray and have two forelimbs called flippers, which they use to paddle through the water along with their tail. their head and face are wrinkled like a raisin, and they have whiskers on their snout. while a manatee won't win a beauty contest, it is a harmless creature that spends its time swimming slowly, sleeping, and chomping on sea grass, the mainstay of its diet.

7 these gentle giants are in danger of extinction, which means they might not be around in the future. in florida alone, there were 392 manatee mortalities in 2012. manatees have no known predators. however, they frequently collide with boats. they must not be very bright! manatees stay near the surface of water because they must come out of the water to breathe. a manatee may come up to breathe every few minutes. this puts the manatee in danger if a fast-moving boat approaches it. the manatee may not be able to swim fast enough to escape.

question 7 (1 point)
refer to the passage titled dr. trisha keller, manatee veterinarian to answer questions 7-10.

question 8 (1 point)
which sentence would serve as the most effective topic sentence for section 6?

question 8 options:

a. the manatee is an animal with a unique lifestyle, habitat, and diet.

b. manatees are peaceful creatures that have interesting snouts with whiskers.

c. as manatees become more endangered, it is to be able to recognize them.

d. with a docile nature, manatees are often called sea cows because of their appearance.